COMMENTS (17)

Challengers criticize
school board incumbents

By Toby Tate
Staff Writer

Friday, October 10, 2008

Incumbent members of the Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Board of Education drew sharp criticism from their challengers during a candidates forum on Thursday, Oct. 9, as everything from educational quality to the current school board’s willingness to listen came under attack.

Indicative of the criticisms was one delivered by Bill Luton, a first-time candidate for the at-large seat on the school board. Luton, a college professor, told a story about a sleeping 5-year-old girl left on a school bus for some time before her disappearance was discovered by school officials.

“I believe she needed an answer from the school board other than ‘no comment,’” Luton said. “I want to be able to stand up and say, ‘I’m responsible.’”

According to Luton and four other challengers who spoke during the forum sponsored by the Informed Voters League of Elizabeth City, the school district’s problems won’t change unless there’s a change of leadership on the school board.

The two incumbents who attended countered that the schools are doing the best they can with the limited resources that are available. The school district’s challenges also can’t be solely blamed on the school board, they said.

But those explanations did little to appease Luton and the other challengers.

“I believe we need change, and I believe we need it now,” Luton said. “Inclusion has been one of the most important issues to me.”

Denauvo Robinson, who’s also running for the at-large seat, agreed with Luton, saying that children deserve a quality education, and they’re not getting it with the district’s current leadership.

“Our business community has tried to get involved (in the schools), but the door has been closed,” he said. “We have to change that. We have to get parents, business and community leaders to come to the table. We’ve got to collaborate.”

Robinson said the Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Public Schools are often viewed in a negative light, and that has an effect on those who may be looking to move to the area.

“There is a negative perception of our school system,” he said. “Perceptions can be real. Our system is not broken, but it’s bent away from success and the buck has to stop with our leadership.”

Students in EC-Pasquotank schools also need to be better prepared for the 21st century, and currently, that’s not happening, said Robert Pfeiffer, a candidate for the Inside City seat on the school board.

“We’re doing our kids a great disservice,” said Pfeiffer. “A lot of kids we’re sending out to the work force can’t compete. If it means holding kids back, we’ll have to hold kids back. We’ve got to get them trained.”

Pfeiffer said he also doesn’t buy the stereotype that students who are poor or a member of a minority group can’t learn.

Robinson agreed.

“I don’t believe that just because you’re poor you can’t learn,” he said. “I’ve heard it said that those ‘free and reduced lunch’ kids can’t learn, but they can learn.”

Mark Small, a 12-year incumbent seeking re-election to the Outside City seat on the school board, took issue with some of Robinson’s comments.

“All children don’t learn at the same level, and when we think that way, we don’t make proper use of our resources,” he said.

Frank Jennings, an incumbent seeking re-election to the board’s at-large seat, said some of the blame for the school district’s performance has to be laid at the feet of parents, not just the school board.

“Children who come from communities where parents are more interested in self-indulgence than in education are being short-changed,” he said.

John “Hank” Krebs, a former county commissioner who is challenging Small for his Outside City seat, agreed with Robinson, saying that the school district is being hurt by negative perceptions about the quality of education it offers.

“Our math scores are 20 percent below state average, and with the funding we get for the (schools) we should be able to bring that up,” he said. “We have people moving to Perquimans County because they don’t want their kids to come to our schools.”