WHY I AM RUNNING
“An Education is the only thing that another person cannot take from you once you have learned it.”
Words from my father when I was nine or ten.
I am James Barber and I am running to become Mohave County School Superintendent. For the past seven years I have been a member of the Mohave Valley Elementary School District #16. As a member of this school board, I strived for school improvement and excellence. And this district was just rated as the #1 district in the state and #4 in the country for academic achievement, especially after the COVID pandemic.
As County School Superintendent, I will strive to continuously inform the public on status of the county schools. I want to make this office a place that serves the public directly and indirectly. I believe that the County School Superintendent’s web portal should be one of the most visited sites on Mohave County’s website. I believe that the public should be able to find public information on all districts without having to submit requests or visit local offices.
As a former Mohave Valley and Thunderbolt (Lake Havasu) Junior High teacher and MCC and Army instructor teaching math, Algebra and computer skills locally and in the military, I learned that students will rise to meet the challenges. Knowing this, I want Mohave County schools to become the best schools in the state and ultimately the best in the country. This will take the effort of a partnership of the four players with money on the table in order of importance, Students, Parents, School Districts, and the Government. Students are most directly in charge of their learning. Parents provide the boundaries to the Students and overwatch the School Districts to ensure the proper instruction and curriculum. And finally, the Government should ensure that School Districts are following state and federal guidelines with district finances and school standards.
ABOUT JAMES BARBER
I grew up in the Los Angeles area and I got a good public school education. With that education, I was able to attend one of the best schools in the country, Harvey Mudd College of the Claremont Colleges. I flunked out because I didn’t have the personal drive.
I joined the Army and had another great opportunity to attend West Point. I didn’t! I spent my time in the Army on the Korean DMZ and behind the Iron Curtain on the Berlin Wall in Germany.
Upon my return to the U.S., I re-enrolled in college and have earned degrees in Computer Science (BS, Cal State Dominguez Hills), Educational Technology (MS, Northern Arizona), and Data Analytics (MS, Western Governors). Also, during this time, I joined and served the California National Guard/United States Army Reserves.
While in the Guard/Reserves, I became an officer. I was deployed for the Rodney King riots, Northridge Earthquake, and three tours during the Iraq War. I retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in 2012 after 32 years of full and part time service.
I recently retired as a Data Analyst and with this expertise and leadership, I plan to bring analytics and metrics to the office.
Finally, Education is my passion, not my profession.