It is no secret the Greene County Board of Education (BOE) has had its share of concerns, complaints, and triumphs recently.
With the appointment of a new board chair, Dr. Lee Perry, and two new board appointees for 2023, the governing authority for the county’s school-age children rests with a makeup of six key players.
Among them, new District 3 board member Regina Gainer, is poised to help shape policy to improve the educational outcomes of its students.
A native of Greensboro graduating from the former Greene-Taliaferro County High School in 1993, Gainer set her sights early on advocating for children.
She attended her earlier school years in Union Point before graduating in 1998 from Georgia Southern University with a degree in criminal justice. Soon after, Gainer started a career that included working for more than 12 years in the law office of famed civil rights leader Thurmond Baker in Atlanta.
Moving back to Greensboro, she worked at the Greene County Courthouse in Probate Court for Judge Laverne Ogletree, but set her sights on fostering child advocacy through the Department of Children and Family Services. It was there that she recognized the value of educational advocacy for both parents and students, which continued on her next step at Head Start, a YMCA community service program.
A busy mother of a sixth grader attending Anita Carson Middle School, Gainer was an active parent and attended all Board of Education meetings, where she became familiar with the county educational system. Following the December 2022 retirement of former board member Clarence Hunt, Gainer was appointed as the District 3 representative.
Many saw Gainer’s appointment as a valuable complement to the board as both a parent with a child in the school system and having built a career in advocacy.
“When working with both agencies, it became apparent many parents needed to understand their county school administration and the many decisions affecting education here,” Gainer said. “My earlier impressions were that parents often did not know how to effectively communicate with the school systems or its teachers.”
So far, Gainer has been involved with the successful conclusion of the Lake Oconee Academy (LOA) lawsuit, the passage of ESPLOST and the new school, and most recently, the passage of the new public comments policy at Greene BOE meetings. She cast the lone dissenting vote after feeling it important not to make it difficult for parents to communicate with the board.
“All public comments give us an opportunity to respond to questions that are of concern,” Gainer said. “I understand that meetings can get out of control, but fortunately that has not been the case here. I feel we have done a good job and why change now? Although it is a procedural change, it does come with specific timelines that may not work for everyone.”
Gainer said that people who know her well know that she loves the kids here and wants the best for students, parents, and teachers alike. She attends all award ceremonies scheduled by the district and takes pride in the accomplishments of the many students who have gone on to successful next steps.
Gainer added that the school system is well on its way to improving post-COVID test scores and the adaptation of new educational initiatives to assist teachers in the classroom. The initiatives formed include putting in place the I-Ready and IXEL computer-assisted programs, which concentrate on developing skill sets and assisting teachers with individualized learning.
Gainer recognizes the board wants a better cooperative relationship with Lake Oconee Academy, its other school in the Greene County school system, especially now that a new charter is in development.
“Collectively, both boards need to better work together,” Gainer said. “We recognize this may take time, but I am hopeful we are well on our way. We feel confident this will continue to change with new administrative leads on both boards. We want everyone in the district to know we care about our students first.”