Ellington

Dr. George Schimmel, a cardiologist by trade, initially joined the Jackson Public Schools Board of Trustees with a personal agenda: making a difference in public education. He believed that, with the help of the school board, he could bring this aspiration to life.

"I believe very strongly in public education, and I believe it forms the core of a community, the heart of a community. For that reason, I've been a long-term proponent of public education," Schimmel says.

To Schimmel, 62, the most rewarding part about being a member of the school board was "trying to implement policies that would enhance the learning opportunities of the almost 3,000 kids in Jackson Public Schools."

Former Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. nominated Schimmel to the JPS Board in November 2009, and the Jackson City Council unanimously approved the nomination. The seven board members generally serve five-year terms, and as of 2010, one member represents each of the city's seven wards. While Schimmel was on the JPS board, representing Ward 7, the district saw three different district superintendents and, as every public school district in the state, budget cuts from the state and the city. The board also implemented procedural changes, which included formalizing some lines of communication.

"The school board adopted a school-board calendar that outlines information that the school board wanted to receive from the superintendent regarding the progress of the district," Schimmel says.

The board also implemented "measurable objectives that would let the board and the district know how well it was progressing toward increased academic achievement," he added.

Despite his recent retirement from the school board and his career as a cardiologist, Schimmel still keeps busy. He now has time to focus on his hobbies of reading, traveling and spending time with his friends.

Of his time on the school board, Schimmel says "I had the opportunity to get to know the wonderful other members of the school board."

Schimmel, a native of Rolling Fork, graduated from The University of Mississippi in 1972 and from Vanderbilt University Medical School in 1976. Prior to his service on the JPS board, Schimmel was on the boards of the Mississippi Parent Teacher Association and the Jackson chapter of Parents for Public Schools. He lives in Jackson with his wife, Ann. The couple has three children, who all attended Jackson public schools and graduated from Murrah High School.