Crockett, Upshaw retain Houston BOE seats

Dave Crockett and Bryan Upshaw will get another four years on the Houston County school board.

In District 3, Crockett took more than 80 percent of the vote, defeating Robbin Jackson 1,742 votes to 419.

“I hope it means that they know me, and certainly I’ve been with the school system a long time,” Crockett said of the large margin of victory.

Crockett, a former educator, coach and school administrator, has already held the seat since his appointment last year to replace Skip Dawkins, who moved out of the area. Crockett then ran unopposed for the seat in a special election in March before Tuesday’s contest.

“It’s certainly a new experience,” he said. “So we just tried to work hard and waited to see what happened.”

Jackson is also a school district employee, most recently as a substitute teacher.

With the victory in hand, Crockett said it was time to continue keeping an eye on how the board could best support teachers and administrators in their efforts to educate Houston County’s children.

“I think our main focus is just to continue to focus on doing what’s best for the students of Houston County,” Crockett said.

The race for Post 7, an at-large seat, saw Upshaw pick up more than 67 percent of the vote, taking down challenger Andy Rodriguez 5,595 votes to 2,713.

Upshaw, the incumbent since taking the post in a 2014 special election, runs a construction company. Rodriguez is a retired Air Force chief master sergeant who was making his first foray into the political realm.

While Rodriguez has been an active challenger, Upshaw said he thought the victory meant that voters are satisfied with the path the current administration is taking.

“I just feel like the community is very supportive of the superintendent and the school board that we have now,” he said.

While Upshaw said he would like to see changes in the way students are tested, he recognized that was more of a state or national issue. Instead, he hopes to maintain the positive district environment he’s seen during his time on the board.

“Just want to continue the success that Houston County has seen,” Upshaw said.

This story was originally published May 24, 2016 at 10:42 PM with the headline "Crockett, Upshaw retain Houston BOE seats."