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Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education Candidate Platforms
Matthew Barton for Board of Education
I want to help solve the overcrowding of
the schools. Academic achievement is low
ered when too many children are jammed
into each classroom. Crowded trailers that
must be evacuated at every serious storm
warning are not suitable classrooms. I will
continue the cooperative effort of school
boards, towns and county government to
plan and finance efficient, cost-effective
schools for our growing community. A
new bond issue is required for the bulk of
the financing, and that means more tax
revenues will be needed to repay the bonds.
I will work for simultaneous planning
of development and the public schools.
New residential development brings more
Elizabeth Carter for Board of Education
I have always tried to be involved in the
education of my children. I have volun
teered at their schools as part of the PTS A,
served as co-chairwoman of the Carrboro
School Fair, and helped out in the class
room, book fairs and numerous school
field trips. I have always been concerned
about public education and encouraged
my friends, family and acquaintances to
get involved with their children. I’ve even
“claimed" some children as my second
family because their parents could only get
involved at a certain level due to jobs or
other needs. But I knew that those parents
also wanted the best for their children.
Through my school involvement and
community volunteer efforts, I listened to
parents, students and teachers discuss the
needs and benefits of our public educa
tional system.
There are three specific goals that I
propose need immediate attention in our
school system. They are:
1. PROFICIENCY. The school district
Louise Cole for Board of Education
A “One Size Fits All” approach to aca
demic achievement doesn’t work.
1) The main emphasis of my campaign
is to strengthen academic performance for
each and every child. The present curricu
lum works for only some. Rarely noted is
the plight of our minority student achieve
ment, cuirently below the state average
and almost 40 points below Durham’s.
The Blue Ribbon Task Force has rec
ommended using a proven curriculum that
works for minority children. I have re
searched and found two such “proven”
curricula that have demonstrated dramatic
results for minorities within months rather
than years. A Johns Hopkins University
fourth-year analysis ofthis was overwhelm
ing. Scores went from the 25th to the 75th
percentile in four short years.
Such a curriculum doesn’t pander to the
Kevin Cook for Board of Education
These are four of the most important
areas of concern I have for the Chapel Hill-
Carrboro schools.
1. 1 would like to improve the education
for the children in our schools that are at
grade level and below grade level. Reduc
ing class size is the fastest way to improve
the teacher’s ability to help these children.
In Orange County last year they started a
program called “Communities in Schools”
with a ratio of 15-16 students to a teacher.
They noticed as much as a 60-point in
crease in the end of year test scores for at
risk students. Individualized instruction
can help many of our children catch up and
excel in school. Empowering our teachers
and helping them with reduced class size
benefits all.
2. We need to build more schools to
Rebecca Coyne for Board of Education
1) Stop waste: establish priorities and
goals for expenditures. All spending should
be focused on the most efficient way to
achieve academic excellence. A prime
example of waste is the decision the present
school board made on Oct. 5 to spend
SIO,OOO of the Blue Ribbon Task Force
money on yet another survey instead of
focusing on the specific recommendations
made for programs.
2) Establish guidelines for dealing with
violence, drugs and gangs in school. The
school board needs to provide broad defi
nitions of acceptable behavior. Then,
through the superintendent, offer guidance
to the individual SGCs and principals in
Nicholas Didow for Board of Education
My four major priorities for our schools
are: 1) to end overcrowding and establish
effective facilities and resource planning
and implementation, in renewed partner
ship with Carrboro, Chapel Hill and Or
ange County governmental authorities; 2)
to further decentralized site-based man
agement and school restructuring initia
tives; 3) to raise the performance expecta
tions for all stakeholders in our public
schools; and 4) to increase professional
development resources for our teachers
and support staff and hire proven, accom
plished teachers and staff. I care deeply
about the quality of our schools for all our
children.
The most important issue during the
next four years is to end the overcrowding
crisis. Our school system can never again
adopt a passive role in zoning, develop
ment review and general community plan
ning. We must be actively involved in all
children into the already overcrowded
school system. This must be given an im
portant weight during definition and con
sideration of that development. Specifi
cally, I intend to work with the school
administration and the towns to assure
that an impact study is performed for each
development of greater than 50 homes
proposed within the school district.
