There’s a new face on the Starkville Oktibbeha-Consolidated School District Board of Trustees.
Sumner Davis was approved for the vacant seat on the Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District Board of Trustees at the April 3 Starkville Board of Aldermen meeting. He was sworn in at the school board meeting on April 10, and will serve on the board until March 2022. Davis was the sole applicant for the seat. He replaces Melissa Luckett, who resigned from the board in February after moving out of Starkville City Limits and becoming ineligible to serve in her city-appointed seat. Davis was approved on his third attempt at a school board seat.
The SDN caught up with Davis to ask some questions about his hopes for his time on the board.
Q: What drew you to serving on the school board?
A: “Having served on the Board of Aldermen, I realize and appreciate the value of our school district to the community. I wanted to help ensure that the continued pursuit of excellence in the district by the Superintendent, the current Board members, and faculty and staff will be realized.”
Q: What is your background?
A: “I'm the department head and a governmental training specialist with the Center for Government and Community Development in the Mississippi State University Extension Service. In addition to my administrative role, I plan and deliver educational programs for county and municipal officials, write specialized publications and material for local government officials, and provides technical assistance. I received a bachelor's degree in history and a Masters of Public Policy and Administration degree from Mississippi State University. It was my pleasure to have served two terms as the Ward 1 Alderman for the City of Starkville.”
Q: What are some of the issues most important to you as a school board member?
A: “I want to work with the superintendent and my colleagues on the board to provide the best faculty, educational programming, and facilities possible for the children of our district.”
Q: Is there anything you would like to say to district faculty and staff?
A: “The faculty and school level staff are the most important employees in the district. I want to work with the superintendent and my colleagues on the board to ensure that the faculty and staff in our schools have the necessary and appropriate resources and support to effectively do their jobs on a daily basis.”
Q: Is there anything you would like to say to district parents and other constituents?
A: “I support the superintendent and his staff in their efforts to have the highest quality of instruction in every classroom, in every school, within in the district. I will work to ensure that every dollar we spend is done so in an efficient, effective, and transparent manner in our efforts to achieve that goal.”
Q: What are your hopes for your term on the school board?
A: “I am confident that the hard work of our faculty and staff will be shown as we continue along the positive trajectory on which the district is currently. We are going to expect excellence in everything we do as a district.”