My Platform

What is your motivation for seeking this office:

I feel that morale amongst our teachers and parents is at an all-time low. We currently have a board that is not very accessible to the public, or the teachers. Teachers feel that they may lose their jobs if they confront the board with policy changes that they disagree with. Our Board of Education need to figure out how to better support our teachers and therefore serve our students. The Board of Education should listen to our teachers, parents and students and set forth policies that benefit our children first and our educators a very close second.

In your opinion, what are the five most critical issues facing Lee County Schools following this election?

1) The current “closed-door” policy of the current Board of Education must be changed. I look at our school system the same way that I do any business. The children, parents and educators serve as our stockholders. The Superintendent serves as our CEO and the Board of Education is our Board of Directors. As such, the performance of the company, or our school system, is a reflection on the job that our board and Superintendent perform. If a policy is to be changed or introduced, the community should be made aware and allowed a chance to vote.

2) Classrooms currently have limited support options. Certain classrooms have assistants, volunteers, and/or tutors, while others rely on one lead teacher to perform all of the duties that would be spread amongst a larger number or teaching staff.

3) The removal of enrichment entirely in K-3 and the reduction of the program in our 4-5 grade classrooms is appalling. In our State Board of Education’s guidelines on enrichment programs in NC, it states that without enrichment, gifted children show reduced performance and sometimes become disruptive to the classrooms, due to boredom from the lack of a challenging environment. We may lose children who may have presented as gifted in the K-3 years who have faltered due to no encouragement. Last year alone, 1,041 students presented as gifted in Lee County and we removed a program that had seen tremendous success in our county.

4) Lee County Senior High School.

5) We currently allow our high school students the option of not taking exams if their GPA is at a “C” or greater. I find this troubling. We are not preparing our children for university if they enroll in college having taken less than a handful of exams.

6) I believe that there are issues we need to address with our year-round school, Tramway. First, there is no option for students who prefer the year-round schedule once they have finished with the elementary program. I believe this is disruptive to a student’s performance in 6^th grade. Secondly, Tramway is the only school that does not replenish classrooms in Lee County. Finally, this year over 100 students applied to attend Tramway, yet only 20 spaces were opened up. If the school was run as a true year-round school with tracks, then between 115-150 students could be added to their enrollment, which would also help with some of the over-crowding in our other schools.

What specifically should the BOE do to address each of these specific issues?

1) I would like to see the BOE host “town-hall” style meetings, where both parents and students can speak openly about their concerns and what they would propose should be done to improve our school system.

I also think that the BOE should take a tour of schools on the first day of school. The Superintendents and Board Members could travel to each school in our county, enter classrooms and express to children how excited it is to see so much promise in our classrooms. I feel that we can have all the best test scores, laptops, smartboards and new buildings possible, but without a feeling of pride within our schools, we may never see an improvement in morale.

2) Teachers do not come into their profession hoping to make a fortune. They merely want to make a difference and teach our children. Our current board seems a bit removed from our teachers. Unapproachable has been a word that I have often heard when discussing this with our educators. I would like to have an open-door policy with our teachers, where they feel that any concerns or suggestions that they have will be met with “Thank yous” instead of “You shouldn’t haves”.

3) Our AIG program is the only program that has suffered during our recession. The state gave the county approximately $500,000 for the program, and according to a document written by our Superintendent last year, the county would match close to that number. Without approval from our State Board of Education we changed the program. According to the state, any program will be in effect for 3 years and any changes to a program will have to be approved by the state.

We need to bring the program back, even if it is not funded at the same level as it once was. We could have teachers who float throughout the school system, teaching the students who are top achievers on different days. We do not have to remove it to make it work.

4) We need to fix what is broken as soon as possible. We allowed a school to sit and deteriorate without performing even general maintenance. This is unacceptable. I have heard that those buildings were not capable of housing our new standards for technology. I can quickly disagree. My husband and I have renovated 3 commercial buildings, all built around 1928, and all have the highest standards of current technology.

There were probably issues that needed to be looked into, and a building possibly needed to be flattened at some point, but I don’t believe that we took the right approach in getting to the decision that was made.

5) I believe that students should be required to take exams, regardless of grade averages. If a student does not pass his/her exams but does have a C or better GPA, they should be offered a way to improve their overall scores to keep from failing. Extra credit options should be offered by all classes to make it possible for a child to not fail a class only because of poor exam grades. The idea that we should eliminate the need to exams in our high school so that our high school dropout/failure rate should improve is (once again) unacceptable. We need to be striving to meet the needs of the best of the best, and then giving aid and assistance to those who need it.

