2023 CMS candidate questionnaires

Candidates reply to our questions on student academic standards and their priorities.

Oct 15, 2023

These are the responses to The Charlotte Ledger’s questionnaires for candidates for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education.

➡️ For summaries of CMS candidates and links to news articles about school board races, go to the CMS election page.

➡️ For information on sample ballots and voting, and links to coverage of other local races, go to the general Election Hub page.

(Responses were compiled by Sucharita Kodali and edited by Tony Mecia.)

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education Candidate Responses

Annette Albright

Q. If elected, what is one tangible thing you would like to accomplish for Charlotte students and/or teachers within the first six months as a member of the Board of Education?

If elected, the one tangible thing I would like to accomplish for students and or teachers within the first six months as a member of the BOE would be to create safe school environments where educators feel safe to teach and students are safe to learn.

Q. Superintendent Hill recently proposed reducing the goal for “state diploma endorsements” for graduating high school seniors. Do you think this is a good or bad idea and why?

I know this is an awful idea, and I am very disappointed in Dr. Hill for lowering standards as an easy fix. A state diploma should indicate that a student is career- or college-ready. Reducing the goals for endorsements will set students up for failure.

Q. Please provide the following biographic information about yourself for voters: age, occupation, your education, area of Charlotte where you reside. In your case, please feel free to add any background about the CMS Unity Slate (history, how it came together) that may help voters.

My full name is Inez Annette Albright, but I go by Annette Albright. I was born and raised in Mount Airy, N.C., and relocated to Charlotte in 1992. I am the mother of one biological daughter and three adopted children, and I am also a grandmother of five. I purchased a home in northwest Charlotte, where I have lived for over 20 years.

I hold an AAS in Corrections and Juvenile Service, a BA in Criminal Justice and A MSL in Organizational Management and Leadership Development. I have been employed with the Division of Prisons and Department of Corrections combined for almost 20 years. I left Adult Corrections for a number of years and during that time. I was employed with Land Use and Environmental Services in the role of Residential Permitting Manager, Child Support Enforcement for over 3 years, and for 3.5 years, I was employed with Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools in different roles before returning to Adult Corrections.

I have been a very vocal advocate for safe schools since 2016 after being assaulted by students.

The CMS Unity Slate came together due to a divided school board and a divided community. If CMS is to be successful, it will take everyone working together to ensure each child is offered the best educational opportunities available.

Claire Covington

Q. If elected, what is one tangible thing you would like to accomplish for Charlotte students and/or teachers within the first six months as a member of the Board of Education?

I would begin by looking at data to measure student outcomes and would then ensure that the Board focused at least 50% of its time on governance relating to the improvement of student outcomes. I would work with Superintendent Hill to ensure that she was implementing the stated goal of improving student outcomes and would require regular reports from her to that effect.

Q. Superintendent Hill recently proposed reducing the goal for “state diploma endorsements” for graduating high school seniors. Do you think this is a good or bad idea and why?

I was not part of the decision making process, but I believe wholeheartedly that Superintendent Hill should be empowered by the Board of Education to make such decisions, as it is her job to improve student outcomes. I further believe that she fully researched the issue and am hopeful that her decision will address equity issues, reduce academic pressure on students and improve student outcomes.

I was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, and moved to the Charlotte area in 2013. I attended Tulane University for undergraduate studies and the University of Illinois at Chicago for law school. I'm a licensed NC attorney. I am 45 years old. I live in Plaza Midwood.

The Unity Slate came together as a diverse set of like-minded professionals who demand reforms with CMS and have a solid plan to effectuate real change and disrupt the status quo, if elected to the Board of Education.

Bill Fountain

Q. If elected, what is one tangible thing you would like to accomplish for Charlotte students and/or teachers within the first six months as a member of the Board of Education?

The first issue I would tackle is respect for the Code of Student Conduct for safe and productive classrooms. This effort requires consistency among the learning community superintendents, principals, teachers, counselors, staff, and students. Applying Superintendent Hill’s focus on high expectations should help create a culture where manners and behavior recognize the dignity of everyone.

By promoting safe and productive classrooms with less distractions, learning should increase, leading to enhanced student performance and public confidence. With greater commitment to fruitful learning environment, some students may be unwilling to embrace the standards of conduct and, consequently, be suspended. CMS should help these suspended students keep pace with their classmates and encourage them to modify their behavior for their and others’ benefit and to return to their classes.

