New liaison officer bridges Air Force families, schools Published Sept. 3, 2010 By Kimberly L. Wright Air University Public Affairs MAXWLL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- Randy Stokes, Maxwell's new school liaison officer, is eager to make a difference to military families of school-aged children. His job is to help those unfamiliar with the local school systems mesh their educational desires with the resources at hand. Having himself been a military parent, he knows firsthand the challenges they face when trying to ensure their children are properly educated. "No matter who you are, if you're not sure your family is well taken care of, you can't do the job that you're assigned to do," Mr. Stokes said. "If I'm sitting there worried about whether my child is in a school that's safe and being adequately educated, then I'm not going to give all I have to the job." He wishes there would have been such an advocate for him and his family when he was in the military. "It would have made my job a lot easier," he said. Mr. Stokes, a Birmingham native, has experienced both the military and education in his career. He retired after 23 years of service in the Army and worked for the Broward County, Fla., school system as an administrator, a middle school vice principal and a high school vice principal. The school liaison officer is a new position that falls under the auspices of the 42nd Mission Support Group. Christine Prewitt, the group's deputy director, said the varied local educational processes throughout the nation can be an impediment to servicemembers' families. "As military families move, they encounter different school districts in different states with different registration processes, differing course offerings and vastly different graduation requirements," she said. "Often, families are overwhelmed by the differences, and unsure what they really need to do to ensure the success of their children. The school liaison officer is an expert in the local school districts, knows the local educators and processes, and is ready to assist if our families encounter difficulties at any time." She said that the Air Force leadership recently implemented the school liaison program nationwide after a successful trial run at a number of bases. "We hope the Maxwell-Gunter community will get to know Mr. Randy Stokes and call or visit anytime they have questions or need assistance," she said. Mr. Stokes said he will funnel information from the schools to parents who may be new to the area and unfamiliar with what educational options are available and how to access that information. "One of the biggest problems a lot of our parents have who come here is that they don't know what the registration dates are, especially for the magnet program (in Montgomery County)," he said. "There are dates that have to be met in order for parents to get those kids into those programs. "They just recently started where they have two enrollments a year, but of course for this year, those enrollments have come and gone." He can also serve as an advocate for military parents with children already enrolled in local schools. "I can better interpret (procedures or regulations), and better understand what's happening with their child," he said. "Sometimes contacts are the key, knowing exactly who to call to remedy a situation. And military families deserve every bit of help they can get."