School board Vice Chairman Tom McInnis and member Cathy Wilson were replaced by two new members at noon Wednesday at the Richmond County Schools Central Office in Hamlet.

Dr. Irene Pittman Aiken and Joe Richardson have been inducted as the two newest members of the Richmond County Board of Education, along with returning board members Pam Easterling and Ed Ormsby.

“(Both Aiken and Richardson) offer a lot to the board,” Chairman Ken Goodman said after a brief ceremony as the four took the oath of office. “They bring skills to the table that are quite different.”

Goodman pointed out that Richardson’s background as a principal and RCS assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction and that Aiken’s child is an RCS student mean the two are familiar with the issues the school system faces.

“I think they’ll do a great job, and I look forward to working with them,” Goodman said.

RCS Superintendent Dr. George Norris also said he is “excited about having them as board members.”

“These are both people that I knew before they were elected to the school board, and both people who will be student-oriented as they make their deliberations,” Norris said.

Norris also pointed to the pair’s previous experience in education as major pluses as they begin their terms.

“Dr. Aiken has been a college professor and a professor of education, so she is very familiar with our goals concerning curriculum and instruction,” Norris said. “And Joe Richardson was an assistant superintendent of instruction before he retired from the school system, so he is certainly familiar with us. These are great folks, and I think they’ll bring a lot of experience and school knowledge to the table.”

Aiken was the top vote-getter in the May election, and sees engaging community stakeholders in the individual schools, and the district as a whole, as areas of focus over the next few years.

“I really hope to get the community more involved in the education of our children, but my first goal is just to make myself aware of as much of what is going on in the county as possible,” Aiken said after the ceremony. “The number one goal following that is that I should have some budget information, because we are facing a major challenge in this economy, which calls for a scurrilous examination of priorities, while keeping the focus on knowledge attainment.”

For Richardson’s part, said his absence from education in Richmond County has recharged his battery, and allowed him to reevaluate his own priorities for the school system.

“I want to bring some ideas on a lot of things concerning curriculum and instruction,” Richardson said. “I think I have the background and experience to bring some good things to the board from being a principal and a central office administrator for Richmond County Schools. I also have extensive experience working with budgets.”

Richardson said his strong suit however is working with people, “be that the community-at-large, or the parents and teachers of our students.”

“My number one concern, no matter what the individual issues are, is that everything we do has got to be based on what is best for the students,” Richardson said. “That is something I truly believe.”

Along with the new faces, Norris pointed out that returning board members Pam Easterling and Ed Ormsby “have been really solid members.”

“We’ve been truly blessed to have such a strong, cooperative board of education here, ever since I’ve been here,” Norris said. “All of these board members are people who don’t bring a personal agenda to the board, but always try to act in the best interest of the students, and that’s something that’s important on a body like this.”

Ormsby also offered his thoughts on the newest members of the board, pointing to the “knowledge of Richmond County” that Richardson offers, and Aiken’s experience in higher learning.

“She will also a be a direct contact with the university system, which is very helpful,” Ormsby said. “... I think both of these members will bring a lot to the table.”

Staff Writer Philip D. Brown can be reached at (910) 997-3111 ext. 32, or by e-mail at pbrown@yourdailyjournal.com.