Issues

As a candidate, it is important to express several positions, not only to state where I stand on certain key issues, but to give a general idea as to what perspectives I use to arrive at those positions. 

The office of Member of the Board of Education is not one to be taken lightly.  It has been said for far too long that the office isn't really that important.  I completely disagree, as it lays a foundation of attitude throughout the local education system.

The Board of Education is just one of several important functions of government, and whenever real cooperation can occur to improve efficiency and save taxpayer money, we should expect all our leaders to bend over backwards to make that happen.  We are not electing Members to casually oversee the growth of a fiefdom.

Nature Of Our System

I will not serve to represent any school over or against another, nor seek preferential or detrimental treatment to any school any of my children attend.  I seek to address the legitimate long-term facility needs of the entire school network, working with other pressing County needs.

Our State Constitution also declares that children should attend public schools "unless educated by other means."  What entity would have that authority to decide?  It is obviously the parents.  Therefore, parents are ultimately responsible for the education and upbringing of their children, not the government.  I believe ultimately the money spent per child should be decided by the parent.  However, that is a state issue, as it should be done in a unified manner. 

In the meantime, we should respect, appreciate, and promote all methods of education inside and outside of public schools, including home schooling, libraries, private and charter schools, distance learning, etc. 

As a parent of four children in the local school network, I can promise you the parent is not always right.  Nobody is.  But the parent is always the parent.  Given the God-given and Constitutional rights they have, they are the true customers, and public schools cannot function without their consent.  So everyone in the school system is part of a team to serve the children.  There should be no talk of patting ourselves on the back when things go well, nor the school system passing the blame to critics when there are problems or issues.  Having those children in our care IS our reward.  100% of the praise should be for the students.  Hopefully they will develop such a selfless attitude for their children.

School Construction

For the record, I DO applaud the school system's maintenance plan.  Even though a couple of line items may raise an eyebrow or two, the reality has been some of the schools have been allowed to be in disrepair for too long and it's time to fix them.  As one ad board at a gas station noted, "car repairs are cheaper than car payments."  The same applies to schools, repairs are cheaper than replacement.

Where my strong disagreement lies, as well as over SEVENTY PERCENT of residents who voted against the bond referendum of 1997 and the land transfer tax of 2007, is the current approach, which seems to reward the parents that shout the loudest, rather than address the long-term needs for all the kids.

It was not very wise to pursue a land transfer tax referendum, even less wise to pursue a sales tax referendum now.  This is putting the cart before the horse.  The public should consent by direct vote a comprehensive plan to satisfy ALL the needs upfront, then talk about changing financing options.  Then at least we know there's a funding source if we still reject those taxing methods.

It's not just schools that suffer, it's other departments, especially recreation, which has taken an incredible amount of neglect. Those soccer fields in Jackson Park were just as uneven and unsafe 20 years ago when I played (if you call it that) on East Henderson's first soccer team in 1997 (we didn't even get to play at Justus Field) as they are today.   It was highly dubious to have public input sessions to just starting getting feedback on improving parks and recreation when the land transfer tax was already placed on the ballot.  You have to have a comprehensive plan approved first, not just promise that "it would free up other money."  No business can operate that way, why should our government think it can?

Previous referendums failed because taxpayers see cost overruns on other projects with little if any consequences, and because there's always "something just around the corner."  Why not just level with us as to all the needs upfront? 

When there is waste elsewhere, whether it be construction overruns, estimates for other projects that are greatly inflated, or waste in general, I will raise heck about it.  Money wasted there is money that will not help the students, nor the taxpayers.

As a Member of the Board of Education, I will further seek to implement my "Ten-Year Proposal," which is not just a plan for finally addressing the school facility needs, not just addressing all the other County capital projects at once, but hopefully establish a habit for responsible government for future Boards of Education and County Commissions. 

The concept is simple:  Develop a county-wide ten-year facility plan, not just for the schools, but for all county capital projects.  Finance it for only ten years.  Why should our children pay for our responsibilities?  More controversial projects would have to either be changed to be more palatable or be dropped once and for all.  Put it up to a direct vote of the people.  Repeat this process in ten years.

Then you will finally have real consensus to address all of our needs, where different interests will have to work together for the betterment of taxpayers, not just their fiefdom.  More importantly, you will see people with different interests finally working together to find the most practical solutions to meet their needs.  Only when such a plan passes do you then ask for a land transfer or sales tax, as it will be much more palatable.

As the campaign continues, I will lay out several concepts on how to make this work, including using our schools more to host recreational activities like soccer, common school designs, etc.  Nothing that would save money and address the actual need should be "off the table."

