Monika Johnson-Hostler, candidate for Wake County Board of Education District 2
%20(1).JPG "Monika Johnson-Hostler is running for re-election to the District 2 seat on the Wake County school board.")
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District 2 candidates for Wake County Board of Education
Monika Johnson-Hostler is running for another term in 2022. Those running against her are Dorian Hamilton and Monica Ruiz. Get to know the candidates with our NC 2022 Voter Guide.
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Name: Monika Johnson-Hostler
Political party: Democrat
Age as of Nov. 8, 2022: 47
Campaign website: www.monikaforschoools.com
Occupation: Executive Director of NC Coalition Against Sexual Assault
Education: B.S. in psychology from Fayetteville State University, master’s degree in Public Administration from NCCU
Have you run for elected office before? Wake County school board member since 2013
Please list highlights of your civic involvement: Appointed to N.C. Governor’s Crime Commission and N.C. Partnership for Children
Why do you want to serve on the Wake County Board of Education?
An education is the foundation to lifelong success. I feel a sense of urgency to ensure all students have access to an exceptional education. I am running for the WCBOE because I am a passionate advocate for public education and believe that promoting learning environments that support all children is critical. After eight years, I remain committed to sharing the voices of parents/community members, educators and families who feel disenfranchised in the public education process.
What are the Wake County Public Schools doing well?
The three most positive things about WCPSS that I plan to ensure continue, if reelected, are dedicated educators and staff, community support and WCBOE’s commitment to every student’s success. The district has brilliant and committed educators. We live in a community where every chamber of commerce works with WCPSS along with other businesses and stakeholders to support our schools. I can say every member of the WCBOE is committed to making WCPSS the best choice for families.
What would be your three top priorities if elected? Choose one, and explain how you would address it.
If reelected, my top priorities are student achievement, teacher recruitment/retention, accessibility for students with disabilities, mental health needs and English learners. NC elected leaders have willfully underfunded schools for our most vulnerable students. Leandro set forth the priorities to achieve this goal by requesting fair, equitable and adequate funding for all schools. I will seek to increase pay to help us recruit and retain our qualified and experienced teachers.
What should the district do in response to calls to remove books from schools that some say are inappropriate for students?
Taking a historical view, there has never been a point in recorded history when banning books was later determined to have been a positive choice or done with the goal of promoting education and self-fulfillment. Additionally, the Supreme Court determined in Board of Education vs Pico that it is a violation of students’ First Amendment rights for a school board to ban books based on their content.
How should schools discuss issues involving discrimination based on race, gender and other factors?
We must make all of our students feel welcomed, accepted and affirmed in our public schools. It is my commitment to ensure a great public education is equally accessible to all students. This includes not embracing gender inspection and eliminating disciplinary disproportionalities for Black and Brown students. The goal is to create positive climates in all of our schools for all students, regardless of their race, gender or identity.
How would you go about making schools safer in the aftermath of school shootings such as in Uvalde, Texas?
The framework for school safety must be addressed from a multi-pronged approach: physical safety and mental safety. All schools should be outfitted with cameras, vestibules, and trained adults such as but not limited to social workers, school resource officers. Additionally, we must have lower ratios of school counselors and nurses to meet the needs of our students. We are often reactive, and to ensure our schools are safe we must move to prevention by addressing risk factors.
What would you do to try to address student learning loss that was exacerbated by the pandemic?
To address student learning loss exacerbated by the pandemic, I will apply a multi-strategy approach of tutoring and partnerships with community organizations. WCPSS and the YMCA of the Triangle have partnered on the HELPS initiative. This is an opportunity for community members and volunteers to provide once-a-week, consistent tutoring. In addition, I will continue to make investments in ensuring all students have access to arts, foreign languages, and services for our students with disabilities.
What’s the appropriate level of funding that should be provided to Wake County schools?
Our students deserve funding that will ensure we can meet the basic needs to ensure an exceptional education. NC funding per pupil has not kept up with inflation since the recession. The per-pupil funding should meet the needs to ensure we can provide an excellent education to all students. We should be able to fully fund arts, foreign languages, disability services, instructional assistants, support services (social workers, nurses, etc.) to ensure we are meeting the needs of the whole child.
This story was originally published October 20, 2022 at 11:30 AM.
