CHATSWORTH, Ga. — Chatsworth’s Phenna Petty is among the new members appointed to the state Board of Education by the governor and she’s excited to dive into another new project. 

“I missed the kids, and I want to make sure our education programs are where they should be,” said Petty, who retired from Murray County Schools in 2018 after 23 years with the system. “Students need to be reading at — or above — grade level, because reading opens the world for them, and I know our schools in northwest Georgia are putting a lot of effort into reading.” 

Petty, who was named to represent the 14th Congressional District — comprised of 12 counties in north Georgia, including Whitfield and Murray — said state Board of Education members are from various walks of life, including attorneys, entrepreneurs and county commissioners, so “there’s not a singular vision,” and she’ll bring yet another perspective based on her background. 

Petty became director of Career, Technical and Agricultural Education for Murray County Schools in 2002, and that area remains “close to my heart,” she said. “There is a skills gap in the world — not just here (locally) — and there are always job openings that are high-paying for highly-skilled (positions).”

For example, Georgia currently has “a big deficit in welders, and those are highly-skilled, high-paying jobs,” she said. In addition, “agriculture remains number one in the state, and that’s more than just farming; there are computers, drones and GPS (systems) all over farms, (so this is) not a narrow area.” 

The national talent gap is most visible in the trades, middle-skilled positions and highly-skilled STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) jobs, with carpentry, plumbing, welding and machining among the most lacking vocations, according to the Society for Human Resource Management. In addition, three-fourths of the human resources professionals surveyed by the society who reported difficulty recruiting employees said there were skills gaps among candidates. 

Petty believes changing mindsets among parents and students is critical to addressing this workforce shortage.

“A farmer, diesel mechanic or welder may not wear a suit and tie, but that is (the look) of success, too,” she said. “If we don’t have the skilled workforce, we’re going to get left behind” on a national and international scale. 

That’s part of the reason Jimmy Gallman, a teacher of design and drafting at Dalton High School, is such a proponent of practical education in classrooms and institutions like the Northwest Georgia College & Career Academy.

“It’s a good time for vocational” workers, he said. “Employers want a specific skill set.” 

The state Board of Education makes policy for Georgia’s public schools, which educate nearly two million students, and members serve seven-year terms.

“We are a policy and governance board,” Petty said. “We’re not there to do day-to-day operations.”

Petty takes the seat of Larry Winter, a resident of Whitfield County who completed multiple terms on the board, and she plans to use him as a resource, because “he’s very smart and understands the ins-and-outs of the board,” she said. In his 14 years on the state Board of Education, “he was always very kind when I reached out to him for information, and I hope he can guide me a little bit.” 

Petty was contacted about succeeding Winter late last year by state representatives, but there was little movement on the matter from her perspective until last month.

She was sworn in on Jan. 14, then participated in board meetings the next two days, she said. “It’s a quick process, once it starts.”

Petty and her fellow board members attended a basketball game on Jan. 15 at the Atlanta Area School for the Deaf, as well as watched a Goalball match involving a school for students with vision impairments, she said. Then, board members matched up in a three-on-three Goalball contest against students. 

Goalball, a sport designed for athletes with vision impairment, “is similar to soccer, and you use your whole body,” she said. The heavy ball contains bells for team members to track and stop. 

In contrast to most sporting events, where shouting is part and parcel to the proceedings, quiet prevails in Goalball, she said. “You have to be able to hear the bells.” 

The board meets monthly in Atlanta, with committee meetings on a Wednesday and then the full board meeting with all 14 representatives the following day, she said. Petty has already been assigned to be a member of the budget committee. 

Petty once handled parental complaints for Murray County Schools, so “I can listen and not judge,” skills which will serve her well in her new role, she said. “You can’t always fix the problems people have, but everyone should at least have the opportunity for someone to listen to them.”

“I may think something is right until someone explains it to me,” she added. “I listen to everything before I make a decision.” 

Petty has served on numerous boards, including for Georgia Junior Achievement, the Region 1 of the Division of Family and Children Services, and United Way Women’s Leadership, according to the office of Gov. Brian Kemp. Petty, who served for a year as president of the Chatsworth-Eton-Murray County Chamber of Commerce after departing the school system, and her husband of 36 years, Jerry, have two adult children.

On the state Board of Education, she’s looking forward to visiting all 12 counties under her purview and “seeing what they’re doing in other places,” she said. “I love to learn.”