Fayetteville Observer Voter Guide 2022: Meet candidates for Cumberland County school board
Three members of the Cumberland County Board of Education seeking re-election in November will face five challengers, including the former head of a local teachers’ group.
Board Chairman Greg West and board members Charles McKellar and Judy Musgrave will be on the ballot. They are serving in at-large positions, meaning they are elected by a countywide vote.
The other five candidates are Jacquelyn Brown, Julissa Jumper, Nyrell Melvin, John Ornelas and Carol Stubbs, according to the Cumberland County Board of Elections.
The three candidates who get the most votes in the November election win seats on the school board.
Below are the candidates' responses to a Fayetteville Observer questionnaire. Responses have been edited for style and grammar.
Jacquelyn Brown
Name: Jacquelyn Brown
Age: 64
Immediate family: Husband and two children
Occupation: Retired Cumberland County Schools assistant teacher and administrator assistant
Elected office held: None
Contact: djbrown9003@yahoo.com; facebook.com/jbcboe
School dress codes appear to be all over the map in Cumberland County. What do you think the Board of Education should do about the patchwork system of policies and enforcement? What do you say to parents and students who feel the dress code unfairly targets girls? I believe that each school in Cumberland County should be allowed to decide the type of dress code that is best adequate for their immediate community. I believe that some schools benefit from uniforms while other schools may be better served with established guidelines of proper attire. I believe having a dress code that presents our young female students in a respectable manner, keeps them safer and from attracting unwarranted attention.
How do you feel about the amount teachers are paid in North Carolina, and what is your opinion about the amount of local supplements teachers get in Cumberland County? I feel that amount of pay for teachers in North Carolina is not adequate compared to other states in the country. I feel that if North Carolina teachers were better compensated for the challenges they are asked to take on a daily basis, I would feel that there would be no need for supplements. Furthermore, if our teachers were adequately compensated, we wouldn't have as many problems with teacher retention as we do currently.
What do you feel are the biggest threats to school safety, and what would you propose to do about them? Bullying and cyber-bullying. I think a lot of the bullying that happens in our schools today starts with misuse of social media. Actions like posting embarrassing or lude content of another student without their consent, recording pranks of other students, recording in-school fights, and posting material that depicts hazing or harassment of fellow classmates, all create an unsafe environment for learning and growing. I would propose that protocol be enforced at every school. Students should leave their phones in their lockers during school hours. If parents need to get in touch with their children, they should call the front office of the school and be connected to their child after an administrator goes to retrieve them. The policy is there, it's just not being enforced.
How do you feel about the curriculum that Cumberland County schools use and what, if any, changes need to be made to it? I believe that the current curriculum doesn't adequately address or prepare our students today for a life of success in the digital age. I will accomplish this by putting in classes that teach our students how to use social media safety and correctly, as well as instituting financial classes to better help them learn the importance of money management. I want to do this for all public schools in Cumberland County, not just "schools of choice."
What are the three most important issues facing Cumberland County Schools, and what would you do to address them? The three most important issues facing Cumberland County Schools are; A lack of respect for faculty and staff, an outdated curriculum, and lack of parental involvement. What I feel we need most at the board level is unity and understanding. If elected, my main focuses will be working to implement a system in which all people; faculty, staff, students, administrators, parents, are treated with respect and dignity. I will work to better retain faculty and staff members, as the turnover in Cumberland County associated with these members has risen to concerning levels. I will also work to design and promote in-school programs and curriculums that prepare our students for the challenges of the new digital age that we live in. Programs that focus on understanding new technologies like Social Media, understanding how to use it properly and safely, as well as the ramifications that may arise from using it carelessly. Lastly, I’m going to be laser-focused on finding ways that parents can be more involved in their children’s education. As a person who has sent my own children through the Cumberland County Public School System, I know how important it was to me to know and understand what my children were learning, their educational progress, and their overall safety at school. Parents WILL NOT be left out of the loop and I will fight for your right to voice your concerns in all areas of your children's education.
