Vote For Delvin Howard

My Bio

People often ask me, “Delvin, why are you running?”

My answer begins inside our schools.

While serving as president of the C.T. Walker Magnet School Council, I spent a great deal of time at the school. I sat at the front desk in the main office. I watched administrators work through challenges. I listened to teachers who were doing everything they could for their students. I heard the concerns of parents who wanted answers, support, and a voice in the decisions affecting their children.

But during that time, I noticed something that stayed with me: I did not see our board representatives regularly walking through the school, sitting with the staff, listening to parents, or seeing the daily work for themselves.

Later, when I served as president of the Richmond County Technical Career Magnet School Council and as PTO president, I experienced the same thing.

I saw dedicated administrators trying to make difficult situations work. I saw teachers carrying responsibilities far beyond the classroom. I saw parents becoming increasingly frustrated because they felt that major decisions were being made without their voices being fully heard.

That frustration became even greater when discussions and decisions about closing schools began.

Whether families agreed or disagreed with a particular decision, they deserved more than an announcement after the decision had already been made. They deserved board members who had visited the schools, spoken directly with the people affected, asked difficult questions, and listened before casting their votes.

That is when I realized that Richmond County does not simply need another person sitting at the board table.

We need a representative who will show up.

I am running because leadership should not begin at a board meeting. It should begin in our schools.

A school board member should walk the hallways, visit classrooms when appropriate, meet with principals, listen to teachers and support staff, attend school council and parent meetings, and hear directly from students and families.

We cannot make the best decisions about schools we rarely enter.

We cannot fully understand the challenges facing teachers if we only read reports.

We cannot say parents have a voice if they are only invited into the conversation after decisions have already been made.

As your District 9 representative, I will be visible, accessible, and accountable.

I will listen before I vote.

I will ask how a decision will affect students, families, teachers, staff, and neighborhoods.

I will communicate what is happening in plain language—not only when there is a crisis, but throughout the year.

And I will never forget that every number in a report represents a child, a family, an educator, and a community.

My campaign is built around The Equation: Community + Parents + Students = Success.

That equation only works when every part is respected.

Parents must have a meaningful voice.

Teachers and school employees must know their concerns are being heard.

Students must be given the support, opportunities, and preparation they need to succeed.

And the community must be treated as a partner in public education—not as an afterthought.

Our campaign’s commitment to parent voice, teacher support, transparency, accountability, and measurable student progress is consistent with the campaign’s established message framework.

I respect those who have served before me. But respect for past service does not mean we must accept the same approach forever.

Richmond County deserves fresh leadership.

Leadership that is present.

Leadership that listens.

Leadership that explains its decisions.

Leadership that remembers who our schools belong to—the people of Richmond County.

I am not running because I believe one person has every answer. I am running because I believe the answers are often already inside our schools, in the experiences of our educators, parents, students, and community leaders. The board’s responsibility is to listen, bring those voices together, and turn their concerns into action.

I am Delvin T. Howard Sr., and I am asking for your vote for the Richmond County Board of Education, District 9.

Together, we can build a school system where families are heard, educators are supported, students are prepared, and board members do more than sit at the table.

They show up.

Because when the community, parents, and students work together, success is not just possible.

It is the equation.

My Key Issues