By Genie Brainerd
Who is Genie Brainerd and why am I seeking the seat on the Board of Education for Beaufort County, District 2?
I was educated in public schools and have spent most of my adult life committed to this foundational institution of our society. I hold an undergraduate degree in Biology and a Master’s in Science Education.
Most of my career has been in public schools either in the United States or overseas in Department of Defense schools. I have been a military family advocate (Military Child Education Coalition) as well as an advocate for children in distress (Court Appointed Special Advocate). I served in the School Improvement Council (SIC) at Coosa Elementary school where our SIC was a Top 5 finisher last year for the Reilly Award for Excellence.
Together with my husband, Mike, I have parented three children through adoption who suffered with some degree of early childhood trauma. I have made it my mission to find ways to support other parents and children experiencing the same.
Presently our granddaughter is a student at Lady’s Island Middle School. Even as we moved around for three decades, we believed in and invested in the public schools in whatever community we were in. That is what we have continued to do for the nine years since retiring, and finding our place in Beaufort County.
You may wonder what exactly the Beaufort County Board of Education does.
The Board represents and serves the BCSD’s owners and is committed to act in their best interests, and by ensuring that all Board and organizational action is consistent with the law and the Board’s policies and commitments. The Board is guided in its decision-making by the following beliefs:
- All people have intrinsic worth and are entitled to respect.
- High expectations will result in optimal outcomes.
- Diversity in thought is beneficial.
- Integrity is the foundation of trust.
- District needs over individual needs.
- Learning is a life-long process.
- The collection, analysis and use of data from a variety of sources are critical to making decisions.
- Students should be prepared to compete and contribute in a changing global and multilingual society.
- Investment, involvement and connection of all members of the school community, including families, are essential to student success.”
Why should the voters of District 2 vote for Genie Brainerd? I believe in everything I quoted above and will strive to do my job to uphold the Board policies.
Personally, I live by this: Love God and love my neighbor as myself. What does that mean to me? Love is defined as “selfless action-oriented commitment to the well-being of others.”
Who is my neighbor? Everyone, but in the case of my service to the Beaufort County School District, I am specifically committed to all the stakeholders in our district. That means students, families, educational staff and community members.
I have the background to do the job. I will work tirelessly to stay informed to be able to represent all stakeholders. I have been attending board meetings and traveling to Columbia to testify on matters related to education in our community. When I take my seat on the board, I will continue to uphold these values and serve the interests of our most precious resource – our children – the future of Beaufort County.
Genie Brainerd is a candidate for the Beaufort County Board of Education in District 2.