Julissa Jumper
Name: Julissa Jumper
Age: 52
Immediate family: Husband, son and daughter-in-law, two daughters
Occupation: Real estate broker and investor, homemaker
Elected office held: none
Contact: julissa@julissajumper.com; julissajumper.com; facebook.com/ElectJulissa
School dress codes appear to be all over the map in Cumberland County. What do you think the Board of Education should do about the patchwork system of policies and enforcement? What do you say to parents and students who feel the dress code unfairly targets girls? If we subscribe to the goal of schools preparing our children for success in life, isn’t it incumbent upon us to train both boys and girls how to present themselves in a way appropriate to the situation? A well-defined dress code is a simple and effective way to do that. The current scattered and varied approach of each school implementing a dress code is confusing and breeds unnecessary resentment or rivalry. The board should implement a district-wide dress code for schools without a uniform policy and insist that school administrators in each school enforce it consistently. It should not be a teacher’s additional duty to enforce a dress code.
How do you feel about the amount teachers are paid in North Carolina, and what is your opinion about the amount of local supplements teachers get in Cumberland County? Teachers are underpaid, especially the most educated and experienced and are unfairly assigned unpaid additional duties. I fully support longevity and master's pay and encourage our county commissioners to prioritize school spending to increase local supplements to offset the funding shortfalls and policies of state and federal governments. The excellence ratings of our schools based on high levels of proficiency of all students in reading, writing, and math; the commitment to supporting teachers with good pay and career fulfillment over their many years of service; and the satisfaction of parents who demand better schools for the taxes they pay all drive growth in our county and are a significant factor in business and industry choosing the best locations for their companies.
What do you feel are the biggest threats to school safety, and what would you propose to do about them? Students, parents, and teachers should all be confident that our schools and classrooms are safe. Our students must know they are safe from any outside dangers as well as the dangers of in-school violence and discipline problems. Parents must be able to visit their child’s classroom and see the safety measures taken to train and equip staff. Teachers should have semi-or annual training to handle school violence and be able to secure their classrooms in the event of an outside incident. We should fund an SRO in every school, elementary, middle and high schools, and use the local police presence from each community, even if we must separately fund city officers and county deputies. Grants and other public funds are available for these improvements and our Board should pursue them as much as possible. School discipline also matters. We must train our admin staff to instill and enforce school discipline and not expect teachers to, and school administrators must support our teachers, resolve discipline problems, and be held accountable for enforcing school discipline.
How do you feel about the curriculum that Cumberland County schools use and what, if any, changes need to be made to it? This is the most significant issue facing our schools. We have lost our focus in educating our children and preparing them for life success. Our schools were failing in this task as the disappointing school report cards of recent years show. The poor decision-making and reaction to pandemic-related fears has compounded this failure and resulted in a well-documented learning loss, especially among students of color and students in high-poverty areas. The impact of this learning loss is estimated by the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University to place minority and poor students even further behind, with a lifetime earnings shortfall of 5 to 10%, and the NC Department of Instruction has similar estimates. We must re-focus our curriculum so that students are highly proficient in core areas: reading, writing and math. We should reject any other emphasis, including over-sexualized, politicized or gender-based instruction. Additionally, the current NC standards place an emphasis on social-emotional instruction, which detracts from instruction time and a focus on core subjects, and places teachers in a role for which they are not trained nor equipped to perform as emotional counselors and analysts.
What are the three most important issues facing Cumberland County Schools, and what would you do to address them? My platform is simple and refocuses us on students, parents, and teachers instead of federal, state, and local bureaucrats. Our children are suffering under the weight of curricula that has lost its focus. Too often, students fall behind early in critical skills and then it is almost certain they will never catch back up. They should be taught a high level of proficiency in reading, writing and math starting at the earliest grades to prepare them for life success. Next, parental rights are being ignored as schools make potentially life-changing decisions for our children. Parents should decide what medical interventions such as masks and vaccines they desire for their own children and they should have access to the classrooms and all training materials our schools and teachers use. Lastly, we are losing experienced and loyal teachers because of pay issues and loss of career fulfillment. Teachers are not paid fairly, they are not rewarded for their educational attainment, their loyalty, or their experience. They are expected to take on additional duties and they lose planning time, they are not supported well when there are discipline problems in their classrooms, new demands are made that they be social-emotional counselors, and they are measured by test scores they have little ability to control because they are not allowed to teach, only expected to follow scripted curriculum. I will fight to correct the funding shortfalls.
Charles McKellar
Name: Charles McKellar
Age: 76
Immediate family: Spouse, Rachel McKellar
Occupation: Board member, Cumberland County Schools
Elected office held: Board member at-large, Cumberland County Schools
Contact: mckellaraf@aol.com
School dress codes appear to be all over the map in Cumberland County. What do you think the Board of Education should do about the patchwork system of policies and enforcement? What do you say to parents and students who feel the dress code unfairly targets girls? I agree with your statement that our school dress codes appear to be all over the map in Cumberland County. When this issue came before the board there were some board members who felt that uniforms should be in schools for a number of good reasons. I think we should have uniforms in all of our schools because, for students, teachers and staff, the focus would be on education and learning and not on who is best dressed. However, there are many white parents that don’t want their children wearing uniforms because they feel it takes away their child’s individuality. I think this feeling is a red herring. The current dress code has unfairly targeted girls.
