School Board Race as Culture-War Battlefield? That's so 2022
Transylvania County School Board candidates focus more on improving school facilities and performance than on controversial issues. They also cite their credentials and engagement with schools.
BREVARD — School board races as culture-war battlegrounds.
It was the dominant theme of the 2022 election across the country and in Transylvania County. Republicans were energized and Democrats alarmed as the hard-right Moms for Liberty organization warned of classrooms contaminated by pornography and socialism.
Though the two Republicans elected locally that year, Chris Wiener and Tanya Dalton, acknowledged these problems weren’t as pressing locally as they were elsewhere, both candidates were backed by the local Moms for Liberty group. They both positioned themselves as strong advocates of parental rights. They both supported allowing teachers to arm themselves in the name of bolstering school security.
Wiener also flew a flag advertising his sympathy with the anti-government Three Percenters ideology, and in that election it counted as a point of moderation when he said he was “certainly not a violent militant extremist.”
This year? Things seem to be returning to the low-drama norm of traditional school board races, which were non-partisan in Transylvania before 2018. Yes, responses to a NewsBeat candidate questionnaire revealed differences on hot-button issues such as guarding against sexual content in teaching material. But they also showed widespread agreement on matters including the importance of supporting teachers and repairing schools.
One Republican candidate, Ruth Harris, emphasized the need to better prepare students for a future transformed by artificial intelligence. Another, Ricky Lambert, has emerged as one of the race’s most forceful advocates of expanding NC Pre-K programs.
None of the six candidates are incumbents. All have impressive records of professional accomplishment and/or histories of engagement with education as teachers, volunteers or parents. And this year’s race may end up being less about differences in long-term goals for the district and more about who is best suited to help achieve them.
“As a former English instructor, I know the demands that teachers face,” Democrat David Borman wrote in a response that mirrored other candidates’ touting of their credentials. “And as an involved parent, I know how much a quality education means to families in Transylvania County.”
Fixing Schools
The need to upgrade school buildings has been a big issue since even before voters approved the sale of $68 million in bonds for this purpose in 2018, and in recent months it has dominated Board discussions.
And anyone who doubts its importance in this year’s local elections should take note of the yellow signs around the county demanding that Commissioners “Fix our schools!”
None of the School Board candidates dispute this needs to be done. Most also see the need for better communication with the Commission and several candidates across the political spectrum offered specific suggestions to advance this aim, including more joint meetings between the two bodies.
The main difference is that Republicans are more satisfied with the current approach, including a plan to sell $50.8 million in bonds in the fall to tackle the first round of repairs, and more optimistic about the prospect of improved facilities.
“I’m confident that these issues can be worked out,” wrote Harris, who added that the targeted repairs match the needs she saw on a recent tour of schools. “I understand that improvements to the communication process are being made even now.”
“I would have hoped things would move faster,” Lambert wrote. But “repairs are being made. My hope is that this time next year we will be full steam ahead on getting repairs done.”
“Now that things have started, we can’t let anything stop or even slow down this forward movement,” wrote Republican Greg Cochran. “I am excited to see the finished product.”
Sara Green, an unaffiliated candidate whose positions tend to align with Democrats in the race, suggested not only joint meetings but a “neutral facilitator” to improve communication.
“While there have been some signs of improved cooperation,” she wrote, “the continued disagreements suggest that there is still significant room for improvement.”
Borman expressed dismay about the abandonment of the original plan for ambitious renovations of campuses in Brevard and Rosman and the Commission’s failure to accommodate Board repair priorities. He specifically criticized the Commission’s decision to immediately fund recreational projects that the Board didn’t identify as pressing needs.
“The people voted for something aspirational. The response from this county has been anything but,” he wrote, while also blasting the Commission for “simultaneously refusing to fund routine maintenance.”
Democrat Claudia Hawkins sees the renovation process as flawed from the outset, and is especially critical of the two bodies’ failure to create a long-term strategy in which construction plans follow a blueprint for educational improvement providing “optimal delivery of educational services.”
The current proposal, wrote Hawkins, the wife of longtime Commission Chair Mike Hawkins, “is not a strategic plan; it’s a facilities to-do list for deferred maintenance.”
