School board to host forum

Candidates looking to fill the vacant position on the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education will have an opportunity today to share their qualifications and views with the school board.

The board will conduct a public forum to interview the 10 candidates vying for the position at 5 p.m. at the Lincoln Center.

The vacancy came about when Valerie Foushee resigned her position after being elected to the Orange County Board of Commissioners.

Foushee's replacement will fulfill the remainder of her term, which expires in November 2005.

"The board will evaluate each candidate and seek the most well-rounded person," said Vice Chairwoman Lisa Stuckey.

Stuckey said candidates will have an opportunity to make opening remarks about their qualifications before being questioned by board members.

Candidates also will be able to make closing statements.

Stuckey said the board is seeking candidates with experience in the school system, as well as those with an ability to bring a cross-section of the community to the board and those with an ongoing commitment to the welfare of children in the district.

Still, "there's not a specific formula," Stuckey said. "We're looking for the best person we can find."

Among the candidates is former school board member Gloria Faley, who lost a bid for re-election by 28 votes in 2003.

"I have been active in the school system for 12 years in hundreds of ways," said Faley. "I think I would bring balance to the board that Valerie brought."

Faley, whose candidacy has prompted concerns from those who say her appointment would go against the will of the district's voters, said teacher shortages, federal mandates lacking funding and racial concerns are among the biggest problems facing the board.

She added that she doesn't think her re-election bid will affect the school board's decision.

Carolyn Schwarz, president of the Phillips Middle School Parent Teacher Student Association, said she thinks high school reform is one of the most important issues facing the district.

"I love the idea of high school reform," she said. "It looks very similar to how it was when I was in high school. Everything around it has changed, and it has stayed the same."

Candidate Artie Franklin, a technical writer who ran as a Libertarian for one of the open commissioner seats, said the district's achievement gap is his biggest concern.

Gary Kayye, a consultant with Kayye Consulting Inc., has twice served as the president of Glenwood Elementary School's PTA.

He said the biggest issue facing the school board is maintaining the quality of the system while dealing with growth.

Candidate Belinda Zayas said her Hispanic background would bring a new perspective on minority issues to the board.

Richard Perry, a college instructor at Wake Technical Community College, said he wants to increase the priority of issues such as bilingual education, intervention programs for at-risk students and smaller class sizes for kindergarten through third grade.

Neal Bench, a school volunteer, said his business experience in financial and analytical work would be useful to the school board.

Also applying were Yu Lou; Weihua Xie; and Pam Hemminger, who also ran this year for the Board of Commissioners.

The school board is slated to select Foushee's replacement at its Thursday meeting.

The new member will be sworn in at the board's Dec. 16 meeting.

Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.