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Raleigh offers to buy former DMV headquarters on New Bern Ave. Heres whats planned. background-color: green; I agree that we need to build a new high school; consultantsidentified it as an immediate need more than five years ago. a[aria-expanded=false] .fa-chevron-down { display: none; } Democrats win 4 Wake County commissioners races, retain complete control of the board, Use our Voter Guide to research candidates on the ballot in Franklin County, Use our Voter Guide to research candidates on the ballot in Harnett County, Use our Voter Guide to research candidates on the ballot in Chatham County, Heres what we will and wont know on Election Night in North Carolinas midterms, Use our Voter Guide to research candidates in Johnston County elections, Michelle Antoine, candidate for Johnston County Board of Education, Rick Mercier, candidate for Johnston County Board of Education.
font-weight: bold; width: 100%; background-color: #f4f4f4; LYN ANDREWS Age: 62 Residence: Afton Lane, Smithfield Occupation: Adjunct Professor, Campbell University, . } padding-top: 3px; (function() {
MERCIER: Superintendent Eric Bracy likes to say, Lets keep the main thing the main thing, and the main thing is student achievement and growth. font-weight: 100; .indicate_scroll { Education: graduate, Woodlawn Senior High School, Baltimore, Maryland, 1984; bachelors degree, history, University of Virginia, 1988; masters degree, journalim, University of Texas at Austin, 1995. It is America to me.
We should not have ideologically driven gag rules that limit what can be taught. border-radius: 50%; overflow-y: hidden; A school board member helps set policy and is responsible for establishing responsible budgets for operations and capital needs. This was a public health crisis that was unprecedented in any of our lifetimes. width: 100%; So should elections that have a reasonable chance of producing minority representation on the boardas well as a board that reflects the political diversity of 21st-century Johnston County. $('#candidate-connection-twitter-74539').on('click', () => { ga('send', 'event', 'surveycta', 'surveycta-click-twitter'); }); border-bottom: 1px solid grey; word-wrap: break-word; $('.showResponses').show(); What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder? } }
Federal courts | help@restorationnewsmedia.com font-size: 12px; z-index:1; Board of Education Kevin Donovan 30,380 Mark Lane 22,075 Rick Mercier 22,324 Terry Tippett 36,542 Michelle Antoine 29,667 Melissa Bowers 23,884 Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor . ohtadmin
} } It's important that we continue to make our voices heard. We cant remove books just to placate a loud minority who wants to impose their will and their ideas on everyone else. Heres what you need to know. There should be a board-approved, district-wide policy that spells out the review process when a book is challenged. help@restorationnewsmedia.com $('.showResponses').show(); padding-left: 10px; They work in partnership with the county on long-term budget planning. .votebox_legend .non_result_row { JOHNSTONIAN NEWS: This past year, Johnston County Public Schools made good progress toward the superintendents goal of every school earning at least a C on its state report. }
JOHNSTON COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL ELECTION UNOFFICIAL COUNTYWIDE CONTEST RESULTS ELECTION DATE: . a[aria-expanded=true] .fa-chevron-right { display: none; } width: 50%; } } height: 50px; I serve on the Johnston County Partnership for Childrens Summer Learning Loss Action Committee.
} We cannot try to balance budgets on the backs of teachers and classified staff. color: white; height: 22px;
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letter-spacing: 0.03em; I think its something that could be expanded and that could yield good results. .expand-all:hover, .collapse-all:hover {cursor: pointer; text-decoration: underline;}
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Why force a representative on a district when the people of that district have rejected him? JOHNSTONIAN NEWS: Rightly or wrongly, school board member Ronald Johnson has become a distraction, with speaker after speaker at school and county meetings lining up to either condemn or praise him.
} })(); Rick Mercier completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. } My background is in print journalism and local government. a[aria-expanded=true] .fa-chevron-right { display: none; } p.survey-response {white-space: pre-line;} She lost in the general election on November 8, 2022. School districts | Students social and emotional needs must be met.