How do you feel about the amount teachers are paid in North Carolina, and what is your opinion about the amount of local supplements teachers get in Cumberland County? I know teachers in North Carolina are not paid appropriately for the responsibility they have for educating our students. The average public school teacher’s salary in the United States during the 2021 school year was $65,090. The average teacher’s salary in North Carolina is approximately $54,392, whereas in Cumberland County we now have a starting salary of approximately $37,000. This is not competitive in today’s work environment. The entire system of paying teachers in North Carolina needs to be revamped and paid entirely through the State of North Carolina. I proposed a starting salary for teachers in the 2022-2023 school budget of $50,000, however, I was not able to get majority support on the board. I am not pleased with the number of supplements teachers get in Cumberland County. This is just another example of a financing system that has outlived its usefulness.
What do you feel are the biggest threats to school safety, and what would you propose to do about them? I recognized that there could be a situation that creates a threat to school safety, however, to counter this possibility, we must have well-trained SROs, and a notification and lock-down system that protects students and other personnel in the event a potential crisis occurs.
How do you feel about the curriculum that Cumberland County schools use and what, if any, changes need to be made to it? I think the curriculum used by Cumberland County Schools has many good features. In any system, there will always be areas that can be improved to serve each student’s needs. I think that we need to take a second look at our policy of allowing only students that meet the 28-credit threshold to be valedictorians or salutatorians. I think this policy needs to be revisited because the state requirement is 22 credits to graduate.
What are the three most important issues facing Cumberland County Schools, and what would you do to address them? The three most important issues facing Cumberland County Schools are student performance, especially minority students, teacher salaries, and professional development at all levels and positions. We are now beginning to see the value in eliminating low-performing schools, which will aid in students performing at or above grade level. Teacher salaries can only be addressed by the state legislature and county commissioners realizing that teachers are continuing to have better financial options before them. Whether it becomes Amazon or some other high-tech company moving into Cumberland County, our day of reckoning is coming.
Nyrell Melvin
Name: Nyrell Melvin
Age: N/A
Immediate family: I have a wife and two children.
Occupation: I am a fourth-grade teacher and preacher.
Elected office held: I have not held an office. I ran for mayor in Fayetteville. I noticed a significant issue with teachers, CCS staff, parents and students that were not being heard. So, I changed course and began running for the at-large seat for the Cumberland County Board of Education, prayerfully to make a difference in our schools.
Contact: Melvin4boe@gmail.com; facebook.com/Melvin4boe2022
School dress codes appear to be all over the map in Cumberland County. What do you think the Board of Education should do about the patchwork system of policies and enforcement? What do you say to parents and students who feel the dress code unfairly targets girls? First and foremost, as much as I hated the uniforms when I was in school as a child. I believe they are critical. Regarding the question, "What do you tell parents and students who think the dress code unfairly targets girls?" I do not believe that the dress code targets anyone. I have read a few, not all the schools, but a few of their standards and the B.O.E.'s. It seems fair to me. Also, the question must be asked what do you mean by "unfairly targets girls?" The dress code brings uniformity to a public system, not targeting anyone.
How do you feel about the amount teachers are paid in North Carolina, and what is your opinion about the amount of local supplements teachers get in Cumberland County? I believe you get paid for what you do —seeing as our teachers get paid a salary. Salary is a blessing and a curse. The curse is that teachers are cheated because they work more than they are yielded. I think an entry-level teacher should start at $40,000 yearly, not 10 months but 12 months' pay. The teacher should get paid for the entire year. That is not including bonuses and things of that nature.
What do you feel are the biggest threats to school safety, and what would you propose to do about them? School safety is a touchy subject. I cannot give a definitive answer because multiple variables are at play. If I am elected, it will take all the board to come together and maybe even the sheriff's department (SROs) so that we can look at the totality of the situation and make a wise and decisive answer.
