DWS February Students of the Month Announced

February 24, 2020
By: Bill Conger

DeKalb West School has announced the Students of the Month for February. Congratulations to Kayla Hamlet, PreK; Carson Maynard, Kindergarten; Kensley Womack, 1st grade; Emily Roberts, 2nd grade; Savana Muncey, 3rd grade; Jordyn Agee, 4th grade; Kaylee Kent, 5th grade; Bella Tarpley, 6th grade; Chloe Dies, 7th grade; and Marshall Farler, 8th grade. Students are selected for the honor based on their academic achievement, character, and other traits that make them an excellent student.

Pictured front row left to right: Kaylee Kent, Emily Roberts, Kensley Womack, and Carson Maynard
Pictured back row left to right: Principal Sabrina Farler, Marshall Farler, Savana Muncey, Chloe Dies, Bella Tarpley, and Assistant Principal Joey Agee. Not pictured: Kayla Hamlet.

February 23, 2020
By: Dwayne Page

A total of 587 people have voted early in DeKalb County for the March 3 primaries with one day left to do so.

According to the DeKalb County Election Commission, 97 voted Monday including 93 in person and 4 by absentee. Fifty five voted in the Democratic and 42 in the Republican Primaries.

For the ten days combined, 587 have cast ballots including 286 in the Republican and 301 in the Democratic Primaries.

Voters in both parties are selecting their preferences for US President. Republicans are choosing the GOP nominee for Criminal Court Judge Part II in the 13th Judicial District, and the DeKalb County Democratic primary is being held where local Democrats are selecting nominees for Assessor of Property and Constable in 6 of the 7 districts.

Early Voting runs through February 25. All early voting is being conducted at the DeKalb County Courthouse in Smithville. Early voting hours Tuesday will be 9-1.

February 22, 2020
By: Dwayne Page

After having served almost eight years on the Board of Education from the sixth district, Doug Stephens has decided not to seek a third term in the August DeKalb County General Election.

Although he has enjoyed his service to the community and his association with fellow board members and directors of schools with whom he has worked, Stephens said he will be stepping aside after his current term is completed in keeping with a campaign promise he made when he first sought the position.

“I thought if voters elected me twice I would stay two terms and I have been able to do that. I am a constitutionalist and not big on career politicians. I think everybody owes it to the community to serve if they have an opportunity and I have fulfilled my personal obligation,” Stephens told WJLE.

Stephens was appointed to the position by the county commission in March 2012 to fill a vacancy on the school board. He was elected unopposed later that year to a full four year term and re-elected unopposed in 2016.

During his years on the Board, Stephens has seen many projects and services undertaken to improve educational and athletic opportunities for students.

“We completed a building project at DeKalb West School (Tornado Safe Rooms) as a joint effort with some federal, state, and local government aid that benefitted the whole community. I am proud that we were able to arrange funding for the placement of School Resource Officers in all schools in the county. We have also made huge accomplishments in athletics. Track is now in place at both the high school and middle school and we have expanded our facilities to have a soccer field. I can’t take credit for all of that. I am only one of seven board members and a director but we as a unified body made those things happen,” he said.

For the most part, regular monthly School Board meetings today are not as lengthy as they once were mainly because of Board work sessions and Stephens said he is proud of that.

“When I first got on the board meetings were very lengthy. I am not saying the things we talked about were not important but throughout time I have tried to promote leaving most of those lengthy discussions in work shop settings which are still open to the public but shortens the regular meetings. We haven’t hidden anything by doing business this way. Everything is still done in public,” said Stephens.

As for any regrets, Stephens said he had hoped a new school building program would have been completed or at least started by now.

“It’s frustrating. From the beginning I have been an advocate of the Pre-K to 8 schools and to put those in place. I think the students benefit from it the most but I also understand the finances of it and if that plan is impossible then you have to drop back to plan B. From my take on it we have a unified board that agreed on several different plans and presented one only to have it pushed back to us to create another plan. I don’t know that we are any closer today than we were five years ago when we actively started to pursue this process. I just hope its happens in the near future,” said Stephens.

Although Stephens will leave office September 1, he will take with him many happy memories from his association with friends in the school system.

“I have worked with two directors and have nothing but good things to say about each. Its also been a joy working with fellow board members past and present. We have had a good relationship. I have been blessed and privileged to get to know each one,” added Stephens.

Two positions on the DeKalb County Board of Education will be filled in the county general election on August 6.

Those seats are currently held by W.J. (Dub) Evins, III in the 5th district and Doug Stephens in the 6th District. The terms are for four years.

Jason L. Miller has obtained a petition from the election commission to seek the 6th district seat.

The qualifying deadline is April 2.

Seven members make up the Board of Education but they do not all run in the same year because their four year terms are staggered. The 5th and 6th district positions are up for election this year. The other five were filled in 2018 and will be on the ballot again in 2022.