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School board candidates face the public in final forum

Burke County School Board Controversy

More articles about the Burke County School Board Controversy

By Steve Welker | The News Herald

Published: October 29, 2009

Valdese, NC - Seven candidates for seats on the Burke County Board of Education emphatically agree there is a place in the schools for faith-based organizations.
On Thursday night at the final public forum before the Nov. 3, election, the seven — only incumbent board Chair Tracy Norman was absent — answered questions posed by Dr. Kevin Purcell, pastor of High Peak Baptist Church, during the church's first-ever candidates' night.
He asked whether the candidates support partnerships with faith-based organizations.
All said such partnerships are essential and beneficial.
Catherine Thomas, a mother of four, including one son in the Patton High School, said, "Yes, definitely," adding her belief that if children want to pray in schools they should.
Thomas explained that although the law prohibits public officials from leading prayers, that doesn't mean children can't pray.
She and Bill Crump, who spent 30 years with General Electric Co., much of the time in industrial management, both pointed out that America's public schools grew out of churches' tradition of providing for children's education.
"Churches can take care of family situations the schools can't," Crump added.
Sam Wilkinson, a retired educator and long-time school board member, said, "The more partnerships we can set up with schools, the better." The more children are exposed to faith and values, "the better off we we'll be," he said.
Buddy Armour, the other incumbent board member seeking re-election, recalled a contract between the school system and The Salvation Army for the latter to operate a day-care center at Mountain View elementary. He said it provided an essential service for many of the school's families who had low incomes, but still needed reliable care for their youngsters. Describing it as "a win-win situation," Armour said he encourages the schools and faith-based groups to pursue such opportunities.
Linda Minich, who said her main qualification for the board is her years of involvement in education and childhood development, pointed out, "Churches are out there caring about our children all the time." She their involvement with the schools should be encouraged and expanded.
James Stamey, a former school and county maintenance worker and perennial school board candidate, asked rhetorically why anyone would not support having faith-based groups involved in the schools. "We ought to reach out to the pastors," he declared.
Susan Stroup, who was a school principal until her retirement in June, said that as a beginning principal at Hildebran Elementary she made it a point to visit the community's churches and introduce herself to their pastors. "We formed great partnerships" there and later at Glen Alpine Elementary. "I not only support it," she said, "I welcome it."
Answering a somewhat related question concerning the importance of character education in the schools, they also were near-unanimous, but the candidates didn't always agree with each other through the night.
When Purcell asked whether they believed the school district has too many people in administrative positions, the four candidates running under the acronymic nickname "SWAT" (Stroup, Wilkinson, Armour and Thomas) all said they believe the Central Office staff may be too large at the same time some of the elementary schools need more assistant principals. Armour and Wilkinson said there's been a tendency on the past board to replace one outgoing administrator with two. Stroup said the district should do more to promote from within. Thomas agreed and praised new superintendent Dr. Art Stellar for his past record of developing and mentoring existing staff.
Stroup also said she believes all administrators and principals should be required to live in the county.
Stamey said he wouldn't enlarge the Central Office staff at this time. Crump and Minich said they would study the situation.
Asked how they would deal with budget cuts, such as those that have shortened bus routes and meant longer walks for some children to reach school buses, Stroup and Thomas said they would explore the possibility of reallocating Safe Schools funds to transportation. Wilkinson and Armour said the school board must stop wasteful spending, such as the hundreds of thousands on legal services. Minich said the board should "look at every penny spent" and cut back much like families do when they lose income. Stamey said he would use fines and forfeitures funds to restore salary cuts, particularly for classified staff.
Crump said the schools should seek more grants and funds from non-profit organizations and foundations. "The more people leave (Burke County)," he warned, "the deeper we're going to have to dig in our own pockets."
About 75 people attended the forum at High Peak Baptist. In addition, technician Ronnie Harmon said there were 70 to 80 people at any one time watching the church's first-ever streaming video on the Internet.