Incumbents Darnetta Clinkscale and Jim Buford must bid adieu to their seats on the school board after being defeated on Tuesday by challengers Peter Downs and Donna Jones.
Downs, who appears weekly on WGNU, said Wednesday that he would focus on solving the problems of violence in city schools, reviewing maintenance and food service contracts with outside firms and examining the school district’s curriculum which he calls “a script.”
He also said that Superintendent Creg Williams should be more accountable to the board, which now has a majority of members not backed by Mayor Francis Slay, Jr.
Buford said he is “still reeling,” from a defeat he did not foresee.
“There was only about 10 percent turnout. The ‘angry’ voted,” Buford said.
“There are a lot of angry people out there.”
