SMITHFIELD – Concerned about the future of his grandchildren and students in Johnston County Public Schools, McGee’s Crossroads area resident Ken Ramey filed Thursday for the Johnston County School Board, District 4 seat.
Ramey is a Georgia native and former US Marine who taught tactical weapons training until he was injured and honorably discharged. For the past 11 years he has lived in Johnston County and for 10 years of those years has been a professor at Wake Technical Community College, in the electrical systems field.
He has a grandchild who currently attends McGee’s Crossroads Elementary School. Two other grandchildren who attended the same school were bullied, he said, and they were removed so they could be homeschooled. In the first year of homeschooling the two children advanced from a sixth grade to ninth grade level in reading, and excelled in all other subjects. Ramey then questioned why public school students were not excelling as much as homeschool students.
Mr. Ramey, who has four children and five grandchildren, said that’s when he decided to run for the Johnston County School Board.
“Seeing stuff that has progressed from when my youngest son was in school and now my grandchildren, it is detrimental, it is saddening,” Ramey said Friday in a telephone interview. “What I fought for (as a Marine) is being destroyed. I have been watching the education system and how it has changed so much, especially in the last 10 years.” c
Ramey says he sees the changes in students enrolling in his classes at Wake Technical Community College. “The competency of students coming from high school into my program, they are not getting the proper education. They can’t add, they can’t multiple without using a calculator, write, or spell. This is our future. They will be taking over for us when we get old.”
“The final chip fell when my grandson was getting bullied by a person at school… After they started home schooling they progressed rapidly in one year. Why can’t we do the same thing with the school system? It’s because so many people are locked into this common core and they don’t want to do anything else. I am not a status quo guy. I am a person who likes to see things change for the better, not just change, but change for the better. I want to be able to stand for those children, because so many times they don’t have a voice. I am a pro-life person.”
Ramey says he is against the cancel culture movement and “…pushing to make kids believe they need to change their bodies trying to be something different without parental consent.” He wants to do more to prevent bullying in public schools while helping the next generation.
“We need to figure out how students can grow faster by educating them better, so they will be good citizens where we don’t have the same situation now, where no one wants to work. That is a product of our education system, from the top down.”
Ramey is also an ordained pastor and Men’s Minister at Grace in Willow Springs. “I’ve always had a heart for the Lord.”
we put our son in private school this year because the bullying (kids to teachers) was out of hand. Teachers need to have support so that they can teach again and hold disruptive students and their parents accountable.
I’ll vote for you!!
I really like what I just read. I’ve met him and he said the same things in person
A few reasons home schooled kids excel, 1. they don’t have distractions of other kids in class , 2. the student to teacher ratio is too high which that is only going to get worse as the area develops more. Unless you can get more teachers and make class sizes a lot smaller, 5-10 kids max per class, I don’t see the problem of public schools getting any better.
My Johnston County public school years were 1965-1977. We generally had 30 or so kids in all my classes. We had a few to fall behind and fail a grade during the years, but we had order and discipline. Most of my classmates went on the be productive members of society. What changed and when?
“2 other grandchildren who attended the same school were bullied, he said, and they were removed so they could be homeschooled. In the first year of homeschooling the two children advanced from a sixth grade to ninth grade level in reading”. Sounds like they were doing just fine anyway, elementary stops at 5th.
“I am a pro-life person”- Tells me all I need to know. Politics instead of truly worrying about the schools. Sounds like this guy had his grandkids at Mcgees excelling in school and were or were not bullied and now he wants to take the wheel for his own. No vote!
A parent willing to homeschool will see progress. Unfortunately there is a LARGE number of students that have parents not willing to put in the time and effort to help their child make the progress and growth. They expect it ALL to happen at school. And yes the curriculum HAS changed in the last 10 years. Students don’t have the work ethic that had 10 years ago either. Society has taught them you DON’T have to bust your butt anymore to make a living. We need to teach children to work hard for what you want and be proud of the work you do.
This man is my kind of candidate… I will be voting for him definitely.
As a fellow homeschooler and Christian im truly excited to vote for him.
As a fellow homeschooler whose children also went to McGees, he definitely peaks my interest for school board. I will be researching and watching him as a good potential candidate. Lord knows we need better people on the board all around.
He didn’t say anything compelling for me. He brought politics into a nonpartisan position. He said zero on how he’d like to improve things. Bullies are everywhere, even for homeschooled kids. He just talked in circles and brought religion into it so he he would get the Christian’s to vote based on that alone. That’s a problem. Him being a Christian should have zero effect on a public school board position. Good for him on his private religious beliefs and I’m grateful for his military service, but again, what exactly are you going to try to do to fix our hot mess of a school system?
JG, I completely agree with what you’ve said. We don’t need to constantly bring religion and politics into everything.
We need to put God back into schools. Things were better before we (collectively) removed Him. By removing Him, we have steeped our children into moral relativism to the point they’re confused about who they literally are as a human being, where the truth is that morality is objective and He is the source.
Whose god, Brett? You going to force me and my kids to worship yours? If you want your god is school HOMESCHOOL. Leave me and mine alone.
Sounds like a man who stands on his convictions and doesn’t mind telling you! At least he is being upfront and honest about it. The difference between now and in times past is taking God out of school, no parental guidance and students being allowed way too much freedom at school. School is a place for learning. You know what it isn’t? It isn’t a place to worry about calling someone a he, she, him, her or they. It isn’t a place for your child to disrespect teachers and other students without consequences. The reason his grandkids weren’t getting what they need in school is because of the “bullies” and kids who take up too much of a teacher’s time having to write them up or constantly having to “parent” them because the kids have no home training. Until more is put on parents to be responsible you will see more decline in academics. If you are a person that blames the school for your child not learning, you need to ask yourself the following: Am I taking or did I take the time I needed to with my child in the early years? (this set this stage for success!) Do I discipline my child at home? Do I blame the teacher for EVERYTHING, even things that are my responsibility? Do I disrespect teachers or bad mouth them in front of my child? Do I think of school as free daycare? The way you respond to these questions will tell you all you need to know!
Also all these liberal loonies would be better served in a different county. Don’t bring your crazy to the party!
If he brings a Bible & a crucifix to the meetings while wearing his USMC helmet, he’ll have my vote.