Two vie for School Board District 1 race

Sunday, October 14, 2012

By JOHN LENTZ

Staff Writer

An experienced educator will attempt to keep her seat against a newcomer who hopes to bring "a fresh perspective" to the only contested Moore County Board of Education race this year.

Incumbent Lorna Clack will face Ben Cameron in the race for the District I position.

Three other board seats are on the ballot as well, but Kathy Farren in District 2, Laura Lang in District 4 and Bruce Cunningham in District 5 are all running unopposed.

Clack has six years of service as a board member. A former educator, she was elected vice-chair on Dec. 4, 2006, when she first joined the school board. She was elected school board chair on Dec. 3, 2007, and was again chosen to be vice-chair on Dec. 6, 2010. She serves on the Legislative/Policy and Curriculum committees.

"The educational, physical and emotional safety of each child is of paramount importance," Clack said. "I believe all children deserve excellent teachers and knowledgeable, insightful principals to lead their schools. We have 12,707 students in Moore County schools, with none to spare, and every child must have highly skilled teachers of reading, writing and mathematics, as well as in the arts, sciences and democracy at every school level. To stay on top, all educators need ongoing research-based training.

"I believe in treating students with dignity and practicing equity in the distribution of each teacher's time and attention," she said. "Nurturing learners, whether in the first grade or the 12th grade, using positive, encouraging strategies is important. I have found that students build on their successes in school and develop self-confidence in problem-solving and in their own social skills when people believe in them."

Some of her proudest moments as a board member, Clack said, have included "passing the school bond, opening two new schools, refurbishing existing schools, and the hiring of Superintendent Aaron Spence to lead our school system as we move onward, 'Growing To Greatness.'"

"Our 'Growing to Greatness' plan has exact strategies related to leadership, learning, culture and community. Talk with me personally about the wonderful, exciting changes under way in our 24 schools. I am so proud of our school employees and the children's success."

Clack said she is seeking re-election because "I believe I can make a productive, positive contribution to the board and its goals for the children of Moore County."

Regarding a specific issue related to her position as a board member, Clack said that she "will work with our senator and Rep. Boles and others in Raleigh seeking to regain these funds that the state took back in the last three years, over $8 million.

"I will always be an advocate for public education ... it is my life's work. I have been in the classroom and I know how it is. I sincerely believe that every K-3 classroom teacher should have a full-time teacher assistant."

Cameron, the challenger, said that his campaign platform "revolves around my ties to the area and my vested interest in Moore County schools."

"I am a lifelong resident of Cameron and a product of Moore County schools," he said. "I received an excellent education and was fortunate enough to continue my learning with a degree from UNC-Chapel Hill."

Cameron returned to Moore County after graduation and became involved in the insurance industry with GMAC Insurance for the past 19 years.

"I am the proud parent of a second-grader, so the future of our school system will be impacting me on a daily basis for the next 10 years," he said. "I want to use this connection with the system and the area to make Moore County schools better for everyone.

"Having daily interactions with what is going on in school, especially on a primary grade level, is something that is currently missing from the board. I have both access and interest in what the children, their parents and their teachers are saying, and can bring this communication to the administration."

Cameron said that helping children to reach their full potential is "the most important item" for a school board member to address.

Cameron said that, if elected, change would not be a priority.

"I think the board is doing an excellent job and that the only way to continue to be successful is to work as a team and not pursue individual goals," he said. "I do believe that as the only new board member I can provide new ideas and a fresh perspective to a group that has seen very little change in the last eight years.

"I am seeking a position on the board because I believe the best education possible is vital, not only to the success of our children but to our society as a whole. I have watched with great interest the changes in the school system since the birth of my daughter, and I am extremely excited to have the opportunity to participate in the process. I want to help be a part of providing that success to the children and the future of Moore County, and believe I can provide insight that will aid the board and the system in its growth to greatness."

Contact John Lentz at (910) 693-2479 or jlentz@thepilot. com.

More like this story

peacemaker 7 months, 1 week ago

Lorna knows education and the community. Her heart is in both and she serves well. She has my vote as long as she is willing to serve on the BoE.

Toda 7 months, 1 week ago

Has anyone taken time to search and read Moore County School rankings against state averages? Probably not. If the School Board is doing such an outstanding job, why are students not well educated when they graduate?

