The Sunday evening before school started on Monday found two retired teachers pitted against school board candidates in an “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader” match up on the stage at the Franklin High School Fine Arts Center.
The trivia contest on Aug. 25 was part of a Board of Education candidate forum presented by the Macon County Young Progressive Voters. Taking the stage were retired teachers Marcia Doty and Sue Feldkamp against two of the District 4 school board candidates, incumbent Jim Breedlove and John deVille.
The third school board candidate in the running for that seat, Danny Reitmeier, said he was invited to participate in the forum but had a family function to attend. Reitmeier said he was sorry to miss the opportunity to talk with people but that he would always put family first.
Matt Holland, chair of the Young Progressive Voters, opened the evening by sharing information about their group. He said they want to be active in the community and were conducting a food and water drive and collecting donations for Together We Can, which helps foster families.
“But our main purpose is to bring enthusiasm to young voters, to be part of the democratic process,” Holland said.
Betsy Baste, third vice chair of the Macon County Democratic Party, said they modeled the forum after the game show “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader.” “We want to make it less stressful; we could all use a little stress release right now,” she said.
The teachers and candidates received the questions prior to the forum. “Now we get to see how well they studied,” Baste said.
On the table in front of the podium were cups labeled with various subjects such as math, science, geography, language arts and social studies. The cups were filled with trivia questions for the “contestants” to draw from. Baste said she pulled the questions from the game show, so they “are not more difficult that what we expect fifth graders to know.”
There were three additional color-coded cups just for the candidates – blue for basic Board of Education issues and things board members should know; red for more challenging questions; and green for moving forward toward the future.
To begin the evening, each candidate was given three minutes to introduce himself followed by a round of trivia questions, then throughout the “game show” candidates would draw questions from the candidate cups. Only one candidate answered each question drawn. Breedlove won the coin toss to begin with a three-minute opening statement.
Breedlove, who currently serves as school board chair, said he is a lifelong resident of Macon County and the only time he has lived outside the county was when he was in undergraduate school at UNC Chapel Hill. When he returned home, he went on to earn his master’s in business administration from Western Carolina University.
“It’s all about family for me,” Breedlove said, adding that he has two children who are both products of Macon County Schools and three grandchildren, two of them who are currently in county schools.
“I promise you if anyone questions am I invested in Macon County Schools, certainly yes. Nothing is more important to me than their education, and I’m serving to make sure they receive the absolute best that they possibly can.”
Breedlove said he also believes in serving others and that when you live in a community you need to be invested in it and “working to make it a better place for all who live there.”
deVille said he was starting his 30th year teaching at Franklin High School on Monday and that he too is a product of Macon County Schools, having graduated from Highlands School. He said 49 years ago he was in a play on the same stage where the forum was being held in the FHS Fine Arts Center. deVille said his candidacy is about a “sense of urgency.”
“When I look at Macon County Schools right now, I see a series of flashing red lights,” he said as he sat a flashing red light on the table. “I have a sense of urgency that I want to bring to our school system.”
As part of that urgency, he said there are issues that can’t wait and that must be addressed such as classroom issues, mental health, teacher recruitment and retention and capital projects. deVille said if elected he will ask the hard questions, that he will promote critical thinking in the classroom and on the school board, and that every dollar spent ends up in the classroom.
The following are the questions answered by each candidate.
Jim Breedlove
How would you deal with curriculum challenges:
You put the best people in the positions that are available. He gave the example of former FHS principal Mickey Noe moving into the position of Chief Academic Officer and Director of Federal Programs.
“You sit back and listen, and you turn the experts loose and let them tell you, and then you agree or disagree,” he said. “Curriculum comes from the state, but you can tweak it to make it better for all the students here in Macon County.”
How will you handle requests if approached by teachers?
Breedlove said he was told early in his tenure on the board that you never say, “I’ll take care of it.”
“You open up a trap for yourself that you may not be able to get out of,” he said.
He encourages teachers to follow a process by first talking to their principal and if for some reason that is not possible, to then talk to the superintendent. He said the board members should not get involved in personnel matters.
Later in the forum Breedlove drew a similar question asking how he would handle requests from community members or special interest groups.
“I think it’s very important that you follow the process that has been established,” he said.
He said ask questions, but do not make promises. “Get as much information as you can, then you refer it to the superintendent and to the rest of the Board of Education.”
What is your vision for education in this county?
Breedlove said when he first came on the board there was a strong emphasis on making sure every student was “college ready.”
“But that’s just not what it’s about,” he said. “What it’s about is crafting an educational program that is going to give every single student that comes through our doors a chance to better themselves and make themselves a success in the future.”
He said that might be college for some students, but it could also be vocational, which is why they are working to further develop the Career Technical Education (CTE) program.
He said it is also important to listen to teachers. He said as long as the best interest of the students is kept in mind they can’t go wrong.
What is the role of the superintendent of schools?
Breedlove pointed out Superintendent Josh Lynch in the audience, saying he is a “local boy” who is “totally invested in our school system.” Lynch is entering his second year as superintendent.
Breedlove said the superintendent is basically the leader vested in running the school system. “The Board of Education works with him, we interact with him, he reports to us, we try to give him the advantages that he can use. But bottom line, the superintendent controls our school system. And, it’s very, very important that we have a good one.”
Breedlove said Lynch has hit the ground running, has a leadership team in place, “and I expect great things from our school system.”
What are the current challenges facing Macon County Schools?
“I think the biggest issue that faces every single school system in our state is funding,” Breedlove said.
