Bob Roth for Muscogee County School Board

Post #11. Mississippi focuses on K thru 3 and finds results. Take a look at this graph. From 2013 to 2022, Georgia 4th grade reading proficiency declined. Why? How many more statistics do we need to tell us our School Board is not getting it. Vote Bob Roth and let's turn this around.

Post #10
A quick follow up on my brother. He passed away on Saturday evening and is now in the hands of God. The funeral is on the 18th of APR in KY. I told my brother before he departed that I would see him again, and not to worry. I told him to watch over me and make sure I didn't do anything dumb. My brother is in a much better place today, and for that I am grateful.

My brother was born in 1958 with cancer, lost a dad at the age of 9 to a heart attack, and had run-ins with the law as a teenager on multiple occasions. Our mom didn't have any money. She worked to pay bills and volunteered at the local Catholic school to help offset tuition. My brother graduated high school in the middle of the pack, and got loans to pay his way through college, graduating as a structural engineer. Dad told mom that the plan was for us to go to college and get a degree so we could have a better life. Our dad had a 9th grade education. Our mom had an 8th grade education, but they both knew the importance of education and impressed that upon us kids. That's the role of a parent and that's the message I intend to send to the parents of students in Muscogee County.

Post #9
My apologies for the long pause in postings. I have a brother who lives in KY and is in very poor health. My brother asked me several years ago to be his POA on all financial and medical matters. I agreed. This past week, I traveled to KY, and placed my brother in home hospice care.
Please pray for my brother and his family this Easter! He lived a hard life, and going home to God is the best place for him. We will miss him very much, but we are happy he is going home. More posts after Easter. Happy Easter everyone!

Out of Atlanta. Great initiative but still incomplete. You must address Teachers - Students - Parents and school Leadership. This is like putting a bandaid over massive wound, the bleeding is not going to stop. In the end, politicians will have wasted money and little will have changed.

In an exclusive interview, House Speaker Jon Burns calls his education bill the answer to ‘a crisis we can solve’ and says he’s worried about endgame politics.

Post #8 - THE SHOUT OUT!!

Tonight, my plan was to continue posting data on our county's troubles with education. However, I changed my mind. Tonight is a 'shout-out' to all educational professionals. I may differ on the path to success, but I respect everyone one of you. You have committed yourselves to helping children grow. That is a big responsibility requiring sacrifice and hard work. Tonight, I tip my hat to all the educational professionals in Muscogee County and around the world. Thank you for what you do! I appreciate you and I know many children do as well.

Post #7 - Muscogee County School Summary from 2015 to 2025.

-Overall staffing increased from ~4200 to ~4500 which is a modest growth, but the number of students in the county decreased from 32,000 to under 30,000.

-The number of teachers on staff remained relatively flat. Total numbers increased slightly from ~2000 to ~2090, a 4-5% growth

-Biggest growth was in support roles such as Instructional aides, Counselors, Specialist, operational Staff

Key insights from this data show most of the increase was in student-facing support roles which provided wraparound services that had no effect on improving student learning.

-Math proficiency was at ~31% in 2015, and at ~24% in 2024.
-Reading proficiency was at ~31% in 2015, and at ~31% in 2023.

Worse yet, the School District ranked #103 in the State of Georgia in 2015. In 2024, it ranked #156. That's #156 out of #180 school districts in Georgia.

This is what your school board has accomplished over the past 10 years!! If you want the same, vote for the incumbent. If you want to change these numbers and improve a child's education, vote for Bob Roth.

Post #6 - My priorities and platform for improvement.

First, my #1 priority is to improve the learning environment for our children. Period. When you unpack that statement, it entails many lines of effort that must be addressed at the same time if we are serious about making things better. Teachers – Parents – Children and Leadership. This is my platform for improvement, and my plan is to attack them all at once.

Denise, each line of effort above has a responsibility for creating the learning environment required for children to grow. Teachers must come prepared, enforce standards, and push students to give their best. They are the enforcers of the classroom and creators of the learning environment. In military terms, they are the tip of the spear that can change a child’s life. Parents are responsible for getting their children to school – everyday! Not most of the time, everyday! Parents must review homework and read to their child, and for the grace of God, please limit their time on playing electronic devices and get their children outside to play with other children. Children have a big job. Their job is to try. I told my kids all the time. I don’t care if you get a 100 or a 60 on homework or a test, as long as you gave me effort, I am proud of you. In order to demand effort from a teacher, the student must give effort on learning. Part of that effort is respecting the learning environment around them. What we don’t need is a student who disrespects other students and disrupts the classroom. That is not acceptable, regardless of the reason.

The biggest task of all – and probably the most important task – is Leadership. Everything begins with the leader of an organization and that responsibility falls on the principal. I served over 26 years in the Army, and I lead Soldiers in training and in combat, so this is my area of expertise. The leader of every organization establishes the environment for learning. Not the Superintendent, not the County Staff, no. The principal is the key. My wife worked in a Title 1 school in Norfolk, VA as a 2nd Grade teacher. This school was very similar to many of the schools we have in Muscogee County. The problems were almost identical, but this school was able to take a student from any background and got that student to learn and grow. The school got them to improve in reading, in writing, in math and almost every student showed growth. It was amazing. When you step back and analyze why this school was able help a child grow, it was the platform I stated above. Teachers were held to a standard and had to come to school prepared. Parents were under enormous pressure to get their child to school. Children were pushed to learn – at their pace. And the one who made it all work was the principal. She demanded from teachers, parents, and children and accepted nothing less. That principal was amazing!

I hope this addresses any questions on my priorities and my platform. If elected, I will be a driving force for creating the learning environment we need for our children!

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Post #5 - No-Excuses Discipline

Teachers – Students – Parents and Leadership!

Disorder, not violence or poverty per se, is the fatal undoing of urban schools in poor neighborhoods. One methodology used in England is called ‘No-Excuses Discipline Model’. The core idea centers on the student who is expected to meet clear academic standards and behavioral standards with consistent accountability. School leadership ensures -

• Teachers understand Leadership expectations for student growth.
• Parents bring children to school every day without exception.
• Explicit behavioral rules are posted in every classroom
• Immediate correction is made for minor disruptions
• Structured classroom seating and procedures
• Clear consequences to students and parents for repeated disruptions (no more than three) and missed days of school.

Results show students in these networks often demonstrate consistent higher test score growth compared with peers in similar high-poverty schools.

The “no excuses” model is due for a renaissance Many of the conditions that led to the prominence of “no-excuses” charter schools a quarter-century ago have returned. For students, teachers, and parents who have never lost their appetite for safe and orderly schools, it can’t come soon enough.

Raising four kids with my wife was our greatest joy. Whether it was coaching them in sports, helping with homework, or being there for them when they needed us, we would do it all over again. It's not easy, and we were not their friends. We were their parents who helped them make good choices but loved them when they made poor choices.

Post #3. 3rd Grade Students not on Grade Level. Why?

Post #2. Chronic attendance problems continue.

Muscogee County continues to suffer from poor attendance problems. Look for yourself. The data doesn't lie. Attendance prior to COVID wasn't too bad. After COVID, the wheels came off the bus as they say, and everything the county is doing is not working. If a child doesn't come to school, there is nothing a teacher can do to improve their growth. The county works hard to provide school buses for students so they can get to school, but even that isn't working. Why is this happening? Because parents are not getting their kids to school.

Elect Bob Roth to the Muscogee County School Board - District #6 and I have a plan to solve this problem