Tim Armstrong, 51, of 823 Wilhoit Road, Chuckey, an incumbent Greene County Board of Education member in the 2nd District, is seeking re-election.

Armstrong is the county's Solid Waste Supervisor (reporting to that department's director) and a dairy farmer.

He is a 1975 graduate of Chuckey-Doak High School, and attended Walters State Community College.

Armstrong served as a county commissioner from 1994 to 2002, and has served on the county school board since 2004.

He has been married to the former Nedra Collette of Pleasant Vale for 29 years.

Their son, Scott, is a C-DHS graduate and is a sales specialist at Bush Hog. Their daughter, Brandy, graduated from C-DHS and Tusculum College. She is currently teaching eighth-grade mathematics at Mosheim.

His parents are Dale and Marjorie Armstrong of the Horse Creek community.

Tim Armstrong is a member of Cedar Grove United Methodist Church and serves on its building committee. He is a graduate of the Leadership Class of the Greene County Partnership.

He has been a member of the Greeneville Parks and Recreation Board since 2002.

He is currently on the Agriculture Advisory Board for the Greene County School System, and he served as a volunteer softball coach at South Greene and Chuckey-Doak high schools for 23 years (and as a volunteer bus driver).

He has served as basketball clock-keeper and announcer at Chuckey-Doak since 1979.

In addition, he served for 23 years as director of The Tiny Day/Red Edmonds Memorial Softball Tournament, which has, to date, given $38,000 in scholarships.

Armstrong is a lifetime member of the Chuckey-Doak FFA Alumni Association, and served as its first vice president.

Why are you running for a position on the board of education

"I believe in the young people of this county and enjoy being around them and trying to be an influence in their lives. I try to do the best in every decision I have made and will continue to do that as in Galatians 6:10, [which says] "As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith."

I believe that this opportunity has come upon me, and this is why I choose to run once more to help the children and young people of Greene County."

If you are elected, what would be your top three goals as a board member?

"1 -- I The children and young people are the reason that we are on the board. We are elected to ensure that they get the best of the best. I will do everything that I can to make sure children are the first priority. Without them we have no need for teachers or schools.

"2 -- Make sure that the teachers are given every resource available to ensure a high level of teaching and that they are compensated for the job that they do, and to let them know this, as I go through the schools from time to time.

"3 -- We have to take care of the facilities that we have. It takes proper maintenance ..."

What personal contact have you had with the county school system? Have you had occasion to observe teachers in the classroom within the past few years?

"Having been a bus driver and a volunteer softball coach, I see a lot of the teachers, coaches and students almost daily. I have sat down in classrooms and have talked to students on topics ranging from recycling in Greene County to my past experiences as a farmer and as a county commissioner.

"I can go into any of the schools and talk first-hand with any of the principals or teachers. I have schools that I go to and sit down and eat with the students. A lot of the students enjoy talking about what they have been doing and asking questions."

Are you convinced that a new building is needed to replace West Greene High School? If so, how do you think such a building should be paid for? If you do not favor a new building, what do you think should be done to deal with the crowding at WGHS. What about Glenwood, McDonald, and Mosheim, where space is also short? Please give reasons for your answer.

"I have been to all of the above schools, and, yes, we have a problem with crowding. I have gone through all the schools and had lunch at West Greene and Mosheim several times and talked to teachers and principals at these schools.

"We need to address the problems at these schools before the state comes in and tells us what to do.

"Chuckey-Doak [High School] has a beautiful campus and a great curriculum, and all of Greene County should be able to have the same benefits across the board.

"It all comes down to, How do we pay for this? It is not fair for the landowners to shoulder the whole burden.

"If it could be spread across by wheel tax, property tax, and help from the state by the lottery, this would help ease the pain of funding what needs to be done.

"Bricks and mortar do not make a student, but it helps in a crowded room for students to be able to learn in an environment that is pleasant, to get the right education for the next generation.

"It is also a valuable tool when new industry looks to locate in this area. We should have proper schools to provide the skills for the workforce of tomorrow."

Do you favor building more middle schools in the county, like those already in place in the eastern and western ends of the county?

"Middle Schools are OK for separating K-8, but at the current time we cannot afford to consider middle schools when we have the problems in the western side of the county. Once that is taken care of, this should be a long-range goal to look at."

Are you satisfied with the level of education being offered to Greene County students? Please give reasons for your answer.

"If you look at the last report card that Greene County received from the state, you will see that we have jumped the standards and we are now competing for [the same] levels as our counterpart [school system] in the city.

"There is always room for improvements, and we need to keep advancing our goals for each student to ensure quality education for every student.

"Satisfaction is when you are happy with what you have, but goals are higher standards that we must reach for every year."

What is your view concerning further school consolidation within the county system? Considering that this would mean fewer but larger schools, is consolidation a desirable goal? Not desirable?

"Consolidation at this time does not seem to be the way to go as this has been addressed in the past, and the general public does not want this, and that is why we are elected to speak for the public."

Do you think there exists in the Greene County School System an atmosphere that allows a teacher to honestly share concerns with supervisors, the central office, and board members, without fear of retribution? If not, what can be done to improve this situation?

"Some may feel this way; however it is important for school administrators and board members to keep an open door of communication. If you cannot talk about problems, then how can they be fixed?

"In the past four years I have returned all phone calls, tried to take care of problems, and will always have an open ear for anyone who asks. If we as board members are not seen in the schools, how can we make intelligent decisions about the schools or problems?"

Many teachers in the county system say that the amount of testing they are required to do has reached unreasonable levels, and does not leave enough time for classroom instruction, or one-on-one time with students who need it. How would you go about finding out whether this is the case, and how might the school board be able to correct such a situation?

"The state has required some of these tests to measure what each student is doing. In order to find out what a student is retaining or lacking, there needs to be a measuring stick such as the tests they are given.

"As a school board member, we cannot change what is required by the state, but we can make sure all the tools are given to ensure proper classroom instruction."

Some teachers and administrators say the current zero-tolerance policy takes away any discretion and forces administrators to either suspend students for violations or else look the other way. Others argue that it is important for all violators to be treated equally. Do you favor the current policy? If not, how should it be changed?

"In my opinion, board policies should constantly be evaluated. If we presently have to force the administrators to 'look the other way,' we definitely need to review the present policies and make changes to treat students equally and fairly."

Additional Comments

"I have dedicated the past 31 years of my life to working with and helping young people in the Greene County Schools, from sitting in dunking booths, going to band concerts to support them, being available whenever asked to come to a school function, reading in the classrooms, being a member of the booster clubs at both Chuckey and Chuckey-Doak.

"If you will vote for me, I will truly be grateful for your support as Philippians 4:13 ("I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me").

"Thank you for the time that you took for reading this, and you can always call me at 257-6956. I am always here with an open ear."