Brittney Rye said she never expected to get an appointment like the one she’s just been confirmed to.
Rye, a kindergarten teacher at Sudduth Elementary School, was confirmed to a post on the Mississippi State Board of Education on Wednesday. Gov. Phil Bryant nominated her for the position.
Everything started moving toward Rye’s confirmation a few weeks ago when, on the Friday before spring break, Rye received a call from Laurie Smith, Bryant’s senior policy advisor, informing her of the potential nomination. She went home that night and talked to her husband about it. They prayed about the decision over the weekend, and by the following Monday, she returned the call and said she was interested.
Rye, a native of Fayette, Alabama, and Mississippi State University alumna, has spent her entire 17-year career teaching at Sudduth Elementary. She taught first grade for one year and has spent the other 16 teaching kindergarten.
“It never crossed my mind,” she said. “To say that I was shocked when I got that phone call — I don’t even know the right word to use for it. But I was overwhelmed. It’s very humbling to think here I am, and a little old kindergarten teacher in Starkville Mississippi, and the governor has recognized my name and reached out to me and trusts me.”
Rye will serve as a school teacher representative on the board. Her term, which begins on July 1, is a nine-year appointment.
Sudduth Principal Elizabeth Mosley said she and Rye went to Jackson on Tuesday to meet with Bryant and his office and the Senate Education Committee. The Senate voted to confirm Rye on Wednesday, in a 51-0 vote, with one senator absent.
“I am so proud,” Mosley said. “I think this is a great call. I think she will do a phenomenal job with the state department. She’s a phenomenal teacher, and I think that will carry over to the state department. I think she’s going to look out for teachers and education.”
Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District Board of Trustees President Lee Brand said he was proud to see Rye selected for the position. He said it was good for the district. to have direct representation on the state board.
Brand added that the selection speaks well for the district.
“For anything like that, I think there’s a collaborative element,” he said. “That’s not taking anything away from her accomplishment individually, but I think it says something about our overall district, our leadership and the standards we are trying to set here. I think it’s being seen by other people.”
Rye will remain at Sudduth while she serves on the board, as it’s required to serve as classroom teacher for the position. Rye said she still needs to learn all the ins and outs of her new position, but already knows she will need to reach out to teachers across the state.
“Part of it is that I need to reach out to teachers, and I need teachers to feel comfortable reaching out to me and letting me know if there’s a specific topic that we know the board of education is talking about, that they feel that they can come to me and share their opinion,” she said. “This isn’t about what Brittney Rye thinks. This is about what classroom teachers think and how this affects classroom teachers.”
Alex Holloway was formerly a reporter with The Dispatch.
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