Board of Education election should be about performance, not party

This is a message for those of you out there who have been suffering in silence.

You did not agree with what you saw — or trust the people who were making the decisions that affected your lives— but you saw what happened to those who spoke up, who challenged authority, who exercised their right to free speech.

You couldn’t afford to be “canceled,” so you grinned and bore it for two years — or more. You kept silent among strangers, co-workers and family, trusting only a select few, and then, speaking only cautiously.

You missed being able to share ideas and to debate issues. There did not seem to be room for people to agree to disagree anymore.

So now, when the opportunity comes along to “wipe the slate clean,” you are ready to do so — or you are listening to the rhetoric that paints your political enemies as tyrants bent on destruction and you aren’t ready to presume that they can be trusted either.

We get it. We have watched it, too.

And I, personally, feel the same way.

I spent decades being an Independent who leaned right. But I listened to Democrats and Republicans and took the best from both. Some of the politicians and leaders I have had the most respect for would not have been on my primary ballot.

But I voted for them anyway. Now, it is not so easy to be non-committal when it comes to politics.

I spent decades as a journalist making sure I was as down the middle in my reporting as I could be — and that those who worked with, and for, me gave equal time to all sides.

I still follow those guidelines, as does The New Old North. Opinions were saved for the opinion page, as they should be. And disagreement and debate were encouraged.

And just because I need to say it, there were legions of other journalists who did the same thing.

None of us can understand this new breed of media that is so partisan that its members cannot honestly report on what has become so painfully apparent to so many.

My generation of journalists are heartbroken to see what has been done to our profession.

But that is a discussion for another time. And we will have it, I promise.

So, what does all that have to do with the upcoming Wayne County elections — specifically for the Board of Education? They are, after all, supposed to be non-partisan.

But the problem is that we have a candidate who is exactly the sort “to go along to get along” we don’t need — but who might get votes anyway because he is catching a ride on what he hopes will be a “red wave.”

And he is falsely characterizing his opponent as a “radical liberal” when, in fact, she is anything but, because he knows that if this election was about his performance over the last decade-plus, he would be sent packing by a wide margin.

For the past 12 years, Chris West has proven himself to be anything but a true conservative. He has been a politician.

But you would never know it if your only information was the sample ballot being handed out by the Wayne County GOP.

It boggles the mind that the names Craig Foucht, who has proven himself in his limited time on the school board as a fiscal conservative, and Chris West are on the same piece of election literature.

It makes absolutely no sense that West’s name is mentioned in the same breath as Rep. John Bell.

Here’s why:

West has presided over a school district that is not performing well — at all. And given the fact that the “non-partisan” board is, in fact, controlled by Republicans, one would think he would represent a black eye for the local GOP.

He has excuses for all the failures.

He will say the poor performance is because of COVID. And while it’s true that didn’t help, it is more about bad personnel decisions and money spent irrationally.

West was in charge as spending spiraled out of control long before the pandemic — and, by the way, there is STILL excess spending going on in Wayne County Public Schools.

Look into the recent purchase of yet another new curriculum — one any teacher in Wayne would tell you is ineffective and, get this, actually setting our students back.

And that is after West led the charge on yet another contract for the out-of-town attorney who has added millions to his income because of his association with Wayne County Public Schools.

Experts told the district — and West — that its consultant fees were too high.

The New Old North shared those numbers with you.

And you were astonished, as were we.

So why in the world is Richard Schwartz still the attorney for Wayne County Public Schools?

Because West championed him, that’s why.

We are uncomfortable with the interactions between West and Schwartz — and others, including some Republican board members, are, too.

We were shocked to hear that West arranged small meetings between Schwartz and the current board members during the bid process and prior to the attorney vote.

The idea? To keep discussion of Schwartz’s contract in secret by capitalizing on the rules that allow board members to meet, as long as the majority isn’t there, without having to discuss the issue in public.

By the way, that “public” is you, the taxpayers who pay the bills.

How is a lack of transparency when it comes to spending tax dollars a conservative value?

These are just a few of the reasons we are asking you to think long and hard before casting a ballot to put West back in charge of the board just because he claims to be a “true conservative.”

This is a man who ran on the platform of fixing the financial health of the schools and then presided over the worst budget disaster in decades — and signed the superintendent who was in charge during the debacle to a new contract.

Don’t forget it was only after the board was hammered in the press that the superintendent was ousted.

And there are more problems that haven’t even been reported yet.

You will hear from West that he does not control what goes on in the classroom — that he and his fellow board members create policy.

But what he is not telling you — or hoping that you won’t remember when you cast your ballot Tuesday — is that he and his fellow board members choose the people who set the tone in your Central Office and who administer and recommend hiring in your schools.

