New OCS board member Carrie Doyle hopes to increase equity within the district

This story is the second of a series featuring the newly elected members of the Orange County Schools Board of Education. Read about newly elected board member Bonnie Hauser. 

This July, Carrie Doyle will begin her term as one of three new Orange County Schools Board of Education members. 

Her election comes during an uncertain time for Orange County and the rest of the world. However, she said she hopes that in this time she can help the school system return to normalcy while continuing her goals of increasing equity and communication within the district. 

Doyle said she has been both a teacher and a parent in Orange County Schools. She said her background has given her a broad perspective that allows her to understand the perspective of parents in the community and the school faculty. 

“As a former classroom teacher I have some sensitivity to the experience of teachers and I've also raised three kids in the public schools here in Orange County,” she said. 

She also has experience as a minister leader within her church, which she said taught her how to build consensus. She hopes that while on the board, she can be a voice that encourages cooperation while also seeking to make sure that all voices are heard.

“I served as the ministry leader at my church for 13 years and have pursued changes in how we approach systemic racism as a congregation, and so that is something where I've participated with both individuals and committees to push the conversation, but do it in a way that is hopefully respectful and hoping to persuade people to serve the greater good," she said. 

She said once elected, her largest goals are to increase communication and equity across Orange County, work that she believes the district started when they adopted a racial equity policy in January 2019. 

Doyle said she will work closely with the district’s chief equity officer, Dena Keeling. In addition, she said she hopes to increase communication across the district and use funding to decrease the gaps in student achievement. At the same time, she also said she wants to increase the resources provided to gifted student programs. 

“I am interested in continuing to broaden communication and reaching out to some more marginalized parts of our community like pockets of our Latino congregation and places where we have gaps in student achievement,” she said. 

However, Doyle said the pandemic has put many of these plans on hold as it has impacted the budget and education within the district. As a result, she said her first priority is working to catch all students up on material missed during the online learning. 

In the long term, she said she hopes to be an involved board member who works to fully understand and be a part of the community. 

“My long-term goal is to personally serve as a member who stays very informed, both in terms of what I read in my own development in understanding educational issues and in terms of being a community member and board member who's actively pursuing communication throughout our community and not in limited pockets, and to be a consensus builder on the board and someone who can work cooperatively,” she said. 

Doyle said this position and work is one she is excited to complete. She said she views her position not as partisan, or even political.

“Instead of politics, I would say that it's just a place of service,” she said. 

@DTHCityState | city@dailytarheel.com