By Beth Mechum, Staff Writer
It was a well-attended forum Tuesday night at the Chapel Hill public library as Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education candidates argued for why they should be elected. But the variety of issues discussed left something to be desired.
Partners for the Advancement of Gifted Education sponsored the forum and all questions were about gifted students, classes and teachers.
Because all board candidates supported gifted services, there wasn’t much room to make standout statements, but some common themes revealed themselves throughout the forum.
Everyone agreed gifted students need different classes or kinds of work, but the amount of rigor offered to students was a topic of debate.
Shell Brownstein was concerned that there isn’t enough variety in types of classes offered after students enter high school.
“One size does not fit all,†she said, citing the need for an in-between class for subjects with which advanced placement classes offer too much rigor and regular classes not enough.
Incumbent Greg McElveen emphasized that though rigor is important for all students, so too is relevant subject matter. In his view, “rigor†isn’t the only deciding factor when looking at classes and they shouldn’t be based on just that.
MaryAnne Guccidardi expressed interest in providing rigor for students in interesting, more innovative ways, such as project-oriented classes, or through Professional Learning Communities.
Guccidardi also addressed what she thought was a question directed explicitly at her about parents not being satisfied with the CHCCS system. Her son goes to private school at Cary Academy; her daughter goes to Rashkis Elementary.
Guccidardi said it was just the right fit for her son, who wanted to continue his studies in Mandarin after moving to the area. “You have to do what is right for your children,†she said.
Another buzz word making its way around the panel was “implementation.â€
When talking about measures to assess and track the academic progress of students, Susana Dancy said she thought the measurements were fine, but that there are problems with using those measurements to better a child’s classroom experience.
“Once the child gets through the gate as being identified [as gifted], a lot of times that doesn’t mean a whole lot changes,†she said.
Joe Green, the director of UNC’s Upward Bound program, spent a lot of his allotted time advocating for increased partnership between the school system and the university as a way to engage students without exhausting existing resources.
In their closing statements, candidates were able to briefly address issues besides those of gifted children and classes, and all made sure to say that though they believe the school system to be a wonderful one, there are always things that can be done better.
Access to education for all students was a sticking point for most candidates. Christine Lee would like to see a more individualized approach to education.
McElveen said though he was a fan of many of the policies in place, he’s seen first-hand that they could be better implemented.
Green, the youngest of the candidates, promoted his knack for “fresh ideas.â€
Brownstein said one of her biggest interests is erasing the achievement gap.
Dancy called the school system “patchwork†and said there needs to be better communication throughout the school system.
Guccidardi used her closing statement to again advocate for creative and innovative teaching methods.
One of the questions addressed to the candidates was whether they support offering students more than one level course in introductory science and social studies courses. All six candidates replied unequivocally that they do support doing so. Although the responses do not allow voters to differentiate between the candidates, they all appear to support change from the status quo on this topic, and that is news!