I support equality of educational oppor
tunity. I support efforts to increase the
participation ofwomen and people of color
in science and math studies. Beyond read
ing, writing and arithmetic, I believe un
derstanding the scientific basis for our civi
lization is important for all students, so
has approved new proficiency standards
that will be implemented in 1999-2000. It
is very important that we assess and pre
pare our teachers as well as our students to
surpass these standards. Measures must be
implemented NOW to assure the success
of ALL OUR STUDENTS. We cannot
wait for 1999. The standards must be
viewed not as a means of retention, but
acceleration and excellence. We must be
lieve that all children can be successful.
The Blue Ribbon Task Force recommen
dations must be implemented. The playing
field for our students must be leveled. We
are in the business of educating children.
2. ACCOUNTABILITY. The school
board has charged the district with the
implementation of Proficiency Standards.
In order for our school district to be suc
cessful, greater accountability is needed.
The problems are not mine or yours alone,
nor are the solutions. The degree of ac
countability reflects our commitment to
every student. The school board, adminis
emotional, warm fuzzies and social engi
neering of today’s Curriculum Restructur
ing. It’s a very strong, core-knowledge based
and discipline-controlled curriculum. In
short, it works!! Our curriculum has had
years of analyses to try to find the problem
of showing minimal improvements at best.
Last year the school system spent $6,100
per student, almost twice that of private
schools. Money is not the answer!!!
2) There are ways to improve upon the
wasteful spending and redirect monies to
the classrooms, i.e., there was an increase
of 292 students over last year and an in
crease of only two more leacfrervwJritean
increase of 15 administrators and service
personnel was noted.
Overcrowding has an impact on achieve
ment. Lack of proper facilities planning
and recent extravagant spending on schools
accommodate the growth in our schools.
We need to work closely with our county
commissioners and local governments to
fund the construction of new schools. The
new state projections for growth in Chapel
Hill-Carrboro schools are an increase of 35
percent from 1993-94 to 2003-2004. For
the previous 20 years we did not build any
new schools in the district. I am very im
pressed with the recent requests from the
Town Council on requesting donations of
land from Southern Village and
Meadowmont. I feel that my business ex
perience and communication skills will
help in the school board’s future negotia
tions with the county commissioners on
the funding for more schools.
3.1 would like to see site based manage
ment increased. We need to return more
the establishment and implementation of
behavior expectations with specific posi
tive and negative reinforcements.
3) Require a response of the school
system to questions and concerns of par
ents and students. When a concern or
question is brought to the attention of any
one within the school system, serious con
sideration needs to be given in an immedi
ate response.
4) Bridge education and test results of
different racial backgrounds. There are two
curriculums. One is written. The second is
what the teachers teach. It is designed to be
less demanding to create a better self-im
age in the students. I submit that the belief
review and permit processes to anticipate
and effectively plan for impact on the
schools concurrent with development.
Furthermore, we simply must accept and
initiate the current invitations to renew
partnership with the towns of Chapel Hill
and Carrboro in effectively planning for
growth. Clearly we must approach the
schools as a responsibility of the entire
community.
We must also take the initiative to in
clude the Orange County Board of Educa
tion and staff in joint facilities and resource
planning and funding requests before go
ing forward to the Orange County Com
missioners. We must be able to understand
the position of the County Commission
ers, and anticipate the steps in the planning
process that will address the demands and
pressures on them.
I am a native of North Carolina with
three children enrolled in our public
they can participate successfully in an in
creasingly technical workplace.
I will be accessible to the public to dis
cuss the current status of the school system
and what can be done to improve it. Con
tinuing the strong tradition of citizen par
ticipation in the major decisions of the
school system is crucial for the commu
nity.
I support better communication with
parents about what is expected of their
children during the year, both in academ
ics and behavior. I will propose the school
provide a clear description at the beginning
of the year of the topics the student should
master by year end.
trators, teachers, parents and students must
work together to assure mastery of the
basic skills needed for completion at each
grade level, and for the dreams to be real
ized by our unselfish involvement and re
spect for students. “Walk the talk!”
3. FACILITIES/OVERCROWDING.
The two are interconnected. If we continue
to grow, we must assess needs and plan
with the other governmental bodies and
developers in our community for new fa
cilities and renovation of existing build
ings. We must plan strategically, being
mindful that our strength is in our diver
sity. We must maintain and create varying
costs for housing and development.
