top of page
Tim Merrick - Photo - New Hanover HS copy.png

Safe Learning Environments

 ALL New Hanover County students, parents and educators deserve safe, welcoming, supportive environments that enable students to comfortably learn. 

​

I will work to:​

  • Ensure our schools meet national staffing standards for counselors, social workers and psychologists- all critical support staff that meet the mental health needs of our students.

  •  Collaborate with local leaders to advocate for our state legislature to revise the funding model to reflect the needs of our school communities.

  • Provide oversight to the superintendent to prioritize student-facing positions over PR and other central office positions.

  • Reduce off-campus suspensions and promote solutions that keep kids in school. 

  • Ensure school buildings are secured with the latest technologies to prevent outside intruders. Construction and renovation needs should prioritize safety.

  • Create a culture in which all educators feel respected, all students feel valued, and all parents feel heard.

Professional Empowment

Our students deserve quality- certified and licensed- educators. And our educators deserve a respectful relationship with the school board, central office, and parents- one that honors their expertise, professional judgement, and autonomy. Feeling valued and respected affords our teachers the ability to be flexible, reflective, and grow in their passion and dedication to engage students in meaningful learning. 

 

I will work to: 

  • Oppose and revise punitive board policies that over-reach, encroach on autonomy, obscure truth, and fail to reflect the diverse needs of our school communities. 

  • Ensure teachers can meaningfully participate in the process of curriculum adoption that reflects  truth and is relevant to New Hanover County’s diverse student population.

  • Provide teachers with ample opportunity for review, training, and preparation ahead of implementing new curriculum or mandated programs. 

  • Protect teachers' time to plan, grade, and collaborate with students and colleagues. 

  • Promote quality learning experiences by collaborating to recruit and retain energized, certified, and licensed educators.

  • Creatively forge partnerships that foster community engagement to enrich and expand learning. 

Fully Funded Classrooms

In order for students and teachers to reach their full potential, they need access to resources.  North Carolina’s public schools are chronically underfunded. Our families deserve a school board that effectively collaborates with state and community leaders to ensure a sustainable, reliable funding model that reflects the needs of our growing school communities. 

​

I will work to: 

  • Advocate for our state lawmakers to revise their funding model to accurately reflect the needs of our public schools and ensure the state fulfills their duty to be the primary funding source for public schools. 

  • Collaborate with board members and county commissioners to revise the current local funding model to promote sustainability and reliability. 

  • Prioritize spending in the classroom for resources that will directly impact students every day.  

  • Realistically evaluate and responsibly implement renovation and construction needs of our growing school communities. 

  • Investigate ways to fully capitalize on available grant opportunities, such as investing in a full-time grant writer. 

  • Collaborate to make sure our public schools are leveraging all opportunities to access funding made available from The New Hanover County Endowment Board. 

bottom of page