Take a trip to Sandhills CC tutoring lab and Project Promise for a general idea how many students are not receiving a quality and informative education. Having an elected position doesn't really produce results, nor does managing budgets that appear inflated with too many superintendent assistants in the Central Office?

weteachers2 7 months, 1 week ago

Toda, I invite you to visit or volunteer in one of our schools for just one day, and you will see how hard the teachers and students work each and every day. One of our high schools achieved a 91.4% graduation rate which exceeds the state average just this past year.

You use the tutoring lab at SCC as justification of slamming our system. Have you visited campuses of the UNC system to see our graduates being successful? Or how about other classrooms at SCC.

cooldaddy 7 months, 1 week ago

lol...this should be good.

Toda 7 months, 1 week ago

One high school! There are more than one high school in Poorer County.

Here you go ... High School Rankings

Who ever you are I didn't say one word about the teachers or students not working hard everyday. No one questioned those students' successes in our states university system. What about those whose math and writing skills are below high school graduation levels....

Joseph ~ I see you're back just in time for next month.

weteachers2 7 months, 1 week ago

To Toda, True! You did not directly say anything about the hard working teachers and students. However, when you make a statement like "why are students not well educated when they graduate?" what does that heavily imply? I interpret it as an insult to the entire school system from the elected board members, to the superintendent, the principals, teachers, assistants....EVERYONE!

Bottom line ... You are judging and generalizing the merit of our school system based on one remedial class at SCC. I think it is a great thing that low performing students are moving on to get education beyond high school! Furthermore, I am glad that SCC has programs in place to give such students the means to be successful and competitive in the job market. Without such options, what opportunity would they have?

doughnuts 7 months, 1 week ago

Teachers burdened with directing traffic, and school police cars that are driven home daily, (some to different counties). Students and teachers are facing budget cuts while board member salaries increase.

teacheralso 7 months, 1 week ago

@ doughnuts, obviously you are not aware of all that our police officers do on a daily basis! Our officers deal with many issues daily, and that includes weekends. Our police officers drive their police cars home because they can be called out at ANYTIME, weekends, after work hours, holidays, etc. They are on call 24/7, 365 days a year. Are you willing to take a call at 2 am because a school has an alarm going off or there has been break in? Or how about if there is a student missing? Are YOU willing to leave the comfort of your home and family time to go out and search for that missing student? I think not! And how about this one...are you willing to take a knife or bullet for a student or staff member???? I KNOW not!! However our police officers are! So before you sit there and throw our police officers under the bus because they drive their police cars home, think about the fact that our police officers have absolutely nothing to do with the school board election. Think long and hard about what and who you make comments about. You may need one of these officers to help you one day or your child. These men and women work hard daily making sure that our schools are safe for students and staff! I say thank you to all of our police officers for ALL that they do!!

GroundTroops 7 months, 1 week ago

Lorna Clack has performed her duties as a school board member very well. She represents the entire school system. To many times canditates are running for office only to support the schools where their children attend or relatives work. Each child in this district deserves the same consideration regardless of where their home is located. I do believe Lorna Clack shares these beliefs. I can't say anything negative about Mr. Cameron because I don't know him, but I would guess that he is a good man as well. I would address the comment made by 'Doughnuts" who was taking a shot at our school police. My daughters had the greatest respect for these men and women and loved them being on her campus. They are always out and about anytime something is going on at our schools. Keep up the great work and we are thankful you are there everyday.

xemrac 7 months, 1 week ago

teacheralso....Ive been a cop in Moore County for twenty years so you must be referring to another county when you say that the SRO's respond to calls on the weekend and after hours. I have NEVER seen them anywhere after hours except when they are getting paid extra to work a ballgame!?!

teacheralso 7 months, 1 week ago

xemrac...Do your research!

Toda 7 months, 1 week ago

weteachers2 => I understand that my comments reach to the top of the heap; to those in the Central office who aren't capable of performing their duties without assistants who have assistants and they have secretaries, and the perks of a political genera second to higher paid university professors.

I understand the concept of latch-key children who come from broken homes, drug focused families, parents who are incarcerated, those who live in poverty and those who live on the margins of our society.

Perhaps moving outside your cocoon inside the school system and visit writing labs at major universities, not just SCC, you might find that our schools are more political driven than educationally driven.

I also understand that paperwork as well as classroom numbers have grown hyperbolic and poor performance data is unacceptable. Perhaps those hundreds of students who pass through the system for the sake of a diploma, should have some consideration regarding life skills that embrace the framework of a quality education. Cut the salaries of those making more than 50K a year, and add more teachers where the money hits the road so to speak. Tommy Davis