I also would reach out to the various faith groups, non-profit charities, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organizations, and parent-teacher organizations. These groups often have great insight into the causes of self-destructive behavior and how to help these students flourish.

Q. Superintendent Hill recently proposed reducing the goal for “state diploma endorsements” for graduating high school seniors. Do you think this is a good or bad idea and why?

Bad idea since it reduces expectations.

Q. Please provide the following biographic information about yourself for voters: age, occupation, your education, area of Charlotte where you reside.

Occupation: Retired

Education: Teacher’s License—UNCC; Master's Business Management and Supervision—Central Michigan University; Bachelor's Mathematics—Mississippi State University

Military Service schools: Industrial War College, Command & Staff College, Squadron Officer School, and USAF Fighter Weapons and Tactics School

Volunteer: Volunteer pilot for NC's Civil Air Patrol, American Legion; Speaker at 9/11 Flags of Remembrance. Bill Fountain's 9/11 Speech for Flags of Remembrance Ceremony in Charlotte, NC.

Shamaiye Haynes

Q. If elected, what is one tangible thing you would like to accomplish for Charlotte students and/or teachers within the first six months as a member of the Board of Education?

If elected, I would create, revise, and expand policy so that any school that opt-in could become a Community Learning Center using the Community Schools Model Framework. This framework is equity-based and evidence-based, meaning it has proven success in closing the achievement gap, reducing absenteeism, and increasing the graduation rate. More details can be found HERE.

This model is designed based on the following pillars:

Integrated Student Supports
Expanded and Enriched Learning Time and Opportunities
Active Family and Community Engagement
Collaborative Leadership and Practices
Positive Discipline Practices and Interventions
Sound curriculum

Q. Superintendent Hill recently proposed reducing the goal for “state diploma endorsements” for graduating high school seniors. Do you think this is a good or bad idea and why?

I agree with reducing state endorsements because she’s provided a sound rationale for it. We need to measure students based on whether they are prepared to be in college and are career-ready, and these endorsements do not speak to that. The endorsements do not appear to assist students with their outcomes or college and career readiness.

Q. Please provide the following biographic information about yourself for voters: age, occupation, your education, area of Charlotte where you reside.

Age: 52
Occupation: Non-Profit Leader
Community: West Charlotte – Enderly Park Neighborhood

Michael Johnson

Q. If elected, what is one tangible thing you would like to accomplish for Charlotte students and/or teachers within the first six months as a member of the Board of Education?

If elected, I would audit CMS’ finances. Pursuant to NCGA 115C and an operating budget of $2.1B, the board has a mandate to be fiscally responsible. Historically, this has not been the case. To ensure students are successful, the board has a responsibility to ensure they have the resources necessary to meet the goals set forth.

Q. Superintendent Hill recently proposed reducing the goal for "state diploma endorsements" for graduating high school seniors. Do you think this is a good or bad idea and why?

It is my belief Superintendent Hill made the best decision possible with the data she had in front of her. As a board of education member, I would work to support Dr. Hill in her efforts and make sure she has what is needed to improve student outcomes.

I am a 39-year-old Doctoral of Business Administration candidate within the Strategic Leadership & Operations Management discipline. I am a published author, minister, business owner, but most importantly a proud husband and father to a 5 year old who has just started school this year. I live in the Huntersville area of the county.

The Unity Slate came together from the conversation between like-minded individuals that believes Charlotte Mecklenburg School system can once again be the beacon of education it once was; however, also understands severe changes must be made if such glory were to return. The Unity Slate recognizes the local board of education as a non-partisan position and believes in improving the academic outcomes for ALL students of Mecklenburg County.

As a minister, I have been in the business of serving ALL people for over a decade. A business owner that specializes in strategic planning, project management, and operations management, I believe I can provide a line of thought where policies are created that can positively impact all involved. As a father, I am empathetic to the plight and problems which the families experience due to the current bad policies being implemented and if elected, I would take into consideration those problems while governing accordingly.

Brian Kasher

Q. If elected, what is one tangible thing you would like to accomplish for Charlotte students and/or teachers within the first six months as a member of the Board of Education?