In the meantime, I call on voters to reject the sales tax referendum on May 6.  (Update:  THANK YOU!)   Polk County Commission did the right thing by pulling the land transfer tax vote last year, it saved them the embarrassment of a staggering defeat.  I had written to Henderson County Commission and urged them to pull the land transfer tax, to no avail.  When the referendum was defeated, I urged County Commission NOT to pursue a sales tax, not until they spend at least a year for a comprehensive plan for the entire County first.  Unfortunately, the County Commission has ignored that, too.  We simply have to have representation on these government bodies or you can rest assured we will continue to be ignored.

I will vote "no" on the May 6 tax referendum, and encourage ALL taxpayers to do the same.  (Update:  THANK YOU!)

Lottery

Make no mistake:  Nearly every state that has adopted a lottery has shortly thereafter raised taxes, furthering the argument that there is a bait-and-switch of money going on.

I do not tow the hardcore line against gambling, nor tell you I have never played "PowerBall" because I have and probably will again.  I do, however, take issue with local leaders who complain about the lottery shafting our school system (as many of us predicted), and then support state leaders (directly or indirectly) for re-election that caused it to happen in the first place.

The lottery was never about the money, it was about power.  The power the State achieved by doling out extra revenue to the favored districts of the leadership.  This explains partially why we have a former North Carolina Speaker of the House currently in jail.

If it were up to me, the lottery money would be distributed to local governments like the sales tax, with no provisions whatsoever on how to spend it.  I would like to believe that there has to be a handful of our 100 counties that actually do not need to build schools all the time, but could use the money for other needs.  I also believe that Henderson County would have a much better chance having money for schools with local pressure on those funds, rather than the current pointless complaining to Raleigh.

And as to economic impact, besides the actual company that runs the lottery, it isn't very helpful.  Horse racing would have at least created jobs. 

The John Locke Foundation was pretty close to the mark on their revenue predictions, stating North Carolina would not get all the money promised.  State leaders should have listened.

Right now, the best Members of the Board of Education can do now is have careful diligence of the pittance we get of the lottery money.  Keep in mind that Haywood County is using their lottery money for artificial turf at Pisgah and Tuscola high schools, which to me makes a ton of sense to me as something we should consider.  I also believe this money should be the primary source for repairs and minor renovations, then the general funds.

Teachers

Burnout is a legitimate issue sometimes, and unfortunately, sometimes the best solution is not to quit, but take time off.  It's a tough issue as there may be detrimental consequences to that.

How a Possible Fifth High School Could Affect the Flex Schedule Debate

However, I do understand that a number of parents do benefit from the flex schedule, and have no problem with anyone who says they need the flex schedule for convenience.  It is a thorny issue, as there are also parents who have children in both schedules, which actually gives them less free time to spend with their kids.  It is my belief that ultimately if there was a countywide vote on one schedule or another, the traditional schedule would win out.

I for one am not going to propose ending flex scheduling right now, I do support choices whenever practical.  However, there needs to be a serious discussion if the demand for flex scheduling would justify a full district of elementary schools, middle school, and high school for that schedule, as to help reduce the chance of schedule overlap that could hurt many families.

As of this time, until this County and Board of Education declares once and for all IF we are building a fifth high school, and where it will be built, it serves no purpose trying to expand or close flex scheduling.  It would not be fair as if a fifth high school is to built, it might open an opportunity for a more reasonable compromise.  A fifth high school would make it easier to have a district with 2-3 elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school with the same flex schedule.  I do think there should be far more representation from parents in each district as to what the schedule should be.

It does bring an interesting discussion on whether it was a good idea to merge the two school systems to begin with.  We should always be open as to arranging our school network to suit our current needs.  "Tradition" is fine only when it makes sense.  If we had five high schools, for example, a joint board with Members directly elected from their district only would be fine with me.  I also would not mind having five autonomous districts with five elected Boards.  Just name the high school principal the superintendent of that district, give her or him a raise, give more authority to the vice-principal to run the high school, and have meetings in the cafeteria.  The more direct control the better.  Either idea is fine with me.  There already are enough people who think that having too many Board of Education Members from the same school might cause bias in a countywide school system.

Independent Taxing Authority?

Ummm...no...it...doesn't...

The school system does not do everything it should be doing to work with other County departments or municipal governments as it is, and certainly after it's track record of losing referendums, it does not need a blank check writing authority.  The arm is not greater than the body.

The ONLY scenario that would justify independent taxing authorities would be five hard districts with five separate Boards of Education of 3-5 Members, elected only by voters in those districts.  Although I wouldn't mind, it would take a massive movement of the people to make it happen.

Class Size

What we need far more are solid teachers in reasonable surroundings, with proper training and materials.

This page will be updated from time to time.