Sunday, November 3, 2024

2024 Elections: Vickie Smith on the ballot for district 1 BCS Board of Education seat

Vickie Smith is the only candidate running for Brunswick County’s district 1 seat on the board of education. (Courtesy photo)

BRUNSWICK COUNTY — Republican Vickie Smith won the primary election for the district 1 Brunswick County Board of Education seat.

READ MORE: What to expect when voting in NC during the 2024 election season

She does not have a Democratic opponent in this year’s election. PCD is running unchallenged candidate profiles as well so voters know where they stand on issues.

A retired educator, Smith worked in public education for more than 30 years as a kindergarten teacher and school administrator.

“I am running for the board of education because I want to help our students and teachers continue to grow and be successful,” she said. “I feel that my experience as a teacher and principal will allow me to provide valuable input into key decisions facing our schools. High expectations, coupled with support for students and staff will yield excellent results.  Hiring and retaining great teachers is the quickest way to success!  Recognizing the wisdom of our veteran teachers plays a key role as well.  Their experience is priceless and needs to be valued.”  

As a board member, Smith hopes to institute programs to better prepare students for kindergarten, work toward improving staff and educator attrition and placing more instructional teacher assistants in the classrooms.

What Vickie Smith is…
• Listening to: Teaching to the TOP Podcast #243
• Watching: Not really watching anything currently. Writing a book with a colleague about Union’s journey to becoming a National Blue RIbbon School. 
• Reading: Mostly children’s books while keeping my granddaughter
Name something about yourself that readers would be surprised to learn: I grew up with three brothers and loved riding motorcycles (got my first one at age 5) and climbing trees.

Absentee ballots are already being mailed and early voting opens mid-October. Locations in Brunswick County include:

  • Government Center Location: Brunswick County Cooperative Extension: 25 Referendum Drive NE, Building N, Bolivia
  • Leland Cultural Arts Center: 1212 Magnolia Village Way, Leland
  • Oak Island Moose Lodge: 4239 Long Beach Road SE, Southport
  • Brunswick Center at Supply: 101 Stone Chimney Road SE, Supply
  • Brunswick Center at Shallotte: 3620 Express Drive, Shallotte
  • Sunset Beach Community Center: 200 Station Trail, Sunset Beach

Voters will be able to cast ballots at any of the above places and can register to vote beforehand; see all early-voting hours here

Election Day is Nov. 5, with polls opening at 6:30 a.m. and closing at 7:30 p.m. All voters will have to go to their precinct to cast a ballot, as shown on their voter registry.

An ID must be presented to cast a ballot in the election. Acceptable forms of ID include NC drivers license or state ID, U.S. passport, college or student university ID, some state employee IDs and out-of-state drivers license or ID, as long as voter registration was done within 90 days of the election. IDs not in good standing can be expired by one year or less.

Port City Daily has compiled candidate questionnaires so voters can read up on contenders’ stances before heading to the polls this election season. All answers have been edited only for clarity; the candidates’ opinions and statements are not a reflection of Port City Daily. 

The paywall is dropped on profiles to help voters make informed decisions ahead of the election.

Port City Daily: What are the top three items you’re campaigning on this season and why?

Vickie Smith: I would like to create regional pre-K programs in our county to help our 4-year-olds get ready for kindergarten. Early intervention is crucial. 

I would also like to place more instructional assistants (teacher assistants) in grades K-1 to provide the support needed when providing our students a firm foundation in reading and math, as well as providing an extra set of hands for safety reasons. 

Lastly, I want to ensure that we are hiring and retaining the very best staff which means we need to be competitive with  surrounding counties and states regarding our local supplements. We also need to recognize teachers who consistently meet or exceed growth according to the state EVAAS and mCLASS data. Our current board has made great strides in this area, but there’s more we can do. 

PCD: Name an issue you struggle to find a solution for that affects your district and how would you go about determining a path forward? If you have a personal anecdote to share that has helped guide you in deciding how to move forward, please, share.

VS: An issue that many districts struggle with is increasing student achievement. I believe we can tackle this in a couple of ways. We can use our data to identify teachers who have high growth/exceed growth according to the state and pay them a stipend in the summer to create lesson plans and pacing guides that can be shared throughout their grade level or content area. For subject areas or grades without EOG data, we could use other informal measures to identify teachers to help. High performing teachers, many of whom are veteran teachers, are the best resources we have for mentoring and helping other teachers grow. We should be tapping into their expertise since they are the ones teaching the content daily.  

PCD: In March, the board voted to implement a Yondr pouch pilot program to limit classroom distractions amid rapid technological growth. Some parents have pushed back worrying over security measures, particularly when it comes to reaching their kids during emergency situations. Do you support the program? Explain.

VS: I support students not having access to their phones during instruction time at school. Cellphones are a major distraction to students and teachers. I understand parents being concerned with not having immediate access to their children and if elected will ensure that administration at each school communicates efficiently and effectively if safety issues arise at the school and during lock-down drills. I would also support each teacher having a magnet in their possession to unlock pouches if a true emergency ever arose.  

