2011 BOE Candidates Survey
Susan P. Evans
Candidate for District 8, Wake Board of Education
1.If elected to the BOE, what specific priorities will you have to directly improve the Wake County School System?
If elected, I will focus on the following:
• A return to good governance. Effective school boards collaborate and work towards consensus, and use facts—not conjecture—to make sound decisions for the good health of our schools. Healthy debate is what is called for, not name calling or a partisan agenda.
• Better planning for growth. High growth areas, such as the western part of the County, continue to struggle under the weight of rapid growth, and lack adequate seats for students. We must be working with County leaders and the community towards a plan for building more schools in the most efficient manner in the very near future.
2. During the past two years, what was the best decision the BOE made? What was the worst? How would you have voted, if you had been sitting at the BOE table? Please explain.
Careful decision making is very important. As an accountant, I make decisions based on facts and analysis, not politics. A school board member has an obligation to carefully consider both the financial consequences and the impact on students and teachers of its decisions. This board majority came into office and immediately started throwing out policies and programs with little or no data, with no regard to the consequences. One consequence has been that Wake County has been mocked across the country; this has an economic consequence for all of us.
3. Four criteria are being considered in the proposed "blue" assignment plan: Achievement, Choice, Proximity, and Stability. How would you rank these, in order of priority, and why?
I know that the desire for stability should be at the top of the list. It is necessary to minimize the frustrations families have experienced with numerous reassignments. I hope we can develop a plan that guarantees each child that he can finish in a school where he begins. Of equal importance with stability is an emphasis on scenarios that provide for the highest possible student achievement; the quality of our instructional program and the success of our students is critical to the purposes and goals of a public school system. We have had success within Wake County schools with our modified choice plan which offers attractive programs to students via magnets and calendar choice schools and I support expanding these and similar “choice” opportunities. Proximity has always been important in Wake County schools and should continue to be a strong consideration. Most important, is to recognize that in recent surveys completed by parents (the survey and the test drives of the “proposed new” student assignment plan) that most parents are happy with their assignments and not asking for them to change.
4. Do you think WCPSS is adequately funded? Why or why not? If you do not think WCPSS is adequately funded, what are your ideas for generating additional revenue?
No, we are not adequately funded. I don’t think that most citizens realize that our teachers have not had any pay increases in the past four years. It is necessary to restore community confidence and trust in our school system leadership. My opponent has actively undermined our community’s faith in our schools----a huge disservice to our students and our teachers. It is important to have a respected board who can communicate to the county leaders the budgetary needs of the system and to advocate strongly for what is needed. I applaud current board member Dr. Anne McLaurin who had the courage to speak up on behalf of teachers and students and advocate for asking the County Commissioners for enough money to cover the cost of educating the projected 3000 new students who will entered our school system this school year. I was disappointed that the board majority did not support her motion. Decreased per pupil funding will have an impact on the level of success in the classroom.
5. What steps – if any -- do you believe the school system should take to mitigate the assortment of challenges faced by individual students that can impact effective learning to ensure that every child succeeds?
Having a school board that truly listens and is engaged is something that we must have in order to restore trust and faith in our schools. Enabling teachers with tools and teaching environments where they can be successful is the key to meeting the needs of individual students. We need to prepare our teachers with professional development that continues to expose them to innovative ways to help students grow and give them the best tools for accessing their students’ growth.
6. Now that there is a more politically-driven atmosphere, how do you think this has impacted the decisions and direction of the BOE? How significant would your supporters' views be in determining your vote at the BOE table?
In Wake County we should expect that our board is made up of competent, open-minded and intelligent adults who understand their job on the board is to develop policies and programs that help children in Wake County be prepared for their futures. As a 31 year resident of Wake County, a product of public education, a parent who has had children in the Wake public schools for the past 16 years, I care deeply about the quality and reputation of our schools. I am an accountant who has worked in public accounting and business management and promise to bring professionalism and integrity to the board. I will be a board member who works hard to see that our school system is one that can attract, support and nurture good teachers and provide the best possible learning environments for our students. My allegiance is to the students.
