A4E does not endorse any candidates for the Forsyth County School Board. We did ask all registered candidates to answer a series of questions about their commitment to educational equity. We recognize that we sent this questionnaire out late in the election cycle, but these are the answers that we received. Thanks to those candidates who responded. We encourage all of our supporters to consider this information as you vote.
1. What policies would you support for curriculum and instruction that positively represent Black and Brown students' history, culture, home language and identities? Leah Crowley: I will continue to support multicultural content in all subject areas to best reflect the students who we serve. Allen Daniel: I support any and all curriculum and instruction that completely and accurately portrays the history and culture of all people around the world. I support instruction in native languages where possible, and acknowledging every student's identity. 2. What types of recruitment strategies/ professional development would be necessary to create a social structure and organization that embraces the identities of Black, Brown, linguistically diverse, and poor students? Leah Crowley: Having a culture of embracing diversity in staff and students is the best strategy we can have. People need to feel welcomed, valued, and respected. Allen Daniel: We need to recruit the highest qualified staff possible for every position. Highly qualified means they have the experience and the knowledge necessary to reach every student where they are, to acknowledge and affirm their heritage and personal story, and to show every student the highest level of respect, regardless of their background or current personal circumstances. When it is determined that a staff member does not hold those qualifications, professional development should be scheduled in acknowledged area of weakness. 3. As a school board member, how would you find positive ways to interact with poor, Black, Brown, linguistically diverse communities/constituents in order to best serve their needs for equity? Leah Crowley: I treat people with respect and don’t make assumptions based on appearance. People’s needs are best served when interactions are sincere. Allen Daniel: I will be willing to meet personally or communicate via email or phone with any constituent, regardless of their background. I will listen respectfully to their concerns, and bring those concerns to the board. As a candidate, I scheduled meet and greets at every public library in the county for up to four hours, over the past two weeks, to do exactly that. 4. How would you describe achievement/opportunity gaps in the district and what policies would you support in order to raise achievement in underperforming schools? Leah Crowley:Achievement gaps are real. I have supported mentoring and tutoring programs. Getting students involved in extracurricular activities, like art, music, clubs, and athletics is a proven way to get engagement in academics. I also support career and technical classes for exposure and development of interests. Allen Daniel: The achievement and opportunity gaps in the district are profound and long-standing. Between 2015 and 2020, while one of the stated goals was to close the achievement gap, the gap actually widened. The only way to close the achievement gap is to make sure there is a highly qualified teacher, teaching in their area of licensure in every classroom in the district; to make certain they have the time, support, and autonomy they need to meet every child where they are and guide them to proficiency. We must also hold every student responsible and accountable for doing their part in achieving success. 5. Describe a budget that achieves the goals of raising achievement and producing equity across the district: Leah Crowley: I have advocated for smaller class sizes for Title I students, as well as more teacher assistants. The teacher to student ratio is one key for success. I also support bonuses for educators who teach in Title I schools. Allen Daniel: The facilities assessment, if it is not complete, has been far too long in its completion. That should be an annual process. That assessment then needs to be included in the budget request to the county, prioritizing schools where maintenance and updates are the farthest behind. The budget needs to fund the personnel necessary to fill every vacant position, and bring support personnel numbers up to the point their workload is manageable. That does not necessarily mean x number of support staff for y number of students. It means providing the requisite number of teachers and support staff at every school. Schools where students are the farthest behind might require smaller class sizes. Schools with higher levels of poverty might require more support staff. Schools with greater behavioral issues might require more AP's. Where our local budget cannot fund the necessary expenses, we need to seek state, federal and corporate grants to fill the gap; while lobbying our state and local government to step up. It is difficult to hire personnel into a grant-funded position, or into a position where it is obvious they are going to be immediately overwhelmed. 6. What are ways to bring older facilities up to standard, improve the air quality/ventilation systems and maintain them at the same level as newer facilities? Leah Crowley: A facilities assessment, approved by the board, is being conducted right now. This report will inform us on the condition of our buildings, systems, technology, athletic facilities, security, parking, and playgrounds for all but our newest schools. We will be better able to identify priorities and allocate resources with this report. Allen Daniel: My recommendation for ESSER funds was to use them to bring the HVAC systems at every school to the latest standards. Those funds are a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to update all our facilities. As stated above, there should be a detailed assessment of every facility every year, and priority assigned to maintenance needs that affect safety instruction. In our elementary schools, that assessment should include playground equipment. That should be included in the funding of every elementary school construction project; and it should be a priority at every existing school. It should not be a PTA-funded option. 