ALL CHILDREN ARE MINE. I be
lieve in their ability to be the best. I am
exercising my belief by doing formal and
informal actions which demonstrate my
belief. By believing and doing, we as a
school system can help each child achieve.
I believe in your children, as well as mine.
Will you believe in me?
have compromised the district’s ability to
build. We can complete two schools within
the next four years, without raising taxes.
3) True Site Based Management will
give the parents, principals and teachers
the power to accomplish the above.
I want the talents, skills and abilities of
each child to be recognized, challenged
and magnified. We need curricula that
work, and to build more schools by elimi
nating wasteful overhead. We need to help
the teachers in the classrooms by directing
more teachers and supplies into the class
room. We need real site based manage
. ?nent so there can be re?(l resppnsibility and,
accountability.
Mahatma Gandhi said, “The future
depends on whatwe dointhepresent.” It’s
time for strengthening academic perfor
mance and eliminating the waste now.
responsibility and budget issues to indi
vidual schools, empowering our teachers
to help their students improve through
more individualized instruction. Presently
individual schools do not have enough
funding to implement special programs to
address the needs of their students.
4.1 volunteer with the Pines Commu
nity Center helping minorities and low
income families obtain financing for buy
ing homes in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro
area. I feel there is a tremendous need to
teach all of our children about credit and
managing money in high school. I would
like to see a program offered at the high
schools addressing this community issue.
I would pursue funding for this program
from our local banks and financial institu
tions.
that a student cannot do the higher level
curriculum only serves to convince the
student of inabilities instead of abilities.
5) Establish goals and techniques for
providing for broad middle-range students'
special needs. “Average” students who dis
play an unusual “gift" in any subject area
or are “challenged” in any subject need to
receive the extra attention given to “Spe
cial Education” children regularly.
6) Motivate and reward existing school
system employees. Employees and facili
ties that demonstrate an exceptional im
provement toward specific goals need to
receive additional money as determined
by immediate supervisors.
schools. 1 have been a faculty member at
UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School
since 1979. My record of effective leader
ship and positive community service in
cludes serving on the original FPG School
Governance Committee (1991-1994) and
helping implement Family Grouping at
FPG in 1993, PT A membership and school
volunteer activities. I have also served on
the board of directors of the Chapel Hill-
Carrboro Public School Foundation since
1991 and helped raise money and manage
grant funds to promote system-wide edu
cation innovation and teaching excellence.
I was a founding member of University
United Methodist Preschool and served
on its board 1986-1991. Over the years I
have served in a variety of lay leadership
responsibilities at University United Meth
odist Church, including chairman of the
administrative board in 1992 and as a
trustee from 1994 to the present.
OP-ED
Bill Ebtran for Board of Education
It is hardly arguable that we are the most
talented community in America with bright
people focused at our flagship University.
What is it that prevents this critical mate
from reaching the goal of individual excel
lence in our schools?
Our school system is a good one, but it
is not as good as it should be, and we
haven’t even started thinking about what it
can be.
Those in the know are the first to say
“No!” “no” to new ideas, to new ap
proaches, to new ways of utilizing people.
The consensus committee concept is
not a good way to nurture and utilize the
talents of individuals.
Schools are there to serve individual
students, their parents and the community
that supports them.
We should provide the students with
academic challenge and high motivation
so that they can obtain achievement, self
Harvey Goldstein for Board of Education
Our public schools traditionally have
provided very high quality education to
the children of this community, and have
enjoyed deservedly a great deal of commu
nity support.
But we now face a horizon of severely
overcrowded schools, class sizes that are
too large to maximize the academic
achievement of all students and a growing
political climate of cuts in needed public
services combined with vicious attacks on
public education itself
These problems seriously threaten our
ability to meet our most fundamental and
important obligation to the next genera
tion: to prepare our children to meet the
challenges of work and citizenship in an
increasingly technological, competitive and
diverse society.
My highest priorities for the School
Board are:
(1) Reduce class size.
This is the key for teachers being able to
address the individual learning needs, and
academically challenge, every student.
Peter Morcomhe for Board of Education
Almost ignored by the media, a bold
new policy for education is taking shape.
