Candidates answer FAQ's for board of education
Candidates for Lenoir County Board of Education Nancy Gilmore, Bruce Hill, Michelle Cash, and Merwyn Smith, answer questions about topics that impact education in Lenoir County. Neuse News will host an Election Night Results Show on Facebook LIVE on Tuesday, November 3rd at 7:30 pm. The show is sponsored in part by Brooks Poole, Realtor.
What attributes are essential for successful school board members?
Nancy Gilmore says:
I would think school board members need to get skin in the game or have children in the public school. In addition to that vested interest they need to have some knowledge of education from a parental perspective, a professional perspective, not necessarily teaching but have some knowledge base. I think you have to have a passion to work for the children of our community.
Bruce Hill says:
Several traits define a successful school board member. One of the most important is an openness to learn more and attain the necessary information to make informed decisions. Such learning can come in many forms, such as professional development. In my fifteen years of serving on the Board of Education, I have over 1,700 hours of professional development through the North Carolina School Boards Association. Through this training, I have come to better understand the responsibilities and duties of the school board, which has made me a more effective member. However, learning can also take place through more informal avenues, such as speaking with members of the community to attain a wide variety of viewpoints on emerging issues. I also believe that transparency is essential for school board members. To this end, I have an open door policy to Lenoir County citizens and will continue to be accessible if re-elected. I openly express my views and provide a rationale for the decisions I make. To the best of my ability, I keep the public informed of the issues affecting our students and community. To achieve both of these traits, the willingness to devote time to the school board is another essential characteristic. This can take many forms such as attending time-intensive school board meetings, attending school-related events, and interacting with the community.
Michelle Cash says…
Transparency, honesty, and a genuine hard work ethic. We need more hands-on work in the schools being done instead of sitting in a boardroom and making decisions.
Merwyn Smith says…
Being a good listener. Being prepared to participate in board meetings and not just being a spectator. Focusing on serving all children
What are the current challenges facing education/school boards? And if elected, how would you address them?
Nancy Gilmore says:
First and foremost, the pandemic has been a challenge that is a current one. I do believe we need to get systems in place to return all students to school as soon as possible. I also see students in rural counties not always having the same opportunities as those in bigger cities, and I feel like those opportunities need to be more available to our students. I think we really need to work with those subgroups or schools of low performers to make sure we are giving them everything they need to be successful as they are also the future of our county. Often, we look at the programs that received accolades, but we also need to look at the programs that are failing and work to remedy them.
Bruce Hill says:
An immediate challenge is ensuring student success amid the ongoing pandemic. This requires making sure teachers have the resources required to teach remotely and that the proper safety protocols are instituted for in-class instruction. Resuming in-class instruction more broadly is also a current challenge. To this end, I will listen to parents, staff, and public health experts to make informed decisions regarding when in-person classes can be safely resumed and to take the necessary health precautions when this occurs. Beyond the pandemic, a challenge is that there are efforts to undermine public education. I am dedicated to supporting public education by educating our citizens about its benefits and working with our leaders to improve the quality of education provided to students. Another challenge is providing adequate resources to the school system. To this end, I have worked with county commissioners to increase funding for our students and will continue to do so in the future. Lastly, closing the achievement gap is a current challenge, and I have helped to address this by reallocating school system resources to areas where they are most needed and can therefore have maximum impact. These are just a few of the challenges currently facing the school system, and more will undoubtedly arise. However, I believe that no challenge is insurmountable and my tenure on the school board has equipped me with the experience, insight, and wherewithal to address whatever issues face our school system.
Michelle Cash says…
Currently, our biggest challenge is our technology. While we have all of these amazing apps and all of these platforms that our children can utilize, they’re being overloaded and not performing to the best of their capabilities. We need to ensure that our students have the latest version of these apps and that we stay on top of leading technology, even if that means making a change within what we currently have.
Merwyn Smith Says…
Obviously, the pandemic is the number one challenge facing education and school boards right now. The other is equal access to resources. If re-elected, I will continue to consult with the administration for updates on how schools are doing with students in the buildings and students in remote learning and to gauge positive cases that pop up, with respect to the impact on students, staff and schools. With regards to students having equal access to resources; I will continue to support our one-to-one technology program, which puts an iPad into the hands of every student in LCPS; and I will continue to have conversations with state, federal & local leaders, about expanding broadband to our more rural areas.