Introduction of the USEPA Tools for Schools (TFS)federal program.

The TFS program trains parents, teachers, and others on how to identify problems in the classroom environment that can impede the education process. TFS teaches volunteers how to identify issues with air conditioning and heating systems, ventilation, allergies, headaches, mold, insects, asthma triggers, and more to help reduce absenteeism and illness caused by classroom and school conditions. I was an award-winning national faculty who taught this approach to increasing grades, reducing absences, and removing problems that make teachers and students alike ill, have headaches, or otherwise achieve lower academic success. CMS executives specifically and in no uncertain terms, “banned” the program from being operated here in CMS, because it will expose how CMS has ignored school needs for many, many years, manipulated the Bond priorities list for political purposes, and routinely engages in cover-ups in our schools.

Q. Superintendent Hill recently proposed reducing the goal for "state diploma endorsements" for graduating high school seniors. Do you think this good or bad idea and why?

I think telling children their goal is lower because they can't achieve a higher goal is counterproductive and teaches children to seek lower achievements in life. CMS has taught our children bad lessons through its actions over the years. A District School Board member was caught gerrymandering her opponent out of her district with her own hand in the redistricting process. While our community is against gerrymandering, our school board did it and was caught. The school board itself then publicly stated it was ok and not gerrymandering and changed the District back the way it was. That school board member was then defeated in the election.

Also, the School Board claims to be against the Parent Bill of Rights publicly, and yet passed in record time an entire package of new and or updated policies to ensure compliance and locked down our libraries for two weeks — while the state and other school districts said they needed more time to figure out what needed to be done. CMS was one of the very first to roll it out while others are still trying to figure it out!

The Board now claims this happened because they are afraid of a local Republicans out to get CMS. However, the way it happened was our school board worked in a coordinated, planned fashion to be one of the first school boards in North Carolina to implement the Republican-inspired law. Why? The superintendent works with Moms For Liberty and the school's board's executive director of government relations is a Republican hired out of the General Assembly.

Reducing goals sends the wrong message, just like having a Republican be the voice of Mecklenburg County education in the government arena does not represent the values or vision of the people of Mecklenburg County. We must change our school board to change CMS.

Q. Please provide the following biographic information about yourself for voters: age, occupation, your education, area of Charlotte where you reside.

I am 61, a CMS retiree, and a senior Democrat. I have a Master's Degree in Public Advocacy, a 20-credit-hour graduate certificate in public management practices and a Bachelor's in Communication. I also have a Graduate Certificate from the US Department of Agriculture Graduate School in Adult Education techniques.

I also have a binder of professional certifications that is 3 inches thick acquired over my 33 years in K-12 safety training. My family built our home in Providence Plantation to go to specific CMS schools when we made Charlotte our choice to raise our children and moved here from D.C. I also have been approved as an instructor by 17 states in the federal K-12 AHERA Map training program and have provided training to school district personnel from coast to coast. I served on the curriculum development team for the national AHERA K-12 safety and health program and have 32 years of teaching in the program.

Q. It appears that you have a business related to air quality and you also believe there are opportunities to improve the indoor air quality of many schools. How can we be assured that your business will not create a conflict of interest if you are elected?

My laboratory has provided service as the United States Government's direct environmental health investigation, design, and oversight provider for federal projects at the White House, Pentagon, and most all federal agency headquarters in DC. I worked at CMS for almost 8 years solving mysteries making people ill and leading the sustainability efforts of CMS because of the proven problem solving and analytical skills I brought to CMS from DC.

After leaving CMS, I have worked as a multi-national corporate ISO auditor managing an environmental engineering team. In DC before holding the federal National Captial Region contract, I represented minority contractors in the federal 8a minority contractor program: Hispanic-owned, Black-owned and Interfaith-owned companies. I moved up from there to the fed's directly contracted laboratory, design, and oversight provider.

My company provides federal support services to federal agencies and schools. I have not solicited work from CMS since I resigned from my leadership post, nor any of the municipalities in Mecklenburg, or the County specifically to ensure that there would be no possible conflict of interest allowing the government to use undue pressure on me through my contracts.

I don't accept or solicit local government work, including CMS, specifically to avoid conflicts of interest that could be used to, for instance, make me look the other way instead of publicly addressing scandals for instance. I have made sincere and specific efforts to avoid being compromised by local government cash.