PCD: As a school board member, where do you think the balance is between leaning into parental feedback and executing programs that staff and educators have advocated for?

VS: Parents have a right to and should advocate for their children and we need to hear their thoughts and keep an open line of communication. Their input is valuable and they need to know that we care for their children and want what is best for them as well. Teachers also should have a voice. They are the experts delivering the instruction and want their students to be successful. Creating respectful relationships with our parents and staff will ensure we are collaborating and making the best decisions for our students. We are all on the same team! 

PCS: Do you think the district is adequately staffed? What positions would you like to see prioritized and/or deprioritized, and what should the board do to create a better working environment for its employees? How would you address a shortage of EC and STEM-related teachers in the county, and what would you do to prioritize retention of teachers in this field?

VS: I feel that we are adequately staffed for our current initiatives, but I will always advocate for and support prioritizing positions that directly impact our students such as teacher assistants and other instructional positions which work directly with our kids. I am a strong proponent of “human” resources because they make the biggest difference in our schools. I guess you could say I’m a “People over Programs” person. 

A better work environment for staff doesn’t always mean money, although that’s part of it. It also means finding ways to ensure that staff throughout our school system feels heard and valued.  It takes everyone to make schools work! We can always do a better job of recognizing staff for their hard work and accomplishments.  Visiting schools and seeing their hard work provides a perfect opportunity to  personally compliment and thank them for their efforts while building positive relationships.  

One way of addressing the EC and STEM teacher shortage is by growing our own.  Our new Superintendent, Dale Cole, did an amazing job of pushing this initiative as he along with our Board of Ed recently started the Grow Your Own Teacher Program where we provide scholarships to Brunswick County teacher assistants and high school students who are going into the education field.  

Offering signing bonuses for EC teachers is a necessity.  I also feel that our EC teachers, as well as our EC students, would benefit from a behavior support specialist who could provide hands-on, side by side coaching for students with severe behaviors on a daily basis. Having the consistency of that support would improve behaviors and help our teacher retention rate in our Exceptional Children’s program. 

We must create an environment where all of our teachers feel encouraged and supported and where they are given all of the tools needed to do their job, then trust them to do it.  

Our first priority must always be the students. In addition to STEM,  I would love for our elementary kids to have an opportunity to learn a foreign language.  

PCD: Would you support another bond referendum? How much do you think would be needed and what would you want the money to be used for?

VS: We are on the verge of experiencing overcrowding at several of our elementary schools due to the growth in our county. Our board has recently reached an agreement to purchase land in Leland for a new school. This is a good start to addressing this issue. Additional land sites will be needed and I want to support the efforts to acquire them to ensure that students have access to appropriate facilities.  Fun fact: It is my understanding that the 2016 School Bond did not increase taxes in Brunswick County. The County Commissioners were able to absorb the costs in their budget. Demographic predictions say that we will need multiple schools over the next decade.  Land and construction of new schools is very costly but necessary.  

PCD: The recent potential tropical cyclone left upward of 50 teachers and staff stranded in schools. While the schools made the decision to close to students, it was an optional workday for staff. Do you support this decision? Explain. As scientists and meteorologists claim storms will intensify due to a warming climate, do you think policies should be reconsidered when it comes to planning for storms? Explain how.

VS: Tropical Cyclone 8 was a surprise to everyone. What began as a forecast for 2-4 inches of rain for Monday morning turned into 20 plus inches of rain in certain parts of our county thus turning an optional workday into a nightmare. I spent from 2007-2022 as the assistant principal and principal at Union and nothing like this ever happened during that time. Normally when an optional workday is called, it is so that staff who can safely get to their worksite can do so and avoid taking leave. I don’t think anyone purposely put staff in danger, but it was upsetting that staff was stuck at schools and at the central office all night. I pray that nothing like that ever happens again and I do think a conversation needs to occur when planning for future weather issues and opening schools for staff.  

PCD: What is the current board of education getting right? Wrong?

VS: Our current board of education has shown itself to be student and staff centered. I can honestly say that having served as a school principal during Covid, I was overjoyed that they voted for our kids to come to school face to face as soon as it was safe to do so. The loss of learning that occurred in districts where they were not allowed to have face to face instruction was tremendous.  

I also think that they are preparing for the rapid growth in our county as they recently committed to a purchase agreement for land in Leland. They realize that we will need to build some schools to accommodate the growth that we are experiencing.  

Read Smith’s primary Q&A from Port City Daily here to learn more on where he stands on issues facing the district.


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Shea Carver
Shea Carver
Shea Carver is the editor in chief at Port City Daily. A UNCW alumna, Shea worked in the print media business in Wilmington for 22 years before joining the PCD team in October 2020. She specializes in arts coverage — music, film, literature, theatre — the dining scene, and can often be tapped on where to go, what to do and who to see in Wilmington. When she isn’t hanging with her pup, Shadow Wolf, tending the garden or spinning vinyl, she’s attending concerts and live theater.

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