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School board contest picks up steam

Posted on October 4, 2007 by Staff

By Susan Dickson
Staff Writer

With the election about a month away, candidates for the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education are stepping up their campaigns.

Incumbents Jamezetta Bedford, Mike Kelley and Annetta Streater are seeking re-election, while newcomers Mia Burroughs and Gary Wallach also have joined the race. Former candidate Mehar Safvi has withdrawn.

Four seats on the board are available. Longtime board member Liz Carter is not running for reelection.

Campaign signs are popping up in yards and along sidewalks throughout Chapel Hill and Carrboro. School board candidates have been busy fine-tuning their platforms and getting the word out.

“The campaign is gearing up,” Kelley said, noting that he’s been doing “most of the usual school board campaign activities, such as putting up signs, emailing constituents and posting a website.

Kelley has been on the board since 2003. He has said that one of his main focuses if reelected would be to improve the efficiency of the budget process, which has been strained in recent years.

Wallach said one of his primary focuses would be the importance of maintaining educational equity across the district.

“I think that a child who goes to FPG should have the same educational opportunities as a child who goes to Rashkis,” he said, noting that different schools’ parent-teacher-student associations raise varying amounts of money.

Bedford, who serves as the board chair and has been a board member since 2003, said she’s been running a “low-key campaign,” but will be campaigning more over the next several weeks.

Bedford has emphasized the need to better plan for growth within the district, which is a “critical budget driver.”

Burroughs said she’s been trying to meet and talk to as many people as possible to get her message out.

“I really continue to believe that the district must commit itself to every student. Every student matters,” she said, adding that the district needs to continue to focus on closing the minority achievement gap.

Streater also emphasized the importance of closing the achievement gap. The district needs to continue to “monitor programs to ensure that we are providing services for those who do struggle academically,” she said.

Streater said she has attended various community events to get out to meet constituents.

Carol Woods will hold a forum for school board candidates on October 21 at 3 p.m. In addition, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro PTA Council is organizing a candidates forum, but has not yet announced a date.

The Peoples Channel has interviewed both Kelley and Bedford and will interview other candidates over the next couple of weeks. Interviews are posted online at www.thepeopleschannel.org.

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