Board hopefuls air ideas

Forum addresses Chapel Hill school budgets, buildings

CHAPEL HILL -- School board candidates tackled questions on budgets, the racial achievement gap and older buildings at a forum Monday.

Five candidates are vying for four open seats on the board for the Nov. 6 election. Jamezetta Bedford, Mike Kelley and Annetta Streater are running for second terms. Mia Burroughs and Gary Wallach are challengers.

The Chapel Hill-Carrboro PTA Council and the League of Women Voters co-sponsored the forum.

When asked about improving the school budget process, which is dependent on how much money the county commissioners approve, Burroughs and others suggested starting discussions early, something the school boards and county commissioners are doing for the 2008-09 budget process.

Bedford suggested trying something different.

"Advocate for school boards to have taxing authority," she said.

No one answered a question about whether there is an issue of racial discrimination within the district for staff and students, but the candidates offered ideas on how to reduce and reverse persistent achievement gaps affecting children of color.

Wallach said that resources need to be put where there is the greatest need.

"The teachers in this district have to have high expectations for the children," he added.

Bedford said teaching preschoolers should be a good start. She's hoping the district's partnership with the Frank Porter Graham Institute's First School model for preschools is one answer, along with addressing the waiting list for preschool slots.

Kelley said one thing that is helping is the Professional Learning Communities model of teachers working together and regularly monitoring each child's progress.

Burroughs said working with children intensively is the way to go.

Streater said the district should be responsible for providing basic education with clear objectives and monitoring programs and must also continue to advocate that parents be fully involved.

The district has some school buildings that are decades old and several newer schools. When asked about renovating older schools, Streater said the attitude of the school's principal matters much more than what the building actually looks like.

"That spreads to everyone around," she said.

Burroughs, who has been an involved parent at Estes Hills Elementary School, which is approaching its 50th anniversary, agreed with Streater.

"In the end, it's the teacher in the classroom that's going to make a difference to that child, and principals inspire teachers to do the best they can," Burroughs said.

Kelley suggested that when the county has another bond issue, the school board should propose that some capital money be set aside for upkeep and improvement of older schools, including technology upgrades.