Jeff Bailey has announced his bid for re-election for Covington County School Board, Place 4.

Bailey, a local pharmacist and owner of Bailey’s Pharmacy, is a 1979 graduate of Straughn High School, a past student of LBWCC, and an alumni of Auburn University’s Harrison School of Pharmacy. Bailey is married to Robin Anderson Bailey.

The Baileys have two children, Molly and AJ. Molly is married to Justin Thames. Molly is working toward a master’s degree in Education at Troy University at Dothan, while AJ is a junior at Auburn University studying mechanical engineering. All are graduates of Covington County schools and reside in the Eoda community, north of Opp.

Bailey is an active member of Mt. Gilead Baptist Church where he has served as Sunday School director, teacher, and deacon. He is a founding board member of Crossover Ministry, which is an addiction recovery ministry in Covington County. Bailey has also served as a coach and as a member of Babe Ruth board of directors.

Bailey is currently serving his third term as a member of the Covington County Board of Education, serving as vice-chairman and as chairman of the board. During this time, he has been elected to serve the Alabama Association of School Boards as the District 3 Director, which covers multiple counties in southeast Alabama. He has served on Alabama Risk Management for Schools as a trustee and as chairman. He is extremely committed to Covington County’s schools, and during his tenure has attended school board member training. This has earned him a spot on the Master’s Honor Roll with 384 hours of board member training.

When asking Bailey why he chose to run for re-election, he said, “My primary focus is on the general well being of all Covington County students, not just a select few.

“I want to see each student reach their full potential. It’s my firm belief that schools should not be run or modeled after businesses,” he said. “Children are not customers, customers can be lost, but we cannot, under any circumstance, lose our children. Our teachers aren’t just laborers, and their positions can never be outsourced to less qualified workers. Our teachers and our students should be seen chiefly as an extension of ourselves, as our students are truly our future and our teachers should be given the ability to mold them.

“The state recently announced that Alabama school systems can now accept uncertified teachers into our classrooms,” Bailey said. “ We in the Covington County schools have great, certified teachers, and I aim to keep it that way. Quality education is my main priority.”