By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
Tuesday, September 15, 2015, Matthew Brown announced his candidacy for the District 1 seat on the State Board of Education.
Mr. Brown was appointed by Alabama Governor Robert Bentley (R) to the vacant seat in July and will seek the Republican Party nomination for the first district seat in the March 1st Republican Primary.
Matt Brown said in a statement, “Education is the great stepping stone which enables young people to achieve success in our society. I am humbled and honored to have this opportunity to invest in the future of Alabama’s children.”
Prominent public education advocate, Larry Lee was highly critical of Brown’s appointment. Lee told the Alabama Political Reporter, “I wish him well. Should be a spirited race since several folks with strong ties to education are planning to also run for this seat.”
Brown said in a statement that as the District 1 State Board of Education member, he has focused on supporting stronger families, encouraging robust workforce development through career-technical programs, and advocating for the accountable and transparent use of tax payer dollars.
Brown said that he, “Believes that strong families are the key ingredient to strong schools. When strong families are the norm, strong communities and schools are the natural result. Every time I cast my vote regarding a particularly policy or program before the State Board of Education I will always ask this question: Does this policy or program enable and empower parents to be more engaged and involved in their child’s education?”
State School Board Member Brown wrote that he, “Also believes that workforce development should be one of the top priorities of the education community.”
Brown said that he is committed to promoting complete transparency and accountability in the use of public education funds and is committed to ensuring that taxpayers are getting the best return on investment for education funding.
Brown wrote, “As your District 1 representative on the State Board of Education, I am committed to combing through our annual education budget and ensuring that our tax dollars are being leveraged to the greatest benefit to our students.”
When he was appointed, Brown said in a statement, “I want to thank Governor Bentley for entrusting me with the great responsibility of serving on the State Board of Education. Education is the great stepping stone which enables young people to achieve success in our society. I look forward to working with families, teachers, local and State school board members, the legislature, and the Governor to ensure that our children are prepared to compete and be successful in Alabama and around the world.”
Brown filled the District 1 vacancy created by Al Thompson being appointed to the newly created State two-year college board.
Brown is a graduate of the Pensacola Christian College, and is a 2011 graduate of the Cumberland Law School. Brown is a member of the Baldwin County Young Republicans and works as the Design Engineer for the Baldwin County Highway Department. Matthew has been a life-long conservative and Republican. Matthew currently serves as the chairman of the Baldwin County Young Republicans and the District 1 vice chairman for the Alabama Federation of Young Republicans.
Brown was the founder and Chairman of the group, Educate Baldwin Now, which, despite being massively outspent, successfully defeated massive property tax increases advocated by the Baldwin County School Board.
Matthew and his wife, Sarah, have two children.
To learn more visit his website: www.brownforeducation.com
