Hagan joins board with trades focus
Board of Education Chairman Scott Gillenwaters talks to board member-elect Ray Hagan at a Board of Education work session on Sept. 8. - Ben Pounds
“I don’t swear by anything, but I can affirm,” said Hagan at the swearing in ceremony, at which returning members Katherine Birkbeck and Scott Gillenwaters were sworn in.
“I affirm that I’ll do my best to serve the county,” he said.
Hagan, a Republican with 816 votes, defeated independent incumbent Jo Williams, who received 617 votes in the election.
Hagan told The Courier News his priorities involved focusing on vocational training at Anderson County Schools, especially preparing students for jobs that artificial intelligence cannot replace.
He said he was an electrician for 40 years and had also worked as a custodian and in lawn care.
“All I’ve ever done is maintenance,” he said. “That’s my star, something I know a lot about.”
He estimated that the county was short on electricians and added that new industry in Oak Ridge would add new jobs for which Anderson County Schools needed to train people.
He said the school system could work with union programs to give students a head start on apprenticeships.
