By Susan Dickson
Staff Writer
At an election forum at Carol Woods Retirement Community on Tuesday, school board candidates grappled with issues slightly different from the usual fodder.
Candidates heard questions about military recruitment in schools, Junior ROTC programs, dropout rates and No Child Left Behind mandates.
Incumbents Jamezetta Bedford, Mike Kelley and Annetta Streater are running for re-election, challenged by newcomers Mia Burroughs and Gary Wallach. Four seats on the board are available.
The school district is required to allow military recruiters into the high schools because it receives federal funding. However, parents can fill out a form that prevents students from being contacted by the recruiters.
Candidates had different opinions on in-school recruitment.
“I do support opportunities for children to explore their career options,†Streater said. However, “I would not want to see the district move in a direction where we are pushing certain populations toward [the military].â€
Wallach said that while he believes the military is a legitimate option for some, “I firmly and unequivocally believe that recruiters should not be allowed on campus,†adding, “It’s hard for me because I’ve been to too many anti-war protests in my life.â€
Bedford said she had a different perspective because she grew up in a military family.
“What I want to prevent for our students is … that their only choice or their only measure is to join the military,†she said. “There’s a balance of a debt we owe to our veterans and those who want to serve, but we want to make sure that every young lady and young man has other career opportunities and that’s not their only way out of poverty.â€
“I’m a strong advocate for education,†said Kelley, “and I believe that the best way to go about this is not to prohibit something but to educate our community as to all the pros and cons of what the military might be about. I’m not sure that the military recruiters are always fair in that.â€
Burroughs said she did not support military recruitment in schools, adding, “My hero is my father who was thrown in jail twice for protesting the Vietnam War.â€
Regarding a JROTC program, Burroughs said her gut reaction was that she would not want to see it on Chapel Hill-Carrboro school campuses.
Streater said she believes in enrichment opportunities for all children, but said that she was not sure about JROTC. She added: “There are, I think, many positive opportunities for children who want to consider the military as a career.â€
Kelley said there would have to be a public discussion about bringing in a JROTC program, but that he supported giving children more opportunities.
The candidates were also asked about dropout rates and how to improve upon them.
Burroughs said she thinks the district should keep a list of at-risk students, including those who change schools several times or have been held back.
“Different children drop out for different reasons,†she said. “We need to make sure that we find a way to know who [the at-risk children] are.â€
Several candidates mentioned that dropout prevention efforts must start early.
Wallach said the district needs to be more welcoming to parents, adding that they should create a program to make parents feel welcome when students first register.
“The district isn’t known for welcoming parents,†he said.
Bedford said the district needs to determine who the at-risk children are by looking at grades and absences so that it’s not left to the teachers to identify them.
“We need to develop a real plan,†she said, adding that the district needs “to let children know that they are valued even if they are on the career technical path†rather than the four-year college path.