Name as it appears on the ballot: Jackie Warner
Party affiliation: Republican (Note: This is a nonpartisan race.)
Previous elected offices held: Hope Mills commissioner, 2007-2009; Hope Mills mayor, 2011-2013
Age as of Election Day: 74
Immediate family members: Husband (Alex), son (Teddy), daughter (Molly), and five grandchildren
Occupation (employer, where you work, what you do): Retired educator, current owner of Carleen’s Gifts & Baby Boutique
Website and campaign social media: Jackie Warner for School Board
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?
N.C. schools rank 33rd in the U.S., in my opinion, our public education system faces many challenges, including low funding, low teacher pay and a teacher shortage. These challenges should be our priorities, as well as the identified needs for our county, including infrastructure needs within our older facilities, safety and security for all schools, and the restructuring of funding to address the needs of our low-performing schools. The time spent on the “Parents’ Bill of Rights” legislation approved by the N.C. General Assembly could have been spent working on improving teacher salaries. Our Cumberland County school board policies currently address most of the changes in the legislation. Our children should be the first priority for our state — “Back to the Basics” with the resources needed to provide the education to challenge each child with high expectations: to learn, to achieve and to reach their potential. Advocacy for education is the way forward — parents and the community involvement are the key.
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?
Money matters for student achievement, especially for students from low-income families. Redesign system to create more adequate and equitable funding for schools based on equal dollars per student, adjusted or weighted for specific student, adjusted or weighted for specific needs such as poverty, limited English proficiency, homeless or foster care status or special education state. Low teacher salaries, challenging working conditions and a lack of support have deferred many potential educators, especially in high poverty schools. Our low-performing schools are under-resourced so they struggle to attract and retain high quality teachers. Our budget should be prioritized based on these needs. Accountability in all areas of funding — prioritize needs based on needs summary including facilities, infrastructure, staffing — find where savings can be made. Reinvest in our staff based on “boots on the ground” — increase local funding to recruit and retain personnel that work directly with children. Our board needs to be accountable for policies and for holding the superintendent accountable for making sure our dollars are well spent.
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?
E.E. Smith High School — the current school board voted 5-3 to recommend our county commissioners approve a new E.E. Smith High School on Stryker Golf Course. The board sent the formal recommendation to Cumberland County Manager Clarence Grier. Commissioner Chairperson Glenn Adams said the recommendation has not yet been on the commissioners’ agenda and the commissioners have not discussed E.E. Smith High School’s new location. The projected cost to fund a new school is $160 million dollars — we also face a yearly recurring amount of money to repair and maintain our current schools that have infrastructure needs, such as leaking roofs, additional technology for aging classrooms, etc.
The solution is now in the hands of our elected commissioners!
4. Declining enrollment and increasing absenteeism are both significant challenges for Cumberland County Schools. What’s your fix for both?
School should be an inviting, engaging and safe environment that promotes strong relationships between students, teachers and parents. School climate or culture should be welcoming with strong leadership from a principal and quality teachers, good facilities and a staff that is involved in making sure their customers’ “children” know they care. The number one fix would be communication with parents — keep them informed about attendance on a daily basis. It important that we invest in student well-being.
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?
Superintendent Connelly said it best — “This situation isn’t about pointing fingers; it is about working together to address a complex issue and prioritize the safety and security of our schools.” Collaboration between our law enforcement partners, elected officials, government staff and district staff is the key to the SRO issue. Communication and strong relationships are important for a unified Cumberland County — I am proud of the efforts by all those involved in this solution.