Grandmother runs across state for education

While some find it easier to run away from problems, Lori Tippets prefers to run toward them.

Tippets, 56, is on a quest to run a 10K in 30 cities across the state in protest of statewide education cuts.

Tippets

Tippets will make a stop in Madison this Thursday at the Madison City Schools Administrators’ Workshop at 8 a.m. at HudsonAlpha.

Tippets has been on the board of education in Jacksonville for 11 years.

“In May, we were having our board meeting and we were talking about further cuts that may have to be made and it just suddenly came to mind. I wanted to do something that would bring attention to the public.”

Tippets has been a runner all her life. After her eighth child, she took a break, but resumed again last year when she ran a half-marathon in September.

She came in first place in her age group in a half-marathon at Disney World.

She also qualified for the Boston marathon and has plans to participate in 2012.

She is a mother of 8 and grandmother of 14. She says her youngest grandson, a rising junior, will not have the same opportunities in education as his siblings.

“The local community needs to realize that we need to have education as our top priority,” she said. “In order to do that we’ve got to go outside our comfort zones.”

Tippets is going out of her comfort zone and running two miles more than her regular route.

“We can’t sit back and wait for the state and federal government,” she said. “They are doing as much as they can with the economy the way it is. We need to start at the local community and strive to do what we can.”

Jon Campbell, the superintendent of Jacksonville City Schools, explained how this all began.

“We’re continuously cutting budgets and yet having higher expectations for our public schools,” Campbell said.

He said they are working on trying to increase local funding.

“And she just felt led to do this program where she’s going all over the state and running to raise awareness of the plights of local school systems,” Campbell said.

Campbell said Tippet has always been a great worker and supporter of schools.

“I don’t think anyone was really surprised that she did it,” Campbell said. “You know, the fact that she takes something like running that she likes to do and does a lot and is able to make it a tool to help the schools is just tremendous.”

He said the board is supportive of her.

“And we’re just amazed at the energy level that she has—that she’s continually working to help schools,” Campbell said.