Wake County school board candidates talk diversity

We asked the 14 Wake County school board candidates to answer the question: "What role, if any, should diversity play in the new student assignment plan?" Below are their responses.

Most candidates submitted written responses. For those who did not, their answers were taken from statements made at public meetings or during interviews.

Some responses were edited for length.

District 3

Kevin Hill

Background: Hill is the incumbent District 3 board member. The Raleigh resident was first elected in 2007. He's an N.C. State assistant professor who worked in the Wake County school system for nearly 30 years, retiring as a principal. The supporter of the former socioeconomic diversity policy is endorsed by the Wake County Democratic Party.

On diversity: "Academic diversity should be considered with the development of any new plan. We cannot afford to create new high-needs schools. They demand additional resources to provide the programs necessary for educational equity. This will require one of two approaches: Raise taxes or take resources from schools deemed 'successful.'

"We must avoid an assignment plan that creates high needs schools or schools considered low achieving. We need to maintain our nationally acclaimed magnet school program. I also believe that choice and proximity are very important to many parents. Data shows that 90 percent of our students travel less than five miles to their school. To help balance percentages of high- and low-achieving students, and to maintain our current magnet program, students may have to attend their second or third closest school. But, again, based on other school systems that use a choice model, 85 percent of parents should get their first choice."

Heather Losurdo

Background: Losurdo is a self-employed Raleigh mother, Air Force veteran and past president of the Northern Wake Republican Club. The critic of Wake's old busing policy has been endorsed by the Wake County Republican Party.

On diversity: "Wake County is a diverse community. I believe it's time we challenge the stereotypes of race, socioeconomic status and academic performance and continue implementing proven methods of educating that address the needs of each individual child.

"Currently, we put more emphasis (on the) socioeconomic makeup of each school rather than on the teaching programs and their results."

Jennifer Mansfield

Background: Mansfield is a Raleigh mother of two students who has spoken out on Wake school issues the past six years. She is registered as an unaffiliated voter, and has been endorsed by the Wake Schools Community Alliance, a group that helped elect the new school board majority in 2009.

On diversity: "WCPSS is considering 'achievement' as the diversity component of the plan instead of socioeconomic status, and we should be asking very pointed questions about what that means.

"Can a school be designated 'high achieving' without serving its low-achieving students well? Will 'high achieving' schools have the proper programs in place to help struggling students? Will we be committed to making all of our schools 'high achieving' or will we once again be content to merely spread low-performing students around?

"We run the very real risk of falling into the same flawed model that we have now and we must be deliberate and honest about what 'achievement' diversity means.

"The key here is choice. For many years, low-income families have endured the bulk of long-distance diversity busing. Affluent families are rarely bused for diversity against their wishes; they are enticed with special magnet programs.

"Diversity is good, but we must make sure that we are giving all families real choices in both proximity and magnet or 'achievement' schools."

Eric Squires

Background: Squires is a manager of computer information sciences from Raleigh. This is the Republican's first campaign.

On Diversity: "We must have diversity in our schools and communities. In the third district, we must be able to work and fight with the new board for what we need. Otherwise, we will have to start shipping our kids to other districts to meet the demands. Everyone knows that proximity is the largest key to helping families and students be involved in their schools. And integration and broad cultural problem-solving skills are needed for a stronger generation to come.

"Having said that, Superintendent (Tony) Tata has worked tirelessly with his staff to make a better assignment plan for everybody. Currently, he predicts over 85 percent of the choices parents are making for their school assignments can be achieved, with most being closer than 5 miles to their school. With the extreme needs of the third district, I would like to see this number of 5 miles be reduced to biking and walking distance.

"With the 30 to 40 new schools we will have to build in the next several years, we can make sure the diversity of our communities and schools are taken care of. But we can't do that when the board is ignoring the current Democratic incumbent or looking for an ambitious Republican to obey. We can't wait four more years for strong representation in District 3. We need to improve the education environment of the students, teachers and the supporting communities today."

District 4

Venita Peyton

Background: Peyton is a real estate broker from Raleigh who has been a critic of the former Democratic majority on the school board. The critic of the old busing policy is backed by the Wake County Republican Party.

On diversity: Peyton said diversity should have no role in the new assignment plan. "I'm going to be in favor of anything that gives parents a choice," she said.

Keith Sutton

Background: Sutton is the Raleigh incumbent who was appointed in 2009 after the board seat become vacant. He is a victim-advocate liaison with the N.C. Governor's Crime Commission. The supporter of the former busing policy is backed by the Wake County Democratic Party.

On diversity: "[Diversity] should be one factor that can be considered along with other factors. It can be given equal consideration with proximity, stability and choice. And they all can co-exist in a plan.

"I understand that we will probably never get back to the old way of doing things. I understand that and accept that. I would not flip a switch and go back; I think the community has expressed itself about that."

Sutton also said student achievement should be used as the measure of diversity.

District 5

Jim Martin

Background: Martin is an N.C. State University chemistry professor who lives in an unincorporated area near Apex. The father of two magnet school students has frequently spoken out at school board meetings to criticize the new board majority. He's endorsed by the Wake County Democratic Party.