In May of this year, Jay Robinson, the
chairman of the N.C. Board of Education,
announced anew direction for the man
agement of our public schools: “We be
lieved that we should seize the opportunity
to transfer authority from alarge agency in
Raleigh to where it never has been: with
the more than 1,900 schools across North
Carolina.”
How will things improve when author
ity is truly at site level?
The handcuffs will be removed from
principals, teachers and their customers.
Here are just two examples:
• Curriculum. The distress of Afro-
American children tells us that all is not
well in our schools.
Sandra Theard for Board of Education
I am a lifetime resident, bom, raised
and educated in Chapel Hill.
I have a son presently in the school
system.
I am a volunteer at Phillips Middle
School.
Ken Touw for Board of Education
My wife and I have three children: a
daughter who is a Chapel Hill High School
graduate, now in her second year of a full
graduate fellowship in mathematics at the
University of California at Los Angeles (a
school choice we keep secret during bas
ketball season), a daughter who is a junior,
and a son who is a freshman at CHHS.
I have worked in Chapel Hill-Canboro
schools for 10 years and on the school
board for four years to seek positive changes
in order to help our students achieve aca
demic success.
Asa parent working in the classroom, a
PTA Council representative, and a mem
ber of numerous system-wide committees,
I have demonstrated commitment to em
powering teachers and parents to improve
community schools.
We have an excellent public school sys
tem which can get a lot better without
Sara Williams for Board of Education
My candidacy is best represented as a
composite of three well-known fictional
characters —a Lion, a Scarecrow, and a
Tin man. I am empowered with the cour
age of a lion to make the changes that we
must make; I shall utilize my brain like the
Scarecrow to study our options, share ideas,
decide what’s best; finally, this Tin man’s
heart is in it because I care deeply about our
children and our schools and will do all
within my power to encourage their suc
cess.
One problem overshadows our district:
the gap in the achievement of majority and
minority students. There is much emotion
over this problem. But it’s not an obstacle
we can’t overcome; I like to see it as a
challenge. I believe that all children will
Also running for Board of Education:
Bea Hughes-Wemer
esteem and confidence in their own deci
sion-making.
We should communicate with their par
ents, get to know these parents and involve
them in ways not yet tried.
Our community deserves a school prod
uct of employable and socially responsible
citizens.
Weak leadership should not abuse the
money citizens give us to ran our schools.
We did not just notice that we are short
of classroom space, nor did we just dis
cover that many African-American stu
dents are not being served.
This motivational genocide started in
the ’Bos and continues to this day.
Our gifted and talented students have
always needed the extended challenge they
are not getting.
Our students are disadvantaged by an
abundance of narrow knowledge of a few
cultures and broad ignorance of others.
(2) Relieve the acute overcrowding prob
lem and change the way capital facilities
are planned so as to avoid chronic over
crowding.
This will require a school bond in 1996
or 1997, and joint-planning among the
county, towns and schools.
(3) Ensure that the recommendations of
the Blue Ribbon Task Force are effectively
implemented and fully funded.
Emphasis here should be on more effec
tive parental involvement and mentoring
programs, and activities that extend the
effective learning day of students who are
at risk.
My background and qualifications in
clude:
• Orange County resident for 13 years.
• Married, with two children in the
Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools.
• Educator and teacher for 19 years.
• Professor of City and Regional Plan
ning, UNC.
• Past President of the Parent Board,
Chapel of the Cross Child Care Center.
If we work together to help them, all
children will benefit.
Our schools are awash with experimen
tal programs imposed from above.
How can teachers teach, or kids learn
when the curriculum is always changing?
This-district, i& introducing “Curricu
lum Restructuring,” based on an approach
that has not achieved a single shining suc
cess after 20 years of experimenting in
thousands of schools across the United
States.
Our schools must be allowed to con
sider better, proven curricula such as those
advocated by Louise Cole, Sandra Theard
and myself.
• Waste. Public education is a monopoly.
Have you ever heard of an efficient mo
nopoly?
I am not the status quo and feel the
school board needs a strong voice and
leadership that will treat all students and
families with respect, fairness, empathy
and decency regardless of socio-economic
status, culture, race, sex or religion.
destroying its foundations.
I believe in protecting the rights of those
with whom I disagree.
I will not use the courts or the state
legislature to impose my will and values on
others.
We can and must resolve conflicts
through open, respectful dialogue.
