Tim Sookram, 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.
Tim Sookram is competing in the Nov. 2 general election against George Griffin, Ryan Jackson, Riza Jenkins, Meredith Pruitt and Mike Sharp.
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: Tim Sookram
Age: 37
Residence: Chapel Hill
Occupation: Civil rights lawyer
Education: UNC-Chapel Hill School of Law
Political or civic experience: I work to help low-income people keep their health insurance benefits and medical coverage. I’ve also served on the Ephesus School Improvement Team for the past year.
Campaign website: timsookram.com
What do you think are the district’s top three priorities? Choose one and describe how you will work to address it.
▪ The pandemic
▪ Infrastructure
▪ Equity
We’re losing money by making stopgap decisions that become permanent because the long-term fix is deemed too expensive. We have hazards like lead pipes and leaks that we’re not addressing. We have temporary fixes like portable buildings that haven’t moved in a decade. We need to take stock of what we have and fund our weaknesses.
What is the school district doing right, and wrong, to support student education?
The district is engaged in one-way communications with parents, teachers and staff rather than having a collaborative conversation about how best to solve pressing problems with long-term consequences.
What skill or life experience do you have that would bring diversity to local government?
First, I’m a parent of two small kids, so I’d need far less catching up on what’s happening on the ground in our schools. Second, I grew up in Houston and I understand how different this community is, for better and for worse. I see the untapped resources we have here that the administrators don’t rely on — the experts already working in our schools, and the ones who live in our district. I also see the racial attitudes that tacitly guide so many policy decisions to make inequalities worse.
This story was originally published October 5, 2021 at 11:11 PM with the headline "Tim Sookram, candidate for Chapel Hill-Carrboro School Board."
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