Who is the candidate best suited to foster the cooperation between the Board and Commission to create a more comprehensive strategy? She is, she wrote.
Hawkins has a long history of involvement with the district as the mother of a now-successful former student and longtime chair of the Transylvania County Community Land Trust, worked to create affordable housing for teachers.
After years of inactivity, the Trust is working with the Brevard First United Methodist Church to build teacher housing on a small parcel the church owns near Rosman High School.
The overarching educational and construction plan she has in mind, she said, “will require the County Commission to buy into this approach,” she wrote, and her experience and connections, “will enable me to be effective from the beginning of my tenure if I should be elected to the School Board.”
She can also address disagreements over complex funding issues that are at the heart of disputes between the Commission and the Board. A certified public accountant, she has worked for major multinational firms and more recently served as the Chief Financial and Administrative Officer of Brevard Music Center.
“This is an ideal preparation for leadership in improving the TCS (Transylvania County Schools) budget process, and explaining and promoting the budgets and resulting local funding requests,” she wrote.
Artificial Intelligence
Adapting to artificial intelligence is a less pressing issue than repairs for most of the candidates, and Lambert, for one, is as concerned about its dangers as he is excited about its opportunities.
“I would have to rely on the expertise of our technology department to make certain we are doing everything to benefit from AI and to protect our children from AI at the same time,” he wrote.
Harris, on the other hand, says AI readiness should be integrated through a broad spectrum of curriculum and age groups.
“These classes cannot be taught in a single class or grade level,” she wrote.
Citing studies that show the spread of AI will eliminate large numbers of current professional roles, she wrote, “this dramatic upheaval will be extremely difficult for many but will afford a tremendous opportunity for those who are prepared.”
And she, more than any other candidate, has the family and professional background to help guide this preparation, she wrote.
The former chair of the county’s Republican Party, she holds master’s degrees in both educational psychology and engineering management.
While working in her first career as a school psychologist, she adopted her severely disabled oldest son when he was eight years old and living in a state institution. She was able to secure necessary services he could not previously access, helping him to acquire skills needed to live independently before his death in 2021.
During her subsequent 25-year career with the Boeing aerospace corporation, she adopted a second son who was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome. She homeschooled him for several years, she wrote, before he graduated from Brevard High School and then Clemson University.
And while at Boeing, her duties included training employees on an array of advanced computer systems, giving her insights into preparing students for AI.
“I understand the skills and character traits that students will need to succeed in an AI-infused workplace of the future,” she wrote.
“This will require content knowledge but the most critical skills will be the higher order, 21st-century skills, such as critical thinking, problem solving, creativity (and) being an agile learner.”
Parents’ Rights
Though parental control of education is not the big issue it was during the last School Board election it is still a point of contention.
Both Harris and Lambert said they favored the state “Parents’ Bill of Rights” law that was passed by lawmakers in 2023 and required the district to amend its policies to conform to it.
“It’s a shame that this legislation is even needed but I guess that’s the world we live in,” Lambert wrote and added that he didn’t see that the need was as acute locally as it elsewhere, because “we have teachers and administrators that really care for and love our kids.”
Democrats were more likely to interpret such changes as unnecessary measures given the robust rights to challenge material and engage in education previously afforded to parents.
And ensuring additional measures do not undermine teachers is a major issue for both Borman and Green, another former educator.
“The ‘Parents’ Bill of Rights’ only gave a handful of extremists permission to harass and alienate teachers from their life’s passion,” wrote Borman.
The parent of two children in the district, he has a doctorate in English from the University of Miami (Florida) and taught literature and writing for nine years at the college level.
He currently directs communications for a nonprofit that promotes science education in developing countries.
“I see no reason to make it easier to treat our students and teachers like political pawns, which is exactly what expanding these ‘rights’ would mean,” he wrote. “As a member of the School Board, I would make sure that teachers know they are trusted to do what they do best: educate and look after the young people in our county.”
Not Just Teachers; Public Education
“I believe (lawmakers) were addressing a problem that didn’t really exist,” wrote Green, who added that “I have never seen educators impose personal agendas or disregard parental input.”
Her stances are based on her knowledge of both sides of the issue, she wrote. She is the mother of three children who attend school in the district. While serving in her previous roles, including teaching high school math and special education, she wrote, “I developed a deep understanding of the educational system and the challenges faced by both students and teachers.”
