Betts makes departure official

It’s an off-year for school board elections, but Jay School Corporation’s governing body will still be getting a new member.

After announcing earlier this year that she would be leaving Jay School Board, Kristi Betts has made the decision official by turning in her letter of resignation. It will be effective June 11.

The board, which is now accepting applications to fill the board seat, is expected to take action to accept her resignation at its next meeting.

While acknowledging that the board over the last several years has faced difficult decisions, including the closure of school buildings, Betts said she is proud of the progress that has been made.

“It’s been awesome to be a part of kind of a changing of the ship, re-routing the finances and getting things into better shape,” she said. “The safety innovations and working with outside businesses and those types of things has been groundbreaking.

“I just think it’s been a lot of really good changes in six and a half years.

“I’m sad to go, because I’m not a quitter, but it’s the best thing for our family.”

Betts added that she will take part in the JCHS graduation ceremony June 2, before she and her family move this summer to Chickamauga, Georgia, which is almost due south of Portland, with U.S. 27 running through the eastern side of the city of just over 3,000. Her husband, Eric, has family in the area.

The move will also offer the family better access to therapy in nearby Chattanooga, Tennessee, for her son, Cayden, who suffered a brain injury in 2016. The Chattanooga Area Brain Injury Association provides services and support for brain injury survivors and their families.

“It’s just kind of time for a change,” Betts said. “We need to focus on Cayden.” 

She added that the timing is right, with her youngest daughter, Abigail, graduating from JCHS this year, and her daughter, Alison, will be attending the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga beginning in the fall.

Chickamauga Battlefield, the site an 1863 Civil War battle, is also where Eric proposed to Kristi in 1992.

“It’s kind of full circle 26 years later,” she said.

Betts was first elected to the school board in 2012, defeating incumbent Jim Sanders and Kirk Comer for the District 1 seat that represents the City of Portland. She had lost a bid to unseat incumbent Larry Paxson two years earlier.

She earned re-election in 2016, surviving a challenge from Mitch Waters.

She served as the board’s president in 2016 and ’17, and has been the board’s legislative representative throughout her tenure.

In looking back at her time on the school board, Betts noted that she has seen changes including in the positions of superintendent, business manager and high school principal. She acknowledged that decisions to consolidate buildings — Pennville and Judge Haynes elementary schools were closed during her tenure, and the board late last year voted to shift seventh and eighth graders to the high school building — have been challenging, but said she is proud to have been part of implementing changes that needed to happen.

As she prepares to leave her board position, Betts offered praise to students and staff.

“It’s really been incredible to see the passion that the staff and the students and the administration have for education,” said Betts. “It’s easy as a parent to say, ‘Yeah, my son’s teacher cares.’ But to see the beating that they’ve taken over the years from the state level, and they still want to do it, that’s inspiring. … There’s just so much passion.”

Those interested in serving the remainder of Betts’ term, which runs through the end of 2020, can apply by filling out a “notice of interest” form, which is available at jayschoolcorp.org/school-board. Applicants must live within Portland’s city limits. The deadline to apply is noon May 17.

Jay School Board president Phil Ford said Wednesday that the board has not yet discussed the soon-to-be open seat, but could do so in executive session prior to interviewing potential candidates. The board plans to select its new member at its June 17 meeting.

This marks the second time in recent years that a board position will be filled following a resignation. Mike Masters resigned his post Dec. 31, 2015, and the board selected Tammy Bennett from a field of five candidates who applied to replace him. Bennett served out the final year of the term and did not seek re-election, with Ford winning that seat unopposed in the 2016 election.