On September 12th I had the pleasure to sit down for the Wake County League of Women Voters School Board Candidate forum for #District7. The video, in its entirety, is posted below and all three candidates participated.
The topics included teacher compensation/retention, school construction, budgetary issues, the role of a school board member and school safety.
A few points I make during the forum:
-While teachers deserve to be better compensated, that doesn’t end the teacher shortage. They need support in many areas, including classroom discipline and ensuring they have the necessary materials and supplies for the classroom.
-We should think outside the box when it comes to school construction. I recommend looking at existing properties that could be converted for school use, as some private schools have done in this county.
-Is there ever a cap to how much money my opponent thinks we need to properly educate our children? We need to prioritize a budget that focuses like a laser on increasing student achievement. More money is not always the answer. If it was, things would be improving over the tenure of my opponent.
-I see my role as a school board member to ensure every decision I make gives students the best opportunity to reach their academic potential, and then just get out of the way.
-If students, teachers and staff don’t feel safe, all these other issues don’t matter. We must ensure our schools are safe and we need forward thinking, imaginative leaders who can work towards that end.
I urge voters to pay close attention and judge who they think is best suited to represent District 7 for the next four years. In 25 years, our children will be the ones running our nation. We are morally bound to give them the best education possible.