Johnson eager to serve on school board
With a commitment and passion for education, Terri Johnson is prepared for her role as the newest Madison City School Board appointee.
Johnson, who was appointed to the post by the Madison City Council last week by a vote of 6-1, hopes to use her hands-on experience as a classroom volunteer and tutor to make a difference.
Working as a volunteer in her son's classroom, led to Johnson serving as a tutor to students who were not on the appropriate grade level. The more she became involved in the classroom setting, the more she enjoyed helping students in need. Johnson has a special interest in students who face socioeconomic challenges.
"I am fortunate that I have the opportunity to volunteer in the schools where others may not have that luxury. I want to be an advocate for these students and their parents," Johnson said.
Johnson knows the challenges facing public education today and says that her main objective in serving in her new post is to help in providing equal education to all students regardless of their learning level.
"I want to help allocate resources to benefit the most students and not just the top 10 percent, but help the lower 10 percent as well," Johnson said.
With a junior at Bob Jones High, a freshman at Discovery Middle and a third grader at Horizon Elementary, Johnson is familiar with all aspects of the Madison system. She has been a regular at board meetings and has great respect for the school system.
"We have an incredible principal at Bob Jones and the teachers do a great job teaching and keeping parents informed. They are committed. I agree with what Dr. (Dee) Fowler (Madison Superintendent of Education) said in an article last week in that a great education begins at the elementary level," Johnson said.
After seeing an article in the newspaper that Julie Mills was not returning to her post on the Board, Johnson went to her computer to download an application for the vacancy. She turned it in and sat back to see what would happen. She was called for an interview and the appointment soon followed.
"During my interviews with the City Council, I informed them that I was familiar with the issues facing Madison City Schools and that I wanted to serve," Johnson said. Johnson has a bachelor's degree from Memphis' Rhodes College, and Master's degree and doctorate in applied mathematics from the University of Alabama in Huntsville where she also works as a mathematics lecturer.
