Schools

During my tenure on the Board of Commissioners, we focused on helping to provide the resources our schools need to succeed. I and others on the Board will continue to work with common purpose to strengthen our public school system.

I am are proud of our schools and grateful to the many parents and others who volunteer to help our dedicated teachers and staff. Our children are our future and that future will be a lot brighter with a strong public school system. We need a strong school system to attract businesses with good paying jobs.

  • The Chatham County Board of Commissioners were selected “Commissioners of the Year” in 2009 by the North Carolina School Board Association in recognition of outstanding support for the schools, developing a strong working relationship with the Board of Education and the creative funding of education in the face of a financial crisis.
  • We increased school funding by 4% in 2009 while we decreased the overall county budget by 3%.
  • Chatham county ranks 5th out of 100 counties in school funding
  • In the next four years, I will continue to work with the school system and the citizens of Chatham County to develop a forward looking school construction program.
  • We have established a land banking program for future school sites.
  • Many of our schools are old and need repair and renovations. During the last three years we have increased funding for renovations at all 17 schools in the county and we will continue to do so.
  • We navigated through difficult financial markets to build the Margaret B. Pollard Middle School. This school is scheduled to open in late 2010 and it will alleviate overcrowding at North Chatham School and Perry Harrison.
  • We completed Virginia Cross Elementary School in Siler City
  • We secured funding for renovations/expansion of Northwood High School and those renovations have been completed.
  • We put the new High School back on the Capital Improvement Program.
  • We seek the opinion of the School Board when considering major new developments in Chatham County so that the impact on our schools can be assessed.
  • We expanded the Community College system allowing for increased technical and vocational training for Chatham County students.
  • We are working with the school system to reduce the dropout rate.