CMS is a low-bid-minded operation, whereas I sell quality and am well outside of the CMS price range for services. I provided the same level of service to our children when I was the Manager of Environmental Health and Safety as I did for the White House, Pentagon, US Department of Education headquarters, and all other federal agencies in and around DC.

The environmental health programs I want to be rolled out at CMS are no-cost in that they are volunteer-based 100% and always have been. CMS executives fear these programs because they will rapidly expose certain scams that have been run against this community for way too long by siloed CME executive staff. I am not interested in CMS contracts and never have been. When I left CMS, my initial boss had me bid on one CMS contract. After I explained why I resigned from CMS to avoid compromising my professional ethics, I was no longer asked to seek CMS work for that company.

There is no conflict of interest in my candidacy or School Board leadership! Conversely, knowledge is power and I want to empower our community to improve CMS outcomes for ALL children and staff too!

Tigress McDaniel

Q. If elected, what is one tangible thing you would like to accomplish for Charlotte students and/or teachers within the first six months as a member of the Board of Education?

I am confident that I can accomplish more than just one tangible thing, including but not limited to (1) Enforcing equity and objectivity in disciplinary policy, (2) increasing awareness regarding cultural diversity, empathy and etiquette, and (3) rebuilding strong relationships and a culture of community oneness and confidence between students, teachers, and parents/guardians. The third is generally intangible but arguably tangible in the sense that student outcomes as a function of a re-unified and strengthened teacher and administrative staff base can be quantified.

Q. Superintendent Hill recently proposed reducing the goal for “state diploma endorsements” for graduating high school seniors. Do you think this is a good or bad idea and why?

In accordance with NCDPI, students are not required to earn an endorsement in order to receive a diploma. So I, then, agree with Dr. Hill in directing the board’s attention toward data monitoring and increased awareness amongst parent and students regarding the availability of diploma endorsements, about which many are unaware.

That said, if too few students and parents are aware of these endorsement opportunities and its relevance toward college readiness and even college acceptance, "dropping the bar to match reality" is premature and perpetuates a defeatist mindset and is likely to lower morale for students, generally, and specifically those who are expressly aware of endorsements, and teachers, as well.

Dr. Hill's report asserts that 3,681 more seniors need earn an endorsement to reach the 75% benchmark goal, which is currently at 37%. The districtwide endorsement awareness campaign is underway, according to Dr. Hill's report, but must continue beyond October 31 to ensure the greatest outcome. Ultimately, whereas I objectively understand Dr. Hill's perspective, lowering an endorsement goal sends the opposite message of high scholastic achievement, and even basic satisfactory academic progress.

Nor should the bar be further raised. Dr. Hill needs to inspire student and parent/guardian adoption and increased valuation for diploma endorsements. Straightly, I disagree that dropping the bar to match reality is the best approach, especially for the sake of quantitative benchmarking, as implied by Dr. Hill's perspective and analysis. The overarching goal of CMS is to improve student outcomes. Inspiring 3,681 more seniors to undertake and obtain, at least, 1 of the 5 state diploma endorsements should be the primary focus, and is considerably achievable, especially considering that the benchmark of obtaining only 1 of 5 state diploma endorsements is feasible.

Dr. Hill's awareness campaign is a great start.

Q. Please provide the following biographic information about yourself for voters: age, occupation, your education, area of Charlotte where you reside.

I am 46. My occupation is self-employed Business & Environmental Sustainability consultant.

I also own a social relief organization, The Aboveground Railroad, and have a few philanthropic projects, some of which were paused due to law school rigor, including the Southern Hospitality Project which primarily focuses on acquiring stable housing for those without stable housing and otherwise providing non-red tape relief services for such crises.

My BS is in Agricultural Education and Environmental Science, MS in Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, PhD ABD in Energy and Environmental Systems and Economics, and I recently earned my Juris Doctorate and am pursuing a license to practice law. I also have an MFA equivalent but need to complete the program requirements for conferral of that degree, having begun my studies at University of Louisville Theatre Arts Repertory. I live in NoDa.

Liz Monterrey

Q. If elected, what is one tangible thing you would like to accomplish for Charlotte students and/or teachers within the first six months as a member of the Board of Education?

