Martinsville Bulletin, Inc.
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204 Broad Street
Martinsville, Virginia 24115
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Curtis Millner Sr. |
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
By MICKEY POWELL - Bulletin Staff Writer
Curtis R. Millner Sr., Iriswood District representative on the Henry County School Board, announced Monday he will run for a third term in the Nov. 3 election.
Having served on the school board for 7 1/2 years, Millner is the longest serving member of the board. He served three years as chairman.
He said he thinks his interest in educational issues, as well as his experiences so far with students, parents, educators and school system administrators, will enable him to continue effectively representing the Iriswood District.
Referring to current school board members, he said the board is “the best that I have ever served on, and I would like to continue with them another four years.”
During his two terms on the school board so far, Millner has missed only one board meeting, and that was due to surgery.
“I think that shows I’m consistent and dedicated” to the post, he said.
If he is re-elected, one of his top priorities will be striving to close achievement gaps between certain subgroups of students, Millner said. He cited African-American males, who he said have not been performing as well as a group as other subgroups within the system.
Millner said he has been told that roughly 80 percent of incarcerated persons between 18 and 35 are black men, and many of them either did not finish high school or did not do well there.
If those young men did well in high school and graduated, they would be more likely “to seek gainful employment and not resort to crime,” Millner said.
He added that he wants Anthony Jackson, the new schools superintendent who will start work July 1, to pursue efforts to close those achievement gaps.
One of the things for which he is most proud of the county schools, he said, is the system being able to achieve state accreditation and make adequate yearly progress under the state Standards of Learning. He said he wants to make sure accreditation and adequate yearly progress continue.
Also, Millner wants to see remodeling and renovations continue at county schools, especially Sanville Elementary, Stanleytown Elementary and Collinsville Primary, as well as security, heating, air-conditioning and roof upgrades at schools needing them.
Millner, a former teacher in the county schools for six years and substitute teacher in both the county and Martinsville systems, said new construction should eliminate the need for mobile classrooms at Sanville and Stanleytown.
Despite funding constraints facing the county and its schools, he said he thinks the school system can afford to upgrade the schools. Construction materials probably cost less now than they will in the future, he said, adding that the construction will help generate jobs.
Millner said he also wants to see the county schools continue striving to increase employee salaries. Due to economic constraints, employees will not get across-the-board raises in the upcoming fiscal year, although some will receive “step” increases designed to bring them closer to state averages for their positions, he pointed out.
Higher salaries for school employees are needed to attract and retain employees, he emphasized.
A 1960 graduate of the former George Washington Carver High School, Millner was born and raised in the Iriswood District. His two children graduated from the former Laurel Park High School, and he has three granddaughters who are enrolled in the county schools.
Millner retired from the Army after 23 years. He has an associate degree from Patrick Henry Community College and a bachelor’s degree from Columbia College in Missouri.
While on the school board, he has been awarded the Virginia School Board Association’s Award of Distinction five times. He has served as the alternate board member for the Piedmont Governor’s School and recently was elected as a board member for 2010.
Millner has been extensively involved in church and community activities. Currently, he is chairman of the Fayette Area Historical Initiative and commander of the American Legion Homer Dillard Post 78. He also is treasurer of the Smith River Missionary Baptist Association.
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