Incumbents plan to run for school board

With a little more than three weeks left to file, incumbent members of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education are making their plans for the next four years.

The seats of chairwoman Lisa Stuckey and school board members Pam Hemminger and Nick Didow are up for re-election, and at least two of the three say they’d like to keep their spots.

As of Tuesday, only Hemminger had filed officially in the school board race, and though she’s yet to file, Stuckey also has announced her intent to run for re-election.

Hemminger, who was appointed to her seat in December after former school board member Valerie Foushee vacated the post, said she decided to run for a term on the board because she’s gained a lot through the experiences and opportunities she’s had in the past months.

“I’ve enjoyed these last six months on the school board, and I feel like I’ve learned a lot, so I wanted to continue the process,” she said.

Prior to her tenure on the school board, Hemminger had served as co-president of the Ephesus Elementary School Parent Teacher Association and was a chairwoman of the school’s governance committee. She said she also has worked as a volunteer in the classroom.

Hemminger said that if elected, she would like to continue working to close the minority student achievement gap — a number-one priority of the district — through efforts such as improved English as a Second Language courses and equity training for teachers.

She added that improving working conditions for teachers was another effort she would like to see the board tackle in the coming years.

“That was one of the main reasons I wanted to get on the school board,” she said.

In a press release sent in June, Stuckey also said student achievement and teacher retainment are among some of her goals for the coming four years.

She also addressed collaboration between city schools and Orange County Schools as being necessary to ensure success.

“In order to address student needs and maximize tax dollars, collaboration with other governmental entities is critical to our district’s success and to our community,” she stated in the release.

In an effort to promote equity, the two districts have looked for areas where they can combine services during the past year. For example, in the fall they will jointly launch a middle-college program at Durham Technical Community College along with Durham Public Schools.

Stuckey is out of town through mid-July and plans to file upon her return.

She has been on the board since 2001, and in 2004 she became its chairwoman.

Before she came to the school board, she was involved with various school associations.

Another applicant for the school board vacancy last year is part of an effort to find a viable candidate for the board.

Yu Lou said members of a Chinese school in the town are looking for someone to represent the school’s voice in Chapel Hill.

“Hopefully we can get more people to support the Chinese school education,” Lou said.

But, she said, they have yet to find that candidate.

“I’m not sure whether anybody is ready to do it at this point,” Lou said.

Didow said last week that he soon would be announcing his plans but could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Contact the City Editor citydesk@unc.edu.