Though she backs the involvement of a wide array of stakeholders, including parents, in reviewing teaching materials, she wrote, “giving parents additional authority in this area risks undermining the professional autonomy of teachers, who are trained to select and deliver content that is age-appropriate and educationally sound.”
As a Board member, she wrote, she would be a voice not just for teachers but for public schools, which are under threat from statewide initiatives such as last year’s dramatic expansion of private-school vouchers.
Board members should “advocate against voucher systems that divert funding from public schools and instead support policies that bolster public education, ensuring it remains a competitive, attractive and equitable option.”
NC Pre-K
Lambert agrees that teachers must be valued and supported, which is also based on his up-close knowledge of local schools.
An insurance agent who previously worked as a Transylvania County Magistrate, he is the father of a student at Pisgah Forest Elementary and for the past two years has served as president of its parent-teacher organization. For 22 years, he was an assistant baseball coach at Brevard High School.
Along with most other candidates, he both supports paying teachers adequate wages and recognizes the limits of School Board members to make this happen; base teacher salaries in North Carolina — ranked 38th nationally, according to a recent study — are set by the state and supplemented by the county.
“I keep hearing commissioners state that we are at the top in funding our schools, yet when we hire new teachers they can’t afford to live here,” he wrote. “With land and house prices skyrocketing, the question could be asked: ‘Are we really paying our teachers enough?’ ”
All of the candidates see the value of NC Pre-K programs. In Lambert’s case, it’s because he saw its benefits to his son, who attended the program at PIsgah Forest.
“He had the best teachers and was in the best environment and excelled from the start,” he wrote. “There is no doubt in my mind that his ability to succeed was highly boosted because he was in the Pre-K program.”
The Commission rejected Schools’ funding request to expand Pre-K programs. As a result, and with the loss of federal Covid-relief money that previously supported the program, the number of total slots available this year has dropped dramatically in the face of soaring demand.
Though Lambert did not provide specific ideas for funding Pre-K expansion, he would like to see the district add two classrooms per year “for a few years,” he wrote.
“That would be very beneficial for the schools as well as for parents who struggle to find childcare.”
Security
School security is a concern of all the candidates, though several noted that the district is well staffed with school resource officers. None of them, meanwhile, came out in favor of arming teachers.
Borman pointed out that previous school renovation plans had called for limiting access to schools and Hawkins pointed the finger at the broader “refusal to deal with all causes of gun violence, including the proliferation of easily obtainable weapons.”
“If mental illness is one of the reasons for the uniquely US scourge of school shootings,” she added, “we must be willing to provide the necessary qualified mental health professionals in our schools to identify troublesome behaviors and assist students to get the healthcare they need.”
But just as Hawkins says she is highly qualified to address school finances, Cochran said he is the obvious candidate to take the lead on improving security.
He comes at this issue from the perspective of a parent and grandparent. Both of his adult children attended Transylvania County Schools, he wrote, and his granddaughter is a current elementary school student in the district.
Cochran retired from law enforcement in 2015 after a 30-year career that was capped with his service as chief deputy of the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office.
A former substitute teacher in the district, he currently works as an adjunct professor in Criminal Justice at Isothermal Community College.
He previously helped Henderson County Schools to bolster security, he said, and favors adopting its system of requiring all visitors to undergo security checks before entering schools and to wear photo identification tags while on campuses.
He also favors limiting the number of entrances to schools, and making some “basic changes,” including limiting the hours each day that doors are unlocked and working to “stop the wandering through of unnecessary personnel.”
Even though “we live in a rural area, bad things can happen here,” he wrote. “We can’t let our guard down.”
THE CANDIDATES
Claudia Hawkins, 66, Democrat
Personal: Married one child. Transylvania resident since 1994
Education: Bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in accounting, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
Professional: Currently in solo accounting practice. Previously worked for “big four” accounting firm Ernst & Young and later as Chief Financial and Administrative Officer for Brevard Music Center
Public/Community: Pisgah Legal Services, serving as board member, treasurer, finance committee chair, 2019-present; Transylvania County Community Land Trust, board member and chair, 2010-present; former member of school-improvement team at Brevard Elementary School.