How can a school board know if its goals are being accomplished and its policies are being implemented?
Nancy Gilmore says:
I think the school board needs to be visible. Not just in being reachable by phone and email but also be present in the schools and attend activities throughout the county to make sure that there is follow through from the top down. It is also important to get feedback from stakeholders when new programs are being implemented.
Bruce Hill says:
A school board can assess if its goals are being accomplished by setting specific benchmarks for policies. For example, student success is often measured by metrics like test scores, student growth, and graduation rates. However, I feel it is also important to assess goals by eliciting community feedback. Doing so provides insight into how students may have been influenced by a policy that is not fully reflected in statistical measures. The specific measures of success vary according to the goal being addressed. Regardless of the specific policy, it is fundamental that clear goals for success be established and taken alongside community feedback to assess the effectiveness of school board policies.
Michelle Cash says…
We have to be in constant communication with each other, with our administrators, our support staff, and everyone else that has a hand in regulating policies and procedures, curriculum, and we need to be in the schools and visit the schools to see with our own eyes that what we’ve decided upon and made decisions about are being implemented.
Merwyn Smith says…
By reviewing our District Strategic Plan and the School Improvement plans to see if they are aligned. And track their progress.
What is the best way to address differences of opinion on the board or between the board and the administration?
Nancy Gilmore says:
I think with any decision you make; you know that everyone is not going to agree, but as long as you have facts and valid reasons to support your decisions, I believe it will be well received. When differences arise, I would always put what is best for children first, and then support the administrators. I would also make sure that I have gathered all the information possible to support my perspective and present that at that time.
Bruce Hill says:
A first step in addressing differences of opinion between board members or the board and administration is creating an environment in which each person is able to openly state their views and how they arrived at their position. This creates opportunities to express opposing viewpoints, and people may be persuaded by hearing the rationale that others provide for their opinion. However, there will not be unanimous agreement on every issue. When this occurs, it is important to respect disagreements and work through them in a professional manner that will not compromise the ability of the school board to work together to achieve what is best for students.
Michelle Cash says…
Board members need to put their own agendas aside regardless of how they feel when they are walking into a meeting. You can’t work with different people without being open to different points of views and different perspectives. Sometimes we get so set in our own ideas and opinions that we almost refuse to see the other side. We have to be open to listening instead of just hearing and valuing everyone’s opinion and not holding our own above everyone else.
Merwyn Smith says…
Having an open conversation is the best way. Allowing administration or board members to explain their position.
Would you agree there is more to being a school board member than outside of the school board meetings? If so, how would you define the role of a school board member outside of the school board meetings?
Nancy Gilmore says:
Yes, I 100% agree with that. I think being a school board member means being active throughout the system and being visible to all stakeholders, parents, students, teachers, administrators, and citizens.
Bruce Hill says:
Attending monthly board meetings satisfies the bare minimum requirements for a school board member. I believe that outside of school board meetings, board members have an obligation to support and interact with the community. One method of achieving this is to attend school functions such as sporting events, awards banquets and graduations. In addition to being supportive of students, being at these events provides opportunities to get to know students, parents and staff. Through these interactions, I have become more acutely aware of the granular issues affecting the school system that may not arise in board meetings. Additionally, being a member of the school board requires interacting with the community whenever I am out in public, even when not acting in my official capacity as a school board member. These exchanges are also important because members of the community may feel more comfortable approaching me to discuss issues one-on-one than in the formal setting of a board meeting. Overall, being an effective school board member requires interacting with the community in a variety of settings that extend beyond school board meetings.
Michelle Cash says…
I said in my candidate interview that this seat is not about stature it’s about service and I say that because we have to visit every single school in this county. There are 17 schools and there is no reason why a board member should not step foot in every single school at least once a school year. We aren’t here to sit in a boardroom and solve problems. We are here to engage with the administrators and address any issues that they have.
Merwyn Smith says…
I do agree that there is more to being a school board member than inside the meetings. The role outside of meetings is to support the schools by attending special events, ball games graduations, etc. It’s also important to dialogue with community stakeholders.