Would it upset you to know that there is plenty of questionable “learning” going on in those expensive curriculums? Would you be surprised to know that many teachers are disturbed by what is in those new curriculum books?

Would you also like to know why so many teachers have left the district — and do not plan on coming back?

We know you have heard about the poor test scores, the scary Air Force reports that rate WCPS in the danger zone and the disciplinary problems in the schools.

But are you aware that at most — if not all — our local high schools, the lowest grade you can give a student for the first quarter of a semester is a 50 percent?

Read that again.

If a student turns in ZERO work or only comes to school once a week, he or she starts the second nine weeks 10 points shy of a passing grade.

It’s no wonder our state test scores are a joke and that reading levels are shockingly low. It makes sense that ACT and SAT scores are abhorrent.

Teachers are simply not allowed to hold their students accountable. In other words, their hands are tied when it’s time to tally grades.

That sure sounds like a “policy” issue to us.

So yes, COVID and disciplinary problems are not just a Wayne County problem. And it’s true that the whole state is struggling.

But why must Wayne County be so far below the state average in so many categories?

Don’t forget, West and the majority of the board returned our students and staff to campuses long before dozens of districts that outperformed us during the COVID years.

Why is that?

Having to chop budgets and wiggle money around to cover a multi-million-dollar deficit did not help.

And for those of you who have heard the comments that the district did not “use COVID money to retire those debts,” we assure you, it did.

It wasn’t illegal. They spent the money according to the guidelines. But without those funds — and the money saved from school closures — the debt would not be retired. Just ask the consultant who helped guide them through the process. He said it. Publicly.

West is also, in many cases, responsible for the men and women who are leading the district in administrative positions.

So, before you vote, look at who’s in charge in the Central Office — examine their connections, whom they hire and what happens when they do not perform up to standard.

Look at who’s in charge of our individual school campuses and their qualifications — and ask around about what has happened to those involved in scandals. Here’s a hint: They get shuffled to another campus instead of held accountable.

And while you’re doing the above, check WCPS for a few family — or sorority/fraternity — trees. You might be surprised at how many branches don’t fork.

It’s been the same old, same old for years. Clearly, it isn’t working.

West has been involved in all of that — behind the scenes and in pre-board meeting closed sessions. And there were people hired for important positions — some of them recently — who should not have been when West and others should have taken a stand.

That’s the going along to get along we are talking about. That is when it is about power and not the kids.

And then there is something else you might not know.

West and the school board attorney fought against charter school Wayne STEM Academy coming into this county — aggressively so.

We get why. A district that has a charter school in its area loses money.

But if you are a Republican, you are probably someone who wants to see more competition in a community — and the freedom for parents to make a choice about where their children are educated.

You think public schools need to be more accountable, not less.

Rep. John Bell knows that. That’s why he was recently honored as a “Legislative Champion” for school choice by the N.C. Coalition for Charter Schools.

Meanwhile, Schwartz, at the board’s behest, went full-bore against that charter school — which the state approved anyway.

Wonder how much that cost.

The list goes on and on.

So, here’s the bottom line, just in case it isn’t clear:

We believe that Christina Watts — an Independent, former Rosewood Middle School teacher of the year who is beloved by her former students, their parents and former coworkers — is a no-brainer for District 1. The wife of a veteran, she understands the needs of military families and has been vocal about her desire to help guide WCPS toward a brighter star.

We also believe that Craig Foucht, a fiscal conservative who voted against rehiring Schwartz and has been clear that every penny spent by WCPS should be scrutinized — should be the next board chairman.

It is understandable that many people might think that voting straight-ticket is the right thing to do. We want to get the shenanigans out of education. Wholesale change, we say, means putting out those who traditionally spout the garbage that has become the hallmark of the education bureaucracy.

But we suggest that perhaps it is time to think more about whether those who ask to serve us are really doing the job they promised — or whether they actually belong on that “straight ticket” next to people, like Foucht, who actually walk the walk.

It is time to get out those who are about feathering their own political careers — and setting up their friends and family members with cushy jobs — rather than making the tough decisions, the necessary decisions.

We need fighters who are ready to question how things are done, and who put getting this district straight as Priority One.

We have one already in Foucht. And we need more.

And, by the way, we also do not need anymore “yes” men or members who are not quite up to speed on what we need in this school district.

Wade Latham was appointed to the board — and this is his first true “election” as an incumbent.

He is a good man in the wrong job. He is not what we need if we want to move this district forward.

He, too, needs to go — in favor of Philip French.

And, when their terms are up, there are more members of the board who need to be shown the door.

Their day, too, will come.

But as you vote, keep this in mind. Anyone elected to the Board of Education — or any other local, state or national office — is hired by the people he or she represents.

They can be removed just as easily if they do not live up to the promises they make — or change direction in office.

They work for us. All of them.

Let’s remind them of that Tuesday at the polls.