How do you feel about the curriculum that Cumberland County schools use and what, if any, changes need to be made to it? I believe there needs to be a complete review of our curriculum and reform to teach our children how to be productive and wise citizens. I am not too fond of the common core curriculum. Suppose I had to pick a reason why, as a friend of mine has said, one of the significant reasons would be that it tries to teach 12 years how to be engineers. We need to teach at their age level. Make a standard for each grade level, but it should not be rocket science. We are trying to help them learn and grow their brain, not crack open the universe's secrets at 12 years old.
What are the three most important issues facing Cumberland County Schools, and what would you do to address them? Transparency and accountability, better pay for all employees, and sound education are the top three issues I see facing Cumberland County Schools. There are other significant issues, but these come first. I have already outlined here my thoughts on these issues in the questionnaire.
Judy D. Musgrave
Name: Judy D. Musgrave
Age: 74
Immediate family: Jasper Musgrave (deceased), and Keitra M. Robinson (daughter)
Occupation: Retired educator
Elected office held: Board of Education
Contact: judydmusgraveboe@ccs.k12.nc.us
School dress codes appear to be all over the map in Cumberland County. What do you think the Board of Education should do about the patchwork system of policies and enforcement? What do you say to parents and students who feel the dress code unfairly targets girls? Studies on the use of school uniforms indicate that uniformity of dress:
creates a level playing field among students;
reduces peer pressure and bullying;
deters crime and increases student safety;
keeps students focused on their education as opposed to their clothing; and
enhances school pride, unity and community spirit.
Governance is what the Cumberland County Board of Education should do best and set standards and policies that ALL students will wear uniforms. When the expectations are the same for all students, boys and girls alike, no one will feel that the dress code unfairly targets them.
How do you feel about the amount teachers are paid in North Carolina, and what is your opinion about the amount of local supplements teachers get in Cumberland County? Historically, teachers have never been paid very handsomely for their service. NC is no exception. Presently, the National Education Association (NEA) ranks NC 38 nationally in average teacher pay. Cumberland County has the fifth-largest student enrollment in the state; our supplement should reflect that. When we in Cumberland County are better stewards of our funds, then we can give greater local supplements to our teachers. Additionally, competitive supplements could enhance the feasibility of attracting and retaining better-qualified teachers that will offset the current teacher shortage. “The laborer is worthy of his hire.” (1 Tim 5:18 ASV). I say, pay a man for his hire.
What do you feel are the biggest threats to school safety, and what would you propose to do about them? One of the most urgent threats to school safety is the use of guns to rob innocent victims of their lives. There has been a barrage of school violence over a period of years in the media. This has been of utmost concern to everyone involved. The greatest safety concerns for this district are:
The lack of training for all school personnel, to include school resource officers, to respond effectively and appropriately during a school crisis;
A lack of clearly defined rules and expectations for student behavior; and
A lack of clearly defined consequences for rule violations.
I propose more funding to provide and require more specific training for school staff in these areas.
How do you feel about the curriculum that Cumberland County schools use and what, if any, changes need to be made to it? The curriculum standards are recommended from the NC Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI). However, the Cumberland County curriculum specialists in each content area ensure that the curriculum is aligned with the State’s standards by using pacing guides for core classes. There could be a greater focus on ensuring that the curriculum standards include a variety of activities for the students with academic disabilities as well as for the academically gifted students.
What are the three most important issues facing Cumberland County Schools, and what would you do to address them? The three most important issues facing Cumberland County Schools are:
Not affirming and providing a sound, basic education for all students;
The disparity between African-American students and other demographics; and
Not treating teachers and staff with utmost respect.
To address these issues, I would:
Follow a definite pedagogical prescription to help low-performing schools as is determined by the needs assessment for that building;
Focus teacher attention by allowing teachers to teach unencumbered by other duties; and
Funnel more resources into all schools and recruit highly qualified teachers.
John Ornelas
Name: John Ornelas
Age: 40
Immediate family: Spouse, Michele Ornelas; child, Rachel Bradford
Occupation: Facility security officer
Elected office held: None
Contact: jornelas4ccboe@gmail.com, facebook.com/JOrnelas4CCBOE
School dress codes appear to be all over the map in Cumberland County. What do you think the Board of Education should do about the patchwork system of policies and enforcement? What do you say to parents and students who feel the dress code unfairly targets girls? Having children that attended schools with and without uniform requirements, I saw pros and cons. Uniforms, although, eliminate economic differences as well as avoid inappropriate attire at school. Unfortunately, here in Cumberland County, not many store locations have a large inventory of sizes making it difficult for families to purchase. Being a lower-income county, many of our families struggle to purchase uniforms as well as everyday clothing for their kids. The dress code enforcement for girls can be difficult at times due to current fashions ie; shorts/skirts length or form-fitted clothing. However, we also need to address how the boys are allowed to wear overly large pants resulting in "sagging".
