Forums

Or fora if you are a Latin purist. There have been three forums so far and two to go. I will comment briefly in reverse chronological order.

First, the remaining forums. Tomorrow, the Chinese School of Chapel Hill will have a forum at 4 PM at McDougle Middle School. Then on Wednesday, October 26, at 7 PM there will be a forum at Lake Hogan Farms sponsored by the Lake Hogan Farms precinct of the Orange County Democratic Party.

The forum at Carol Woods was held Tuesday October 11, 2011, in the afternoon. As in the past, it was well attended and the questions were thought provoking. I do not think there is a record of that forum.

There was an online forum at Orange Politics conducted October 9 that can be read here.

The first forum of the season was held Wednesday September 28 at Chapel Hill Town Hall and was jointly sponsored by the PTA Council, NAACP, and PAGE. It was carried live on community cable and rebroadcast on cable and WCHL radio. It is also available online here. There is also a live blog of this forum on Orange Politics if you only have time for brief notes though I think watching the video will give better insight into the candidates. It was good to see these three organizations working together to organize a candidate forum.

As always, feel free to shoot me an email if there is something on your mind about our schools.

Changes to the original slate of candidates

There have been two changes to the Chapel Hill-Carrboro School Board election since the filing period ended back in July. First, it was discovered that the two years remaining on the term of one seat (created by a resignation over a year ago) would be filled not by a separate selection for which Jamezetta Bedford was the only candidate but would be filled by the fifth place finisher for all five open seats (four 4-year term seats and one 2-year term seat). That is, voters have up to five votes to cast among all the candidates. This same situation occurred in 1995 (Nick Didow came in fifth; he ended up serving 10 years total).

The second change is that Brian Bower has officially dropped out of the race. Although his name is already printed on the ballots, any vote cast for him will not be counter, according to Orange County Board of Elections.

Early Voting began yesterday and it is 5 out of 7. The four candidates receiving the greatest number of votes will be seated to four year terms and the fifth place will have a two year term.

Endorsed by Independent

I have been endorsed for re-election by the Independent. Read all about it here.

Endorsed by Orange County Democratic Party

I have been endorsed by the Orange County Democratic Party. You can read information about the endorsed candidates here (they spelled my last name wrong). I appreciate their endorsement. As a reminder, the school board election is non-partisan.

Questionnaire: UNC-TV and the N.C. Center for Voter Education

Candidate Biography (300 words maximum):

I was initially elected to the school board in 2003 and re-elected in 2007. My family has lived in Chapel Hill since the 1990s after having initially moved to the area in 1985. Our four children have attended 8 of the district’s 17 traditional schools. Three of them have completed their education in CHCCS and the youngest is in ninth grade.

I served as chair of the board from 2009 to 2010 and vice chair from 2008 to 2009. I have participated in multiple board committees including Redistricting Committees in 2006 and 2007, Curriculum Advisory Committee, Drug Abuse Task Force, Health Advisory Committee, Technology Advisory Committee, and board liaison to Head Start Policy Council, Special Needs Advisory Committee, Sustainability Committee, Elementary #11 Design Committee, and the School Improvement Teams at several schools. I have also been a member of the North Carolina School Board Association’s Legislative Committee, which helps set the legislative platform for the statewide organization, and was on a Regional Screening Committee for the NC Teaching Fellows Program.

Before joining the board in 2003, I was a parent school volunteer and active in other education-related organizations.

I work as a physician scientist at Duke University and the Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Centers. Prior to coming to Chapel Hill I was in the US Public Health Service at the National Cancer Institute. I received my undergraduate education from Monroe County Community College and the University of Michigan, and my medical degree from the University of Michigan in 1985. None of this would have been possible without the love and support of my family, particularly my wife, Elise Hoffman.

Candidate Statement (300 words maximum):

Every child comes to school with an expectation they will learn. My goal is to help guide the school district to maximize the educational growth of each child. Our district is a high achieving district but is each of our children growing as much as possible?

For the first time in nearly two decades, our district has a new superintendent. I have the necessary school board experience, knowledge of the district, and personal skills to facilitate this critical transition in leadership. This is an opportunity to systematically review our district through the eyes of a new educational leader and institute changes that will bring us closer to our goals.

The constrained budget for our district over the past several years has resulted in tightening of expenditures as well as a reduction of positions, which have tended to negatively impact the educational program. Our teachers and staff have strived to do more with less. I expect there to be continued fiscal austerity that will require continued critical analysis of the cost effectiveness of programs to guide the difficult budget decisions ahead. In addition, I will continue to communicate the needs of the district to local, state, and federal officials who fund our district, and to the community at large.

Our curriculum will be evolving to align with the Common Core State Standards being adopted by North Carolina and 43 other states. As part of that transition, there will also be common testing across the country. Our district, which usually performs near the top in North Carolina, will be directly comparable to other districts across the country.

It is essential to ensure our schools are safe and provide a nurturing environment for students and staff.

Mike Kelley Files for City School Board

For release July 15, 2011

Mike Kelley Files for City School Board

Mike Kelley today filed for re-election to the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education. He is a parent of four children who attend or have attended district schools. He was initially elected to the board in 2003 and re-elected in 2007.

"Our community is at a critical juncture. With a new superintendent starting this month, there is an opportunity to review our district through new eyes while at the same time financial constraints will continue for at least the next several years. Thus, we must focus on priorities and be efficient in how we deliver a high quality education to all children in order to maximize the opportunity for excellence for each child."

During his tenure on the board, Kelley served as chair of the board from 2009 to 2010 and as vice chair from 2008 to 2009. He has participated in multiple board committees including Redistricting Committees in 2006 and 2007, Curriculum Advisory Committee, Drug Abuse Task Force, Health Advisory Committee, Technology Advisory Committee, and board liaison to Head Start Policy Council, Special Needs Advisory Committee, Sustainability Committee, Elementary #11 Design Committee, and the School Improvement Teams at several schools. He has also been a member of the North Carolina School Board Association’s Legislative Committee, which helps set the legislative platform for the state-wide organization.

Before joining the board in 2003, Kelley has been a parent school volunteer and active in other education-related organizations. As a result of redistricting, a move, and program participation, Kelley's four children have attended nearly half the schools in the district. In the fall, he will have two children in high school, one in college, and the fourth pursuing an advanced degree.

Kelley, 51, is a physician scientist at Duke University and the Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Centers.

Kelley is married to Elise Hoffman. Prior to coming to Chapel Hill in 1998, he was in the US Public Health Service at the National Cancer Institute in Maryland. Kelley received his undergraduate education from Monroe County Community College and the University of Michigan, and earned his medical degree in 1985 from the University of Michigan.

Contact information:

Mike Kelley

205 Ukiah Lane

Chapel Hill, NC 27514

919-442-8734

mkelley3@nc.rr.com

http://kelley4schoolboard.blogspot.com/

Letter to Editor: Daily Tar Heel

TO THE EDITOR:

I am writing to support the re-election of Mike Kelley to the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education.

Mike has been an effective and tireless advocate for our schools, and he thus deserves our vote.

I know Mike personally and professionally. He is smart, articulate and responsive. I urge us all to support him on election day.



Lawrence Marks

Chapel Hill Resident