Riza Jenkins, candidate for Chapel Hill-Carrboro School Board
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Candidates for Chapel Hill-Carrboro school board
Who are the candidates running for the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education? Get to know your candidates with our Voter Guide.
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Six newcomers are running in November for one of three seats on the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School Board.
Riza Jenkins, a former president of the CHCCS PTA Council, is competing in the Nov. 2 general election against George Griffin, Ryan Jackson, Meredith Pruitt, Mike Sharp and Tim Sookram.
Board member Lisa Kaylie, who was appointed earlier this year to serve out now-Orange County Commissioner Amy Fowler’s term, and board members Mary Ann Wolf and Joal Broun, who was appointed to be a District Court judge, are not seeking re-election.
Early voting in the nonpartisan Nov. 2 election begins Oct. 14 and runs through Oct. 30.
To find polling places and full details on early voting, visit co.orange.nc.us/1720/Elections or contact the Board of Elections at 919-245-2350 or vote@orangecountync.gov.
Name: Riza Jenkins
Age: 42
Residence: Chapel Hill
Occupation: Vice President, Asset Management
Education: Bachelor of Science, Business Management and Marketing, N.C. A&T State University; Juris doctorate, Master of Business Administration, Howard University
Political or civic experience: None
Campaign website: rizajenkins.com
What do you think are the district’s top three priorities? Choose one and describe how you will work to address it.
▪ Increasing the intentional work around diversity and equity.
▪ Ensuring transparency and accountability of the CHCCS district to its stakeholders.
▪ Ensuring fiscal responsibility.
The work around transparency and accountability requires communication with the stakeholders in the district about decisions being made, how decisions are being made, ensuring stakeholders’ views about decisions are taken into consideration, and assessing decisions to ensure the impact/outcome of the decision are occurring. Also, if there are unintended consequences that occur from decisions, this information needs to be communicated to the community, and then decisions need to be re-evaluated.
What is the school district doing right, and wrong, to support student education?
The district has been make efforts to improve communication with the community by involving students in discussions. We are making decision for students, and they bring their experiences and perspectives which can inform and improve decision making.
What skill or life experience do you have that would bring diversity to local government?
I am a change agent with a proven track record in strategic decision making in order to provide the best educational outcomes for all students. My professional experience along with my over 10 years of volunteering for students, schools, and in the community has given me experiences that provide me with diverse perspectives. Also, I am a single parent of color raising three children of color in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro community. Growing up, working, and raising children as a Black and Asian American woman has been a challenging experience, which I share with many community members, and their voices should be represented in local government.
This story was originally published October 5, 2021 at 10:35 PM with the headline "Riza Jenkins, candidate for Chapel Hill-Carrboro School Board."
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