Name as it appears on the ballot: Delores T. Bell
Party affiliation: Democrat (Note: This is a nonpartisan race.)
Previous elected offices held: None
Age as of Election Day: 66
Immediate family members: Husband, Terence V. Bell. Three children, Jovonia T. Lewis, Terence V. Bell II, Kendra Bell. Nine grandchildren.
Occupation (employer, where you work, what you do): Retired in 2022 after almost 22 years working for Cumberland County Schools
Website and campaign social media:
1. The “Parents’ Bill of Rights” legislation has incorporated changes regarding education on health, gender identity and sexuality into state law. This year’s state superintendent race features a candidate who has discussed implementing additional measures that some critics call extreme. What’s your assessment of the state of public education in North Carolina?
To keep our best teachers, they need more money. Don’t lower our standards of our children. We want them to be ready for college, trade school, community college and everyday life. We need our parents, teachers, staff and community to work together to educate our children. Teachers to keep them engaged and focused. We need parents to support our teachers. We need staff there if the teachers or parents need their support. We need the community to help when the schools fall short of money.
2. If you solely controlled the purse strings of Cumberland County and for the county’s school district, what changes would you implement to both help preserve your fund balance and best serve teachers and students?
I would make sure our teachers and students had everything they need. Take care of all the students’ needs, mental health and nurses.
3. This community has long discussed constructing a new campus for E.E. Smith High School. What’s your solution for E.E. Smith High School?
I believe it should stay where it is and build up. Add two or three floors to what already exists. Buy some of the houses for track, football field, soccer field, baseball and softball fields.
4. Declining enrollment and increasing absenteeism are both significant challenges for Cumberland County Schools. What’s your fix for both?
Enrollment is down due to charter schools and private schools because of scholarships that are available to parents. We don’t take time to get to know our students and their environment. We want our students to want to come to school. We want our teachers to be available for our students. Our teachers have too many other things to do besides teach our children. Parents need to be more involved in what is going on at school. Parents and teachers should reach out to each other.
5. Cumberland County Sheriff Ennis Wright surprised officials this spring when he suddenly announced plans to pull school resource officers and traffic control officers from most public schools. What’s your take on his decision, and how would you approach a relationship with the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office moving forward? And has the SRO issue been resolved to your satisfaction?
Our relationship with the Sheriff’s Office shouldn’t change. Sheriff Ennis Wright let us know ahead of time that he didn’t have enough staff for what was needed. He gave CCS to come up with a good solution. The solution was ideal for everyone.
