By Mary Lide Parker
Staff Writer
The Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education is set to select a new member tonight (Thursday) to fill the vacancy left by board chair Pam Hemminger.
Seven candidates have applied for the job: Mary Ann Gucciardi, Kyle Kaplan, Gregory McElveen, Deborah Musson, Eric Sullivan, Gary Wallach and Theresa Watson.
Gucciardi has been an education volunteer for several years. She attended the N.C. Center for Women in Public Service Summer Institute. Gucciardi wrote in her application that she could bring global views and cultural competency to the board, as she has lived abroad for 16 years of her adult life. She has also worked at the Department of Family Medicine at UNC. Gucciardi believes the greatest challenge facing the CHCCS system is the stress of growth.
Kaplan is a graduate student at UNC. He is a former public school teacher and Teach for America corps member. He is currently serving as a Durham Public Schools School Board Fellow. Kaplan was recently appointed by the Chapel Hill Town Council to the Public Housing Program Advisory Board and the Justice in Action committee. Kaplan says the achievement gap is the biggest challenge facing our district.
McElveen works in corporate market research but has also been actively involved with minority students. He was a member of the Minority Student Achievement Network for three years and chair of the Minority Student Achievement and Support Committee at CHHS in 2005-06. He also participated in the development of the 2002-208 CHCCS Strategic Plan. McElveen believes the greatest challenge is to achieve goal number one of the 2008-2013 strategic plan — “all students will graduate as high achieving learners with 21st century skills.â€
Musson is as a substitute teacher. She has experience in both teaching and business. She is a certified teacher and has worked as a service learning coordinator. She serves as the PTSA vice president at Phillips Middle School. Musson believes in the small-group learning model for eliminating the achievement gap — a program that puts small clusters of students and teachers together for at least two years. Musson said there are many challenges facing our school system, particularly budget shortages.
Sullivan is a technological business analyst. He has 30 years of experience in the CHCCS system, including teaching and incorporating technology into the classroom. He serves as newsletter committee chair for the Frank Porter Graham PTA. Sullivan believes the greatest challenge facing the CHCCS system is the growth of diversity, pointing out the need to expand ESL programs.
Wallach, who ran for school board in 2007, is a self-employed consultant. He is the vice president of the PTA Council. He was a founder of the Special Needs Advisory Council and serves as the co-chair of the communications committee. He has worked as a community organizer in Brooklyn, NY and coached youth soccer. Wallach believes the biggest issues facing the CHCCS system include maintaining high standards with smaller budgets, meeting the needs of fast growth and closing the achievement gap.
Watson has taught a multicultural diversity course at George Mason University in Fairfax County, Va. She has also taught parenting classes for public school parents to assist them in creating the most conducive learning environments at home. She has served in the PTA and has experience working with exceptional children. She was the founder and director of Young Parent Institute Inc., a nonprofit organization that seeks to decrease teenage pregnancy and the drop-out rate of teenage parents. Watson believes the greatest challenges facing the CHCCS system are closing the achievement gap and developing an educational system that caters to all students.