Vision Statement

If we are elected, the four of us have specific plans for impacting the school board. We recognize that the board’s sole personnel responsibility is hiring and working with the Superintendent. We also understand that the board’s other responsibilities include policy-making that supports the personal and academic needs of the students, teachers and the community at large. We understand that the board’s job is not to run the schools, but to support the well-qualified on-site administrators to manage the schools on a day to day basis.

Regarding Board Meetings:

1. We plan to allow public comments at every scheduled meeting. We will only call “Special Called Meetings” or “Emergency Meetings” when circumstances actually warrant them.
2. We will hold meetings in venues that accomodate the public.
3. We will release redacted closed session minutes as soon as practical, taking into consideration the legal issues regarding the release of those minutes.
4. We will recognize students and teachers at board meetings for their outstanding contributions to the school system or for their exemplary work.
5. We will endeavor to make every decision as transparent as possible, and to allow the public the opportunity to “weigh in” on those issues.

Regarding Board/Public Relations:

1. We plan to hold a community forum in early December and to follow that with forums in all parts of the county so that the public can communicate with the board their expectations of them.
2. We want to explore the possibility of establishing citizen advisory groups to help innovate in areas such as exceptional children, gifted children, the arts, vocational training, and closing the achievement gap.
3. We will strive to be professional in our manner and our dress.

Regarding Academic Freedom:

1. We will rely on the professional judgment of teachers and administrators to manage their own classrooms and schools. We support academic freedom in the classroom as it complies with North Carolina Standard Course of Study.
2. We support the reversion of the book policy to the book policy previously in place – with added language that clarifies a parent’s ability to discuss an assigned book or alternative with the teacher who assigns it.
3. We recognize that supplemental media (movies, songs, etc) are useful in the classroom and we support the teacher’s discretion in utilizing such media for classroom use. We will work to amend the supplemental media policy so as to restore their discretion in utilizing that media.
4. Although not exactly “academic freedom,” the freedom to express oneself in one’s clothing is a freedom nonetheless. We support the reversion to the dress code in place for the past years, and will rely on the principals and administrators on site to enforce that code.

Regarding Fiscal Policy:

1. We hope to restore the hours and wages of classified workers and full supplements to teachers and administrators as soon as possible.
2. We pledge to encourage the use of state and federal funds to the fullest to allow more flexibility with local funds.
3. We pledge to assist the superintendent in placing the right people in positions of authority to creatively maximize funds.
4. We pledge to work cooperatively with our Burke County Board of Commissioners, who also recognize the value of having a superior Burke County Public School system.
5. We hope to assist the superintendent in weighing personnel needs in every department. We will encourage the use of cross-training to become more efficient.
6. We will endeavor to rebuild the fund balance so all schools will be supplied equally.
7. We will endeavor to have the Chief Financial Officer present a report on the budget of our school system to the public monthly.

Regarding activities of the school board:

1. We understand that the current school board will appoint a superintendent in spite of the public’s request that they suspend their search until after a new board is seated.
2. We pledge to work with the new superintendent to the best of our abilities.
3. We pledge to make sure that any new superintendent works solely for the benefit of the school system, and not for anything or anyone else.
4. We understand that School Board members should be role models for the community, and should be worthy of the respect of teachers and administrators who have the most important job of educating our students.
5. We understand that it is the school board’s duty to comply with the SACS CASI recommendation, not the superintendent’s duty or the school personnel’s duty, and we have a plan to deal with that as published in the Morganton News Herald.
6. We respect that a board of education only has authority as a unit and that no individual member should act on behalf of the board without the full knowledge and approval of the board members.
7. We will aspire to be honest, professional, positive and worthy of the public’s trust.

These are but a few of our pledges should we be elected to the school board. We have been focused on improving and restoring the system – not tearing it down. We hope that you, the public, will be a part of this great work.

(This is a "work in progress" influenced by comments and viewpoints of stakeholders.)

Thank you.

Susan Stroup
Sam Wilkinson
Buddy Armour
Catherine Thomas