7. Research demonstrates, irrespective of methodology, poor, and students of color receive disproportionate disciplinary actions that are punitive and exclude them from the standard curriculum. What will you do to reverse this trend in the district? Leah Crowley: We passed a new code of conduct that is addressing this. We will continue to monitor data to determine its effectiveness and make any needed changes. Allen Daniel: I do not support ISS as it currently exists. If it is necessary to remove a student from the classroom due to behavior, they should be able to go to a subject-related classroom. There should be a math ISS, an English ISS, etc, with a qualified educator who can help students stay on track academically, while also supporting their development to help them return to the classroom. I do not support OSS or expulsion at all. If a student's conduct in the classroom is so disruptive as to require their extended removal, it should be removal to a more structured environment that continues to support their academic progress while addressing personal growth. The standards of behavior should be applied equally to all students, regardless of race or socio-economic status. All students need to be held to a high standard of behavior that allows the teacher to teach and all students in the classroom to learn to their highest ability. No one can teach, no one can learn in an environment of chaos. It is a matter of expecting everyone to treat everyone else with mutual respect. 8. How can the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child framework be used to support teaching and learning? Leah Crowley: Getting community support through volunteers in our schools is one key component to support teachers and students. One of the components is family engagement and I would like to see more of this as parents and caregivers are another key to student success. Allen Daniel: The WSCC framework calls for supporting the physical, educational, and emotional needs of all members of the community. We need to realize that our teachers cannot do it all, as they are currently expected to do. They need to have the support personnel in the schools, who have access to support personnel in the community; mental health support, medical support, financial support, etc. A teacher should not be expected to spend more than five minutes dealing with any type of issue one-on-one with a student before they pick up the phone and ask for support. There should be someone available to come get that child and address their needs, no matter what they are. The student may just need a quiet place; they may need to talk; they may need food; or they may need support beyond what can be administered at school. That is when the support personnel reach out to community support and the family, doing everything possible to help every student thrive. 9. Describe your support for allocation of resources for building a new Ashley Elementary as soon as possible: Leah Crowley:I have supported this initiative since I was elected to the board in 2018. As buildings and grounds chair, I led the effort to find and purchase property for a new Ashley. Allen Daniel: I do not support a new Ashley. Mr. Al Jabbar once told me, as justification for building a new Ashley, that building a new Atkins worked. I did some research. It did not work. Atkins was built in 2005 and assigned about 800 students. By 2010, there were less than 300, teachers were quitting, test scores were abysmal, fights and drugs were rampant. They made Atkins a 100% magnet school, and brought in a new principal. In 2018, there were close to 800 students at Atkins, but less than 60 of them live in the original Atkins attendance zone; the population was 44% white, 37% free and reduced lunch, and the graduation rate was 100%. The rest of the original population had been transferred to Carver, Glenn, and Reynolds; all schools with less than 50% of students at grade level. The only thing that remains of "old Atkins" - at the current location between 2005 and 2010 - are many of the teachers and the building. A new building changed nothing. What has to change are the expectations of the students. I do not believe there is a student in this district, unless they have physical, psychological, or intellectual differences that prevent it, who cannot achieve at grade level and conduct themselves in a manner conducive to the education of all. In some schools, in some classrooms, there will be required a higher level of support. We, as a district, a county and a state have to provide whatever is necessary to help every student achieve an actual high school education; not, as we are currently doing, allow them to walk through thirteen years and across a stage into a world for which they are totally unprepared. 10. Describe your support for full implementation of Equity Policy 1100: Leah Crowley: I fully support all students benefiting from all aspects of the learning environment. WSFCS must do everything to ensure access for all. Allen Daniel: I fully support any policy in the district that has as its goal providing a safe environment in which teachers are given the support and autonomy necessary to meet every student where they are and guide them to reaching their highest possible level of education.