On diversity: "Maximizing student achievement should be the highest priority in any student assignment plan. This goal requires policies and practice that prevent the formation of high poverty, low achieving, and/or racially identifiable schools. Such school environments negatively impact students and teachers, imposing unnecessary costs on taxpayers.

"Diversity never was, nor should be, a stand-alone factor for student assignment. Socioeconomic diversity, student achievement, stability, and proximity were four of the nine criteria to be considered in the original assignment policy. Unfortunately, both socioeconomic diversity and student achievement were removed from the current policy, while stability and proximity were too often overlooked in previous assignment practice.

"Policies and practice that keep all our schools strong, irrespective of zip code, are necessary to ensure Wake County remains one of the best places in the nation to live, work and play."

Cynthia Matson

Background: Matson is the college director of ITT Institute who lives in an unincorporated area of Wake, near Raleigh. In 2002, she formed Assignment By Choice, a group that pushed for changes in student assignment now being put in place by the new board majority. She is endorsed by the Wake County Republican Party.

On diversity: "All people should be valued and respected rather than being demographically and/or socioeconomically stereotyped.

"WCPSS's student body is very diverse. It is comprised of more minorities than non-minorities. Manufacturing diversity to fill a quota should not be our focus. The focus should be on learning, not busing, and closing achievement gaps, not reallocating gaps by moving them around."

District 6

Christine Kushner

Background: Kushner is a policy analyst, consultant, journalist and magnet-school parent from Raleigh. She has spoken extensively at board meetings to criticize the actions of the board majority. She is endorsed by the Wake County Democratic Party.

On diversity: "I am hopeful that there is a way that we can have schools that take academic performance and student achievement into consideration.

"We have to have schools that retain high-quality teachers and the research shows that low-income schools have a hard time doing that.

"When you look at the strength of our high schools, they all need to remain strong. I think middle school is a place to start looking at offerings - putting foreign languages in middle schools and making sure that we are making best use of capacity.

"I don't want to return to the policies that resulted in so many reassignments. We can't got back to those policies. We have to focus on academic success for all students."

George Morgan

Background: Morgan is a retired educator and administrator from Raleigh. The registered Democrat supports the old busing-for-diversity policy.

On diversity: "Diversity should play a major role in any student assignment plan. It must be protected and promoted if our society and communities are to function for the good of all its citizens, especially in this increasingly global economy.

"A diverse student population and faculty should be maintained in every school in the Wake County Public School System. Diversity in schools provides students with opportunities to learn about cultures different from their own, share ideas and beliefs, and develop lifelong friendships while receiving the best education possible."

Mary Ann Weathers

Background: Weathers is a retired educator who has been critical of the board majority. The Democrat lives in Raleigh.

On diversity: "I think that the magnet program is dealing with that (diversity) fairly well.

"My bottom line on everything is as long as an individual student is having his or her needs met or talents addressed, then we are doing everything we should. I think we have to pay attention to it or the system will wind up resegregated.

"The Republicans who have the majority now would be fine with that. They'd never say that out loud. They would get there without ever acknowledging it."

Donna Williams

Background: Williams is a community volunteer from Raleigh and the founding president of the Northern Wake Republican Club. She doesn't think diversity should be factor in student assignment and has been endorsed by the Wake County Republican Party.

On diversity: "I believe that our community is for the most part a diverse community. It's a lot more diverse than it was 20 years ago. I don't believe in labeling children. I believe our direction is to move forward with every choice, with this choice plan and all the different options for families.

"What's been done forever isn't working. I just look at this as a very positive direction."

District 8

Susan Evans

Background: Evans is an accountant and small business owner from Apex. The parent of former magnet-school students has criticized the board majority at several meetings over the past two years. She is endorsed by the Wake County Democratic Party.

On diversity: "Our recent growth has presented challenges for accommodating all of our students and many of our families have experienced undesirable reassignments as we shifted to fill new schools. It is critical that we devise assignment plans that provide more stability for families.

"At the same time, we must realize that a scenario that would lead to a stratified system of schools, divided according to the 'haves' and the 'have nots' would be costly for our community. Higher-needs schools typically require more financial resources and yield poorer academic results.

"Our magnet program has been a very successful way to provide balancing in schools that might otherwise be underutilized or heavily weighted in higher needs students, while relieving overcrowding in the suburban schools. I fully support expansion of the magnet program and other types of school choices that encourage balanced populations in our schools."

Ron Margiotta

Background: Margiotta is the incumbent board chairman from Apex who was first elected in 2003. The retired small business owner was the lone voice for neighborhood schools on the board for several years until the new majority took office in 2009. He has been endorsed by the Wake County Republican Party.

On diversity: "I support an assignment plan that embraces the values of our student assignment policy.

"Parents want school choices close to their neighborhoods and communities, as well as long-term stability and predictability for their children.

"The constant shuffling of students under the previous 'diversity' policy caused much disruption yet proved to have no positive effect on academic success.

"I value diversity in our communities and schools, but the top priority of our school system must be the academic achievement of our students.

"Under my leadership, we are implementing an assignment plan based on empowering parents to make the best educational decisions for their children.

"My focus will continue to be on providing the tools and resources our teachers and principals need to boost student achievement, not on just offering students a long bus ride."