Vision: To develop Transylvania County Schools as an institution trusted by parents, taxpayers and Commissioners, which requires Transylvania County Schools to be “excellent at involving the community in developing priorities for our schools, communicating those priorities to the public, and clearly stating how it uses its funding to fulfill those priorities.”
Ruth Harris, 70, Republican
Personal: Married, mother of two adopted special-needs sons (oldest deceased); Transylvania resident since 2009
Education: Masters degree in educational psychology University of Colorado Boulder, masters in engineering management from Missouri University of Science and Technology
Professional: Public school psychologist before working for Boeing in a variety of roles, including managing computer training materials for the F-18 fighter jet program.
Public/Political: former chair of Transylvania County Republican Party; Founding board member of the Transylvania Economic Alliance; children’s ministry volunteer at Biltmore Church-Brevard
Vision: “My vision for Transylvania County Schools focuses on preparing students for the future workplace” with the following goals: “Equip students with the basic and higher-order 21st century skills for the evolving future workplace; foster optimism and confidence about future opportunities; build resilience to adapt to a rapidly changing workplace.”
Ricky Lambert, 53, Republican
Personal: Married, one son. Lifelong resident of Transylvania
Education: Bachelor's degree in business administration, Mars Hill College (now University)
Professional: Insurance agent, former Transylvania County Magistrate
Public/Political: Assistant Baseball Coach, Brevard High School, 22 years; two-year president of the Pisgah Forest Elementary Parent-Teacher Organization; interim chair Transylvania County Juvenile Crime Prevention Commission
Vision: “I envision a school system where the child in the upper end of the county gets the same great education, love and support as the child in the lower end of the county. A county where students and teachers alike can’t wait to get to class in the morning and work together to better each other . . . I envision a County where the School Board and (county) commissioners can work together to better the educational opportunities for all children.”
David Borman, 39, Democrat
Personal: Married, two children
Education: Doctorate in English from University of Miami (Florida)
Professional: Previously taught college-level writing and literature; currently communication director for a nonprofit, Seeding Labs, that increases capacity for science education in developing countries.
Community/Political: volunteer swim coach
Vision: “A brighter future for TCS isn’t a difficult thing to imagine. We need safe and healthy schools. We need a plan to make those schools inspirational. And we need to show our educators how much we value them. They are the key to our schools’ futures . . . They should know it and feel it.”
Sara Green, 47, Unaffiliated
Personal: Lives with long-time partner; mother of three children; Transylvania resident for eight years
Education: Bachelor’s degree in communication sciences and disorders from the University of Florida
Professional: Former educator holding positions including high school math and special education teacher, and serving as a “project-based math and science teacher.” Currently a bookkeeper for a local business
Community/Political: Involved with a variety of initiatives “focused on improving public education and ensuring equitable access for all students.” Active member and past leader of parent-teacher organizations at her children’s schools
Vision: “Creating a safe and supportive school culture, expanding and integrating Career and Technical Education (CTE) opportunities, and ensuring fair teacher compensation. We will embrace technology as a tool for learning, engage actively with the community, and seek innovative funding solutions to maintain robust resources.”
Greg Cochran, 62, Republican
Personal: Father of two adult sons who attended TCS, and grandfather of a current elementary school student. Lifelong Transylvania resident
Education: Bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Western Carolina University
Professional: Thirty-year career in law enforcement (retired); Retired as Master Sergeant after 20 years in the Air Force Reserve
Community/Political: Member, Transylvania County Republican Party. Chair, Transylvania County Parks and Recreation Commission
Vision: “We need to continue to teach our students what they need to know to be successful in life. They need to have the knowledge to do well as they move up through to one day graduating. We need to give those that want to go to college the tools to be successful there and to realize that vocational schools are what is best for some students.”
Email: brevardnewsbeat@gmail.com
After the failures of the past school board period of 2018-2020 an agreement has finally been reached between county and school board to commence repairs on our schools.
Now, new candidates want to be elected and if they are then more delays in repairing our schools will come.
Stick to the plan that has is now in place. Let the work commence. It is long overdue.
Extremist parental rights? Stopping teachers from teaching? That's exactly who should be judging teachers, parents. Maybe the focus should be on a well maintained building and reading, writing and math instead of social issues.