6) I believe that we should have year-round options at multiple schools throughout our county. We could build tracks into at least 3 schools in the county, which would allow students from across the county to attend school with a year-round option. Currently, this school buses to only certain parts of town, and not all parents can drive their students to and from school. I also think that we should open up a track for year-round students at the middle school level.

In addition, we should force Tramway to replenish their classrooms and add to their enrollment, just as every other school does. As it stands, those who are not interested in Tramway or who did not get their child enrolled in Tramway feel that they are looking at a situation that is not fair. I personally have no interest in a year-round program or my child attending Tramway, but there are plenty of people who would like that option. If there is room, we should give it to them.

What role do you hope to play in each of those specific issues?

I hope to be an advocate for our teachers, parents and students. I am not tied to a political party, or movement, like some of my opponents. The reason why I decided to run for this position was not to boost my political career, because if elected, this will be it. I do not think that any one person on the board is 100%right or 100% wrong. I think that each member brings something that is beneficial, but I think that we currently have two “packs” of rule.

I believe in being an individual in thought, but someone who listens to everyone before making a decision. If my community is crying out for a situation to change, although I have not felt the need for change, I would vote for change. I feel that strongly that a person should make a decision based on facts and needs of a group, without determining how much it will help your family or friends.

I do feel that the current board is very cohesive in its decision making. I think there have been a lot of positive action made by the current board, but I also believe that the community does not feel connected to the board or that they have allies for their concerns.

Where I come from...

I was born and raised in Sanford. I love Sanford.

My parents were born in Sanford. My grandparents called Sanford home. And it just keeps going.

My grandparents on both sides were very dedicated to civic duty.

My grandfather, J. Shelton Wicker served as a representative for our State House for 16 years. He was instrumental in the emergence of the Battleship that is harbored in Wilmington, he brought about greater signage to Sanford on major interstates, and he helped promote the highway systems that run into Sanford today. He was a great man, loved by many.

His wife, Clarice Burns Wicker immersed herself in civic duties. Her name sits on the plaque at our main library. She chaired the Historic Commission. She brought about major change to our local hospital after my grandfather passed away there unnecessarily. She was a supposed force to be reckoned with.

My grandfather on my mother's side, Eddie Turnage, was a big man with a big heart. He served on our local sheriff's team, and was primarily responsible for hauling prisoners to and from Sanford. He ran for local office about 7 years before his death, hoping to earn a seat as a County Commissioner. He was deeply patriotic and was consistently seen in the paper for a Letter to the Editor that he had composed about our country.

Everyone in Sanford knows of my uncle, Dennis Wicker, who followed in his father's footsteps and served in our House of Representatives. He also was majority leader for quite some time.

Dennis was a great asset to Sanford and our state. He continues to work behind the scenes in Raleigh as an attorney.

I came to the decision to run in the race not to follow in footsteps, although I have some very large ones to fill. I simply care. Maybe a little too much.

I was upset last year when I heard that our teachers were being persuaded to NOT speak out at a school board meeting. This made me question things in our community.

I served on the Historic Preservation Commission and Temple Theatre Board. I currently serve the Downtown Sanford, Inc, board, where I sit as vice-chair. I sat on the Research Team for the Lee County Second Century project. I am deeply rooted in our community and spend my time trying to make a difference.

Now my focus has transferred to my children and their future in education in Lee County. I want my kids in public school, but I want my school system to meet my standards. And there are issues at hand that need to be addressed.

What I am about...

I did not come about the decision to run for Lee County Board of Education lightly. But, as anyone who knows me will agree, I am extremely devoted to making a difference. I am a workaholic, love a challenge and thrive in difficult situations.

That being said, many people still think I am crazy. I agree. But when I can't fall asleep at night because of issues we have in our public school system, then I have to get involved.

I hope that by running in this race I will get people excited about making changes for our community. Our children are the most important piece of our community's puzzle, and we need to effect change that will bring about a better, more cohesive learning environment that is great for all.

Tomorrow I will post all of the ways I hope to achieve this goal. Most of them simple, as this is not rocket-science. It is simply stepping out of a box that has been built around an establishment.

An open door and open-minded board of education.