2 vie for Gastonia school board seat

Gaston Gazette - 11/3/2018

Nov. 02--Mike Stuart will challenge incumbent Lee Dedmon for a Gastonia Township seat on the Gaston County Board of Education.

Voters elected Dedmon to his first term on the school board in 2014. He retired in 2013 as principal of the Highland School of Technology in Gastonia.

Stuart is a care coordinator for the intellectual disability population at Partners Behavioral Health Management in Gastonia.

Five total seats on the school board are up for election. Each of the nonpartisan elected positions carries a four-year term. School board members are elected by a countywide vote, but must live in the district they represent.

The Gazette asked each candidate the same four questions:

How will you help the school board to improve its relationship with county commissioners?

STUART: Both our school board members and county commissioners need to participate in more joint projects when applicable. Invite county commissioners to school board meetings to make presentations when possible. To allow our school board to see where our county funding goes but in turn be able to share with our commissioners throughout the year the Gaston County Schools needs and not just at budget time.

DEDMON: The school board and the county commissioners currently have a good working relationship, based on mutual respect, collegiality, and a joint commitment to student success. Both groups must continue to make communicating with each other, our legislators, and our citizens a top priority so that there is no disconnect between our local and state governments. When commissioners, educators and school officials unite around a shared concern about the best interest of children and a common goal to achieve what is best for our community in terms of the state's fiscal responsibility, we can create a powerful force for change.

How do you think schools can be made safer, and what is your role as a school board member to accomplish this?

STUART: I feel that we need more eyes (by staff) in our hallways to prevent the congregating of students between classes that may inadvertently lead to heated issues. Shooting drills may need to be considered to prevent the uncontrollable frustration that parents have as in Charlotte on Oct. 29, 2018. Evacuate in a fast and safe way to prevent panic. As a school board member, monitor their progress.

DEDMON: The deadly school shooting so close to home this week makes this a question for which everyone wants to find the answer, quickly and permanently. Although our school board members are elected to serve as stewards of our schools and thus play a critical role in providing safe environments for students and staff, the reality is that making our schools safe for all of our children truly requires a team effort. The only way that we can create a safe school environment is through a comprehensive, coordinated effort including schoolwide, districtwide, and communitywide strategies supplemented with legislation, resources, and support at the state and federal legislation level. As a board, we must continue to adopt overall policies on school safety like comprehensive safety plans; to be proactive in addressing specific behaviors that threaten school safety like bullying, gang violence, and hate-motivated behavior; utilize our school resources like school resource officers, metal detectors and wands, counselors, student support services, mental health services, drug and alcohol programs, provide staff development on these and other safety issues, and most importantly, work with parents and community/church leaders to help our children realize that violence is never the answer to any problem: if you see or hear something, say something.

How do you plan to help the school system to retain and attract teachers?

STUART: As we all know the value of our teachers is priceless. North Carolina has tried to bring salaries in line to be more competitive but when has Gaston County Schools completed a market analysis to see where our county ranks? If we expect Gaston County Schools to be at the top, then Gaston County Schools needs to be paying at the top. Losing teachers to other counties must stop. Notice I said other counties not other states.

DEDMON: Attracting and retaining excellent educators is one of the most important drivers of a well-functioning education system--a system that must prepare diverse students with complex needs to participate in today's knowledge-driven economy. As a county, it is essential that we constantly strive to make teacher pay competitive with surrounding areas so that our teachers are able to support a middle-class lifestyle. As a school system, we must continue to invest in our high-quality induction program to assure that it sustains its successful history in providing our novice teachers the following opportunities: mentoring, coaching, and feedback from experienced teachers in the same subject or grade; ability to observe expert teachers and attend orientation sessions, retreats, and seminars; plus support in reducing their workloads by providing extra classroom assistance.

Voters approved $250 million to build more schools and make renovations to existing schools. How do you propose this money is prioritized for spending and, in addition to the new Belmont Middle School, where and when should the additional schools be built?

STUART: First, I would like to see some parents added to a focus group led by board members to have input from the parent population and hold board members to more transparency. This can be done with the submission of applications and board members can review for final selection. Thorough study of the safety of each school to check for repairs and list of our oldest schools forward and a geographic region the county where schools have been built.

DEDMON: As our school buildings age, we face the growing challenge of maintaining school facilities at a level that enables our teachers to meet the needs of 21st-century learners. We have conducted a facilities needs assessment in the past, and we need to update, manage and use data from this study to prioritize maintenance and building of schools. In addition, we must revisit our county's population growth and make sure that funding is as equitable as possible among all schools in our county. As we all know, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," so detailing and reviewing "best practice" strategies for maintaining our facilities and grounds will contribute to our goal of being good stewards of this funding. -- Here is more basic information for Stuart and Dedmon:

Mike Stuart

Age: 61

Home: Gastonia

Phone: 704-718-5777

Email: m.stuart1@att.net

Lee Dedmon

Age: 71

Home: Gastonia

Phone: 704-866-8196

Email: leededmon@gmail.com

You can reach Eric Wildstein at 704-869-1828 or Twitter.com/TheGazetteEric.

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