The Liberty County Board of Education held its swearing-in ceremony Thursday in the atrium of the BoE building in Hinesville.
Board Chairwoman Lily Baker and District 4 representative Marcia Anderson both were reelected after running unopposed. Baker is entering her third term as board chair, while Anderson is beginning her fifth term as a school-board member.
“I appreciate the confidence of the community to elect me again, a third time,” Baker said. “I’m humbled. I will be trustworthy. I’ll be a good steward of the tax dollars, and I’ll do my best for our children and our community.”
Anderson, who already has 16 years of BoE service under her belt, said she “never dreamed it’d be that long.”
“I’m just proud to do what I can do for the children of Liberty County, and I’m proud of our employees. I think they work hard, and we just strive to give them what they need to do their job,” she said.
New members Marcus Scott IV and Sampie Smith will represent Districts 5 and 6, respectively.
Scott said that no issues in particular stick out to him as immediate priorities, but he is “happy to be in Liberty County” and looks forward to beginning his tenure as a school-board member.
“I just want to make sure we’re focused on doing what’s best for kids,” he said.
Smith said he is particularly “jazzed” to begin his term, as he has worked with numerous other school-system employees before and, as a former educator, even taught some of them in his classroom.
“We’re reunited,” LCSS Chief Information Officer Dr. Patti Crane said as she embraced Smith after the ceremony. “He was my 11th-grade U.S. history teacher.”
“I feel as though I have a tremendous challenge ahead of me, but I also like the people I’m going to be working with,” Smith said.
Liberty County Probate Court Judge Nancy Aspinwall administered the oaths of office. After the four board members officially were sworn in, LCSS Superintendent Dr. Valya Lee delivered closing remarks.
“You have a very magnanimous task set before you, as you continue to govern and continue to guide the work of this great school district,” she said. “Although we are celebrating the fact that we are going into the holiday season and spirits are high, this is some very, very difficult work, and oftentimes you will have to make decisions that are not always popular. But, if we always make decisions giving God the glory and being led by him, and making certain that everything we do is in the best interest of the children first, then we know that we will have answered the call that everyone has placed upon us to serve in these positions where we now stand.”