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Campaign Platform and Positions

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Maintaining Safe and Orderly Learning Environments

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It is essential that every school in the Catawba County system has a learning environment that is safe and conducive to effective teaching and learning.  Safe schools must be characterized by:

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• Buildings that are secure and protect students from threats from intruders and outside forces.

• Buildings that have a culture of interaction that minimizes physical altercations and interactions that threaten the safety of any student or staff member.

• Buildings in which there is a culture of mutual respect between administration, instructional/support staff and students.  Where the individuality of every student is respected and they feel emotionally safe to learn and interact in a productive manner.

• Buildings that have a culture of discipline that is positive and appropriate and does not violate the dignity of students.

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Recruiting, Nurturing and Retaining High Quality Staff

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Schools are only as effective as the instructional staffs that work in the buildings.  The board of education and district leaders must strive to:

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• Become a “district of destination” for aspiring teachers by developing a reputation among colleges and universities and within the educational community that attracts the best teachers possible.

• Recruit the highest quality teachers from educational prep programs or transfers from other districts. 

• Provide teachers with high quality, relevant staff development that allows them to stay abreast of best practices and is respectful of their time and abilities.

• Retain the best teachers to make Catawba County Schools their career-long home and encourage them to aspire to leadership within the district.

• Make a concerted effort to recruit diverse faculty and staff, because every student deserves to have teachers who look like they do.

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Equitable and Appropriate Distribution of Resources Across the District

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Each school in Catawba County deserves to have the best facilities and instructional supplies that district resources will allow.  This should be the case regardless of the location or community of the school.

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• Physical facilities should be well maintained and new facilities added with regard to replacing the oldest first.

• Higher quality should be sought with regard to construction of facilities and procurement of materials and not just finding the lowest priced item.  Cheaper is rarely better.

• Funding for arts should be seen as a priority as they (arts) give students opportunity to express and enrich themselves, making them more well-rounded as they seek their goals in life.

• Funding for co-curricular and extracurricular activities should be maintained and increased, if possible, to provide each student with the most well-rounded educational experience possible.