From 2008-10, I chaired the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Special Needs Advisory Council. Mia Burroughs was our liaison to the board of education, and I had the opportunity to work closely with her.Â
Board members are assigned to district committees. Each member has several such assignments and the combined workload can be overwhelming. To my surprise Mia sought to deeply understand the issues facing special-needs students in the district, an area to which she had formerly little exposure. She regularly attended meetings, asked questions, dug into the issues, used critical thinking to link our issues to her big-picture view, went to bat for us when she agreed and was open when she disagreed. She was willing to raise difficult issues with her board colleagues and district leadership.
District parents sometimes get splintered into competing interest groups, but Mia did not give into this tendency – she focused on needs that cut across groups and the fundamental changes that would benefit all students. Mia understood that special-needs students come in many varieties, they cross socioeconomic and academic boundaries, and their needs often overlap with those of minority, gifted and mainstream students.Â
Mia’s approach was exactly what I would hope for from a board member. I hope you will agree with me and vote to reelect Mia to the CHCCS Board of Education.
Joan Kofodimos
Chapel Hill