How do you feel about the amount teachers are paid in North Carolina, and what is your opinion about the amount of local supplements teachers get in Cumberland County? For starters, I feel that teachers are not paid nearly enough. In the US, North Carolina ranks at 38th in the country for teacher's pay and approximately $12,000 below the national salary average. Our local supplements could be higher, as well we need to address the taxes paid on bonuses and supplements.
What do you feel are the biggest threats to school safety, and what would you propose to do about them? When it comes to school safety, there are a bunch of aspects to consider. There is a DOJ grant called School Violence Prevention Program that as a board we can apply for to purchase items like metal detectors, or cameras. I would like cameras with audio capability in every classroom and hallway in our schools. Having cameras provide a level of safety for everyone and can be used as evidence in the event a serious incident occurs in our schools. I will push for is to ensure that our schools have an appropriate fence surrounding our school buildings, to include those in huts and reflective film on first-floor windows. Having appropriate fencing will help deter individuals that wish to do harm to our students or staff members and the film will prevent anyone from looking in. For those old enough to remember, growing up in school there was a program that was used to deter drug use. That program was called the D.A.R.E program. Currently, there are approximately 40 counties in NC that have this program but unfortunately not here in Cumberland County and we must all fight to protect our children from drug use in our schools. I am going to fight to reinstate here in Cumberland County. Coming out of the COVID pandemic, mental health is another aspect to consider when it comes to school safety. Some students suffered mentally with being separated from their friends or support group. We need more mental health training.
How do you feel about the curriculum that Cumberland County schools use and what, if any, changes need to be made to it? We need to focus more on reading, STEM, and financial planning. Many of our graduates have not been educated on personal finance. This affects them when opening bank accounts, credit cards, applying for loans, jobs, and housing. Having a better technology-based curriculum helps ensure our students who don't choose to attend college have a better footing in the adult workforce. Our reading and math scores have drastically suffered since the pandemic began, however, Cumberland County was already behind on standards as the Leandro vs. NC case has shown.
What are the three most important issues facing Cumberland County Schools, and what would you do to address them? School safety- I outlined above my stance on school safety 2. Education/making academics a priority 3. Removing politics/personal bias from our education system- When elected, I would like to bridge the gap between our school system and the community and see more participation from our community ie; parents/grandparents/community mentors. I would also like to enforce curriculum teaching from our educators vs. personal views. School board is composed of non-partisan seats and should remain as such when presiding over our public education system.
Carol Stubbs
Name: Carol Stubbs
Age: 68
Immediate family: Lisa Davis of Fayetteville and Stephanie Pratt of Lawrenceville, Georgia
Occupation: I retired from Cumberland County School district. I had 28 years of service. I was part of the classified department.
Elected office held: I was president and vice president of the Cumberland County Association of Educators. The National Educators Association and the North Carolina Association of Educators train educators to advocate for public education.
Contact: castubbs154@yahoo.com; carolastubbs.com
School dress codes appear to be all over the map in Cumberland County. What do you think the Board of Education should do about the patchwork system of policies and enforcement? What do you say to parents and students who feel the dress code unfairly targets girls? I feel there is a proper way to dress young ladies. I feel parents would like their young ladies' appearance to be appropriate. The same shall go for the young men, too.
How do you feel about the amount teachers are paid in North Carolina, and what is your opinion about the amount of local supplements teachers get in Cumberland County? Educators' pays need to be increased to keep the educators in the school system. It is not just certified educators, because the classified educators work two jobs to maintain a cost of living for their families. I don't know how much educators get in their supplements. I treat my supplement as a bonus. I was working two jobs.
What do you feel are the biggest threats to school safety, and what would you propose to do about them? My biggest fear is gun violence or school shooting. I want all parts of the education system to be properly trained for the situation. Encourage students to report anything that is wrong to the proper personnel.
How do you feel about the curriculum that Cumberland County schools use and what, if any, changes need to be made to it? I think we need to find out why some schools are performing low. If the curriculum needs to adjust some changes, then let's work it out. We need to show the parents or guardians to do the work also. Then they can help their children or grand.
What are the three most important issues facing Cumberland County Schools, and what would you do to address them?