If re-elected I plan to:
• Enhance school-based management
by continuing to provide increased policy
and budget flexibility, by encouraging re
sponsible teachers, thoughtful parents, ac
tive students and other educational staff to
participate, and by increasing communica
tion with schools.
• Improve academic achievement of all
students by focusing on the educational
needs of each student, recognizing various
learning styles, encouraging individual tal
ents, broadening availability of gifted ser
rise to the level of higher expectations
we must demand it! Change takes time; the
schools alone cannot compensate for the
disparities in students’ home lives. “There’s
no place like home,” as Dorothy said.
Home is where we need to begin our mis
sion. If you ask teachers why students do
not do well, the answer is because parents
do not support the schools. I want to be the
champion for quality improvement, and I
believe the school board should support all
efforts at getting parents —and the com
munity involved and helping teachers
STAY effective.
This partnership is an integral part of
Site-Based Management, treating teach
ers, principals and parents as resources.
Let’s allow them the responsibility and
Monday, October 16,1995
What is necessary to bring us from a
posture of resisting change to one of wel
coming change, new ideas and seeking
new frontiers?
The answer is experience in education,
courage in meeting a challenge, and the
ability to lead individuals.
Bill Elstran has been a leader since his
university days as a quarterback and suc
cessful member in the Student Senate.
He has 10 years as a teacher, 10 years as
a principal, two years at the
superintendent’s level in finance and eight
years in curriculum.
He is an author (Latest: “What Every
Parent Should Know About Schools”),
sportsman, artist, and an educator with
vision and courage.
On Nov. 7, put the status quo “consen
sus committee concept" out to pasture and
vote for the only candidate with extensive
school leadership and experience.
• President, Chapel Hill-Canboro PTA
Council, 1994-95; vice president, 1993-94.
• Frank Porter Graham PTA Executive
Boards four years.
• Culbreth Middle School PTS A Execu
tive Boards 1995-96.
• Orange County Skill Development
Program Board, 1995-96
• Recipient 0f1995 Chapel Hill-Canboro
City Schools Volunteer of the Year award.
I am running for the Chapel Hill-
Carrboro School Board because we need,
now more than ever, strong, effective lead
ership, visions, fresh ideas and an unwa
vering commitment to excellence for our
public schools.
My experience as a planner and an
educator gives me the perspective and the
appreciation of the links between quality
of schooling and workforce preparedness,
and between quality of public schools and
community economic well-being.
I am prepared to “roll up my sleeves”
and help meet the threats now facing our
public schools.
Ron Pannesi recommended that we drag
our administration “kicking and scream
ing” into the 1980s. Currently we are wast
ing between $3 million and $8 million per
year.
With local control it will be easier to
used tq fupdmore teachers and more school
construction.
Poor leaders have one answer to every
problem: Give us more money!
We don’t need more taxes, just better
leadership and better management of our
resources.
I ask you to elect me and the other
common-sense candidates, so that the bold
initiative by the N.C. Board of Education
will be implemented fully, faithfully and
without delay.
I can provide this voice and this leader
ship.
I support academic excellence that works
for everyone, personal accountability,
eliminating economic waste and mentor
programs.
vices, meeting the special needs of students
as inclusively as possible, and recruiting
community and university resources to
meet needs of students and teachers.
• Alleviate overcrowding and strive to
reduce class size by advocating for addi
tional quality schools funded by the county
and state and by permitting site choice of
multi-track year-round schooling.
• Expand evaluation of academic pro
grams and school staff by including use of
client feedback and student achievement.
• Determine feasibility of year-round
education in Chapel Hill-Carrboro City
Schools.
• Renew long-range vision for the school
system.
• Strengthen and individualize continu
ing professional education for school staff,
especially in the areas of science, math and
the arts.
accountability to day-to-day decisions
which are unique to their particular school
and students.
I am advocating optional year-round
schools.
They are cost-effective and can accom
modate growth, alleviate existing over
crowding and allow for class-size reduc
tions while minimizing the need for expen
sive, new school construction.
So, Munchlrins and Good Witches: I
need your support and vote on Nov. 7. As
we travel down this Yellow Brick Road, let
us show courage, use our brains, and have
a heart.
And when I get to our wizard Neil
Pedersen, I can say “See we had the
power within us to figure this out all along. ”
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