If elected, one tangible initiative I aim to accomplish within the first six months as a member of the Board of Education is fostering meaningful engagement with the Spanish-speaking community. Recognizing that they constitute 30% of our [CMS] population, I plan to conduct town halls and listening sessions specifically tailored to understand their unique needs and challenges.

My bilingual and bicultural background allows me to connect with this community in a way that has never been done before. By actively involving them in the decision-making process, I intend to bridge gaps and ensure that their voices are heard and their concerns addressed. This initiative goes beyond rhetoric; it's about creating a platform for dialogue and understanding. Through these town halls and listening sessions, we can collaboratively work towards improving outcomes for both Charlotte students and teachers, making education more inclusive and responsive to the diverse needs of our community.

Q. Superintendent Hill recently proposed reducing the goal for "state diploma endorsements" for graduating high school seniors. Do you think this is a good or bad idea and why?

Dr. Hill suggested that the previous board set this goal without a clear understanding of the challenges that would arise due to the lack of a data tracking system. Although CMS has created a dashboard, it still does not provide reliable data. Dr. Hill and the board have discussed the fact that many seniors do not desire the endorsement because they are taking classes in their spring semester, after many have already been accepted to college. The idea is that colleges aren't placing value on the endorsement itself but are rather looking at the rigorous coursework a student is taking and their GPA.

It appears that the Board is doing away with an endorsement goal altogether, so I will join the board in December as they are creating the budget to align with the new goals and guardrails. Investment in endorsement acquisition will not likely be part of the budget nor the next strategic plan. However, I do look forward to monitoring the next board's goal around a portrait of a graduate and focusing on graduation rates and other data points.

Q. Please provide the following biographic information about yourself for voters: age, occupation, your education, area of Charlotte where you reside.

I'm 34 years old and work for a Fortune 100 company. I have 10+ years of experience in business and marketing. I hold an MBA and a B.S. in Finance with a minor in political philosophy. I reside on the east side of Charlotte and am a parent of a pre-K student who will be attending CMS next year. Additionally, I am fluent in Spanish.

Clara Witherspoon

Q. If elected, what is one tangible thing you would like to accomplish for Charlotte students and/or teachers within the first six months as a member of the Board of Education?

I want to see the board dive into why teachers leave our district. The teacher salary increase by the state was disappointing, only 7% over two years. Teachers with 15+ years of experience will get an additional increase once they reach 25 years. I am saddened that the state valued an increased budget for marketing vouchers over paying teachers who have acquired master’s degrees. We need to find the revenues on a local level to either provide additional teacher raises or bonuses. Filling teacher vacancies and retaining qualified teachers in schools supports closing the achievement gap.

Q. Superintendent Hill recently proposed reducing the “state diploma endorsements” goal for graduating high school seniors. Do you think this is a good or bad idea and why?

I have reviewed the state high school endorsement information on the NCDPI website and spoke with a former high school counselor and current high school CTE teacher. According to both, the endorsements do not benefit our students significantly when pursuing higher education or career entry. However, per my discussion with a CMS high school counselor, a significant amount of work is involved to verify that each student qualifies for the endorsement. The high school counselor has little time allocated to support students' social and emotional needs and reduce the verification of endorsements per student by counselors. I would support Dr. Hill's request to reduce the endorsements limit.

Q. Please provide the following biographic information about yourself for voters: age, occupation, education, and area of Charlotte where you reside.

Clara Kennedy Witherspoon grew up in Charlotte, NC, and graduated from West Mecklenburg High School.

She earned a BA degree in Psychology from North Carolina Central University and a Master's Degree in Education from The University of The Southwest, Hobbs, New Mexico, in School Counseling and School Administration, along with a Master's Degree in Religion in Christian Leadership from Liberty University, Lynchburg, Virginia.

Mrs.Witherspoon's professional career includes working in the Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools System as a District Multi-tier System of Support Specialist (MTSS), K-12 licensed School Counselor, high school Graduation Coach, CMS afterschool Site Coordinator, and Teacher Assistant. She retired from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools System in January 2022.

Clara lives in District 4 with her husband, former Fire Captain Ira G. Witherspoon Jr. Ira is currently a licensed CTE teacher at Hawthorne Military Global Leadership Academy.

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