Keeping educators in the Cumberland County Schools.
Upkeeping the school to have better maintenance.
Be more transparent and communicate with parents and the community.
Greg West
Name: Greg West
Age: 56
Immediate family: Kristie FIelds West, Emma, Graham, Brock
Occupation: General contractor
Elected office held: Cumberland County Board of Education (at-large)
Contact: VoteGregWest.com; facebook.com/greg.west.186; twitter.com/gregewest; gregwest@nc.rr.com
School dress codes appear to be all over the map in Cumberland County. What do you think the Board of Education should do about the patchwork system of policies and enforcement? What do you say to parents and students who feel the dress code unfairly targets girls? The district dress code is developed and updated with much internal and external stakeholder input. High school students also participate in the review process and give their input. Generally, the dress codes are consistent across the district, but the policy does allow individual schools the flexibility to add additional language for areas of concern. Consistent enforcement of the dress code is our greatest challenge and one that we are continually addressing. Training is key to consistent enforcement. If a parent or student feels the dress code unfairly targets any subgroup they should always start by bringing it to the attention of the building principal. We want a dress code and enforcement that is fair to everyone and conducive to a healthy, positive learning environment.
How do you feel about the amount teachers are paid in North Carolina, and what is your opinion about the amount of local supplements teachers get in Cumberland County? Simply put, teachers in NC are not paid enough. It is a complicated issue with funding coming from multiple sources, but we must work together to continue increasing teacher pay. The bulk of the funding for teacher salaries comes from the state, but local counties can add to that, or supplement, teacher pay with local money. Cumberland County once had the most attractive local supplement in southeastern NC and we attracted teachers to work here who lived in surrounding counties. Over the past 10 years, other counties have increased their supplements while Cumberland’s has remained flat. This has decreased our competitiveness in the recruiting war for quality teachers. We need a greater commitment from state and county leaders to increase teacher pay. It has been said that you can tell someone’s priorities by looking at their budget. Where does the money go? More money needs to go to our teachers!
What do you feel are the biggest threats to school safety, and what would you propose to do about them? Mental health issues are the biggest threat to our school safety. Over the past few years, and especially since the COVID pandemic, Cumberland County Schools has witnessed more adults and students dealing with elevated levels of stress, anxiety and other behavioral issues. These unaddressed conditions have led to more adults being charged with trespassing or getting into fights on our campuses. Additionally, while trying to return to normal, many students are dealing with delays in maturity and social development. An already taxed mental health system is not able to offer timely support to these adults and children in our community that need professional help. Delays in treatment lead to worsening conditions and ultimately harder treatment. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for youth. Cumberland County Schools is allocating more resources for counselors and social workers to help address the problem. Our schools play a vital role in connecting youth and families to much needed mental health services. A stronger emphasis on mental health in our community will lead to safer schools and better academic outcomes leading to a better life for all.
How do you feel about the curriculum that Cumberland County schools use and what, if any, changes need to be made to it? Cumberland County Schools adheres to the North Carolina Standard Course of Study (NCSCOS). Nothing more, nothing less. According to the NC DPI website, the NCSCOS “defines the appropriate content standards for each grade level and each high school course to provide a uniform set of learning standards for every public school in NC.” Furthermore, “these standards define what students are expected to know and be able to do by the end of each school year or course.” So, we teach a state level curriculum and I do not feel any local changes need to be made. It is a rigorous curriculum that, when taught with fidelity, will prepare students to be successful at life and/or further education. Our biggest problem is not the curriculum but the lack of quality teachers in every classroom to deliver the state-adopted curriculum competently and completely.
What are the three most important issues facing Cumberland County Schools, and what would you do to address them? The three most important issues facing CCS are teacher pay, teacher pay, and lastly, teacher pay. Not having a high-quality teacher in every classroom is the biggest threat to student achievement in Cumberland County. Our teacher vacancy rate is way too high and teacher pay is the single most important factor in overcoming this shortage. Because of lower-than-market- salaries, bright young students are not choosing education as their major in college and plenty of qualified teachers are sitting on the sidelines or are working in other professions right here in our community. So, until our community and our state commit to pay our teachers more, we will continue to face a shortage of quality teachers in our classrooms and academic outcomes will suffer. The bottom line is that our children will not fully reach their God-given potential until we dramatically increase teacher pay. When elected, I will continue to fight for increased teacher and staff pay. Our teachers and children deserve it!
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Voter Guide: Meet Cumberland County school board candidates