He explained how the state uses the ADM (average daily membership) to formulate how much funding each system will get for teacher positions. “It’s wholly inadequate,” he said.
Breedlove said the second challenge is the changing world. “Our children face an uncertain future to say the least,” Breedlove said. “It is our job to try to prepare them, as I’ve said before, to be a success in the coming years after they leave high school and come back, hopefully, to Macon County.”
How can the Board of Education accomplish its goals?
Breedlove said the board is made up of five people elected by the community. “They have to have a cohesive relationship. That is very, very essential.” He said he is proud of the current board and that the members leave their personal agendas at the door in order to work for the betterment of the educational system.
“There may be times we agree to disagree, but at least when we walk out, we feel like we’ve made the best choice we possibly can, the future of our schools is being taken care of.”
Following an intermission, the candidates were given three minutes to talk about other topics they may not have addressed during their opening statements or through the forum questions.
“Experience counts, folks,” Breedlove said. He shared how he first came on the board in 2008 during what is now called the Great Recession.
“At that time we were faced with what was called a financial cliff. Finances had hit rock bottom. Our jobs money from the federal government had dried up,” he said. He said despite the lack of federal and state money, the school system wanted to maintain the same level of education.
He said at the time there was $275,000 in the fund balance, but it took $800,000 a month to run the system. “So we settled down. We had to make some hard decisions,” he said. There were cuts and positions eliminated through attrition.
“I think we came through it very, very well. We managed to maintain our financial stability the entire time I have been on the board,” he said. Then there was COVID. “We survived, but it was a total shock.”
“I hope we never go through that again, folks, because it was not the best education. Virtual learning, unfortunately, in my opinion does not prepare students and it is not a substitute for in-classroom teaching. Our teachers are an important part of that. Students need to be in front of them. They need to listen and interact with the students, and they need to interact with each other.”
Breedlove said another reason he is running is that the school system has a number of capital projects that are “very, very important to our future.
Closing statement
Breedlove said it’s important to have the right people on the Board of Education as they are always judging what is best for our children and the county.
“I think my experience is valuable,” he said. “We have a lot of big projects. I want to be part of that. And I think with my experience, I will do everything I possibly can, both for our community and for our school system. And, above all else, it is whatever is in the best interest of the students.”
John deVille
What role does the Board of Education have in creating school policy?
deVille said the school board should have the final say in school policy, but it should be a collaborative process. He said that collaboration should include teachers, parents, students, building administrators, the leadership at the central office.
“But the buck stops with the Board of Education,” he said. “And, developing policy, that is their number one role and to see that the leadership executes that policy.”
Later in the forum he drew a similar question asking, “What do you see as the role of the Board of Education.” His response was that developing policy is the primary role of the board and balancing that against financial constraints.
“It’s formulating policy and principles, and then you let your superintendent go with that, and your building administrators and your teachers go with that together.”
How will you prevent conflicts of interest from influencing your decisions?
deVille said there are four other board members who should have their say as well as teachers, administrators and school system leaders, and if everything is being done above board that should solve any potential conflicts of interest.
How should the Board of Education determine its priorities?
deVille said there are a number of ways to approach this. “I think it’s through deep conversations with the community.”
He cited the recent process the school system did with Open Way Learning to develop a strategic plan.
“One way is just to wander the hallways and talk to teachers and students. Another way is to get out to different community groups and talk to them.”
He said then you have to take that input and determine what the wallet will allow to set the priorities.
What kind of relationship should the Board of Education have with the County Commissioners?
deVille said as has been suggested by members from both boards that there should be more joint meetings. “Absolutely we need to meet a least once a quarter,” he said. “And, I would also add to that, every single dollar that Macon County Schools spends should be published on the web.”
He said that would create more transparency between the two boards and the taxpayers. “I think through that transparency, greater trust than what currently exists can be fostered.”
How can our county retain quality teachers?
deVille said retaining quality teachers is also important, and that while they may not be able to do that with money, that they can provide a supportive work environment. He said there needs to be greater teacher input when developing the budget.
“I think that the more that teachers are seen, the more they believe that they have a voice in what goes on in their building, what programs are adopted. I think that goes a long way toward teacher retention.”
How would you support a board decision that you are not in favor of?
deVille said it’s important to listen to others’ reasons and to support the board decision – presenting a unified front. He said in giving an issue time, you may discover your perspective was wrong, or if things go sideways maybe the issue needs to be looked at again.
In his remarks after intermission, deVille spoke on vouchers and how they impact funding to the local school system. deVille said he approached the school board in 2013 to confront the issue of vouchers. He said the board, under Breedlove’s leadership, passed a resolution calling into question vouchers, which at that time totaled about $10 million. For the 2024-25 year, that amount has grown to $192 million and is estimated at half a billion for the following year.
“Those dollars are almost entirely unaccountable,” he said. “So, if you want to know where our money is, it’s in unaccountable vouchers”
deVille said he wants to reach across every possible political divide and pull the community together.
“In my mind, a Category 4 [hurricane] has hit public education, and it’s all hands on deck.”
He suggested creating a “punch list” that would be handed out to every community member who “professes a love and support of public education.”
Closing statement
deVille said he agreed with Breedlove that experience counts and that action counts.
In citing his 30 years of experience as a teacher, deVille said, “I made the decision to run because I believe it is time for a teacher voice on the Board of Education.”
He described teachers as front-line workers who bring a unique and important perspective to vetting programs, decisions and policy.