WINDSOR—Retired Windsor High School teacher Julia Perkins on Monday announced her candidacy for the Isle of Wight County School Board.

Perkins will run for the Windsor District seat currently held by T. Hayes Griffin, who is expected to run for re-election.

“The decision to become a candidate was made after a great deal of thought because, quite honestly, I am a teacher and not a politician,” Perkins said. “Perhaps what the board needs right now is a teacher rather than a politician.”

A teacher in the district for 25 years, she said every decision the school board makes must be based upon how it will affect students.

“I firmly believe that the experiences I had and the knowledge I gained during my 30 years as a teacher would be of benefit to the board,” Perkins said.

She supports the county supervisors’ decision to build a new Windsor Middle School.

“Those in opposition, I believe, were driven more by economics than by their understanding of ‘what’s best for the kids involved,’” she said.

Perkins has a bachelor’s degree from Radford College and master’s degree from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

She is a former girls’ basketball and softball district coach of the year. Perkins was chairwoman of the science department and Isle of Wight Teacher Council.