It happened in March when Michelle Pace Davis beat Fred Smith handily in their district in their Republican county commissioner primary, but Smith won overall (pending a protest). clear: both; $('.hideResponses').hide();
.election_results_text { The majority of our commissioners have indicated a willingness to continue to increase local funding to our schools if the district shows good return on that investment. p.survey-response {white-space: pre-line;} Going forward, I would like to maintain the Virtual Academy, but I would like us to move away from having a third-party vendor provide instruction. .race_footer { height: 100%; margin: auto; .widget-row.Republican { Cities | font-weight: bold; border-radius: 50%; State legislature | font-weight: 300; I have two daughters in Johnston County Public Schools-one at East Clayton Elementary, another who will be attending SSS starting in the fall. vertical-align: top; I am on the Parent Advisory Council at Smithfield-Selma High School and the PTA at the Innovation Academy at South Campus. Biography Rick Mercier was born in Baltimore, Maryland. They know we should aim to be much higher than 83rd in the state in the countys contribution to school funding. display: inline-block; The following candidates ran in the general election for Johnston County Schools Board of Education At-large on November 3, 2020. width: 250px; } div.survey-scrollbox { height:400px; overflow:scroll; margin:20px; padding:10px; border:1px solid gray; } State executives |
}, 100); We can do better. margin-bottom:16px;
They also have said voters expressed a desire for district elections during the 2018 school board race (even though they followed up on that supposed voter feedback by doing nothing concerning this issue until very recently). How to vote | $(".expand-all").on('click', () => { font-style: italic;
There were no incumbents in this race. We should have adequate funding for operational and capital needs, including teacher and staff pay and new school construction. Enter your e-mail address below and select which topics you would like to receive! } This committee wants to get the bill through the legislature this session so district voting can be implemented in the 2022 school board election. background-color: #f9d334; The updated policy includes language that reads the United States foundational documents shall not be undermined, and all people who contributed to American Society will be recognized and presented as reformists, innovators and heroes to our culture.. Asking for a disaster: NC races to start voter ID, with little time and maybe no money, After meeting with ex-Trump lawyer, GOP pitches new NC voting rules vetoed by Cooper, Former Gov. }
.contact_entity {font-size: 1.5em ;margin-top: 0.6em; margin-bottom: 0em;margin-right: 0.5em;} Op-Ed By: Rick Mercier Johnston County Board of Education Candidate. The field of candidates included many seeking office for the first time, including Joe Preston, whose wife Aurora Preston resigned from her teaching position at South Johnston High School after being placed on unpaid leave for refusing to wear a mask in the classroom. Were you among the recipients of a letter from the Johnston County Board of Education recently requesting your support for district elections for board members starting in 2022? We should vote yes on the bonds. (I received the letter, presumably, because I am a candidate for school board. padding-top: 8px; } .widget-row.Independent, .widget-row.Nonpartisan, .widget-row.Constitution { padding-left: 0; font-size: .9em;
margin-bottom: 1px; font-weight: bold; background: #4c4c4c; They make sure staff are abiding by their budgets and by responsible budget practices. .votebox-results-cell--check { Six candidates will advance to the general election this fall. font-size: 12px;
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Mercier completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022.
.expand-all:hover, .collapse-all:hover {cursor: pointer; text-decoration: underline;} Rick Mercier ran for election for an at-large seat of the Johnston County Schools Board of Education in North Carolina. It was about a year later, I believe, when I heard the news that Clemente had died in an airplane crash while trying to deliver earthquake relief supplies to the people of Nicaragua. margin-right: 10px; })
} $('#candidate-connection-twitter-122571').on('click', () => { ga('send', 'event', 'surveycta', 'surveycta-click-twitter'); }); Students, however, always come first. padding-bottom: 8px; It didnt always go smoothly at first, but I know that staff worked hard to find solutions.
} If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you. }
word-wrap: break-word; var nTimer = setInterval(function() { Enter your e-mail address below to receive the latest! margin-bottom: 1px; text-align: center; The rollout was very bumpy at first, but it got better. display: inline-block;
} display: block; rick mercier johnston county board of educationpourquoi je n'entends pas mon interlocuteur; p.survey-question {font-weight:bold;}
Bringing in expertise from the UNC School of Government and perhaps the N.C. School Boards Association (NCSBA) would help us to sort out these issues. Public policy. font-weight: 300;
Earlier in the pandemic, I think the school system could have done a better job coordinating with the county Health Department to set COVID data benchmarks for the return to in-person instruction and for masking policy and for communicating these benchmarks clearly to the public. }
The solution: Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker.
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There are several critical factors to consider as part of any responsible deliberations over district elections. }. We need to end the drama and divisions, and we need to put politics aside and keep the focus on our kids. And yet the school board last fall extended Bracys contract through the 2024-25 school year. color: #888; .widget-row.Republican { $('.hideResponses').on('click', () => { Central Office staffers need to provide meaningful supports that are identified in walkthroughs in the schools.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you. The following candidates ran in the general election for Johnston County Schools Board of Education At-large on November 8, 2022. } Students who on the surface may not seem so interested in learning might actually be facing severe challenges that make it difficult for them to focus on learning. Here is the breakdown of school systems across the state according to how they conduct school board elections or appointments (information provided by the NCSBA): The takeaway here is that we should feel free to implement any changes we wantor to keep the status quo.
Let's end the distractions and drama and put the focus back on our kids. a[aria-expanded=true] .fa-chevron-right { display: none; } We need to examine ways to cut expenses at Central Office and make sure spending is focused on classrooms. Michelle was licensed to teach school in California and Wisconsin, understands the world of education . height: 56px;
display: inline-block; But high growth is an indicator that learning is taking place in classrooms, soI would recommend making growth count for 50 percent of the performance grade. If students are successful in the early years, its much more likely they will be successful later when they enter programs such as the Career and Technical Leadership Academy or the Early College. padding-bottom: 0px; background-color: #f9f9f9; $('.collapse').collapse('show'); All of this must happen within the framework of the standards set by the state. letter-spacing: 0.03em; display: inline; I love it in all of its weird complexity. This story was originally published October 24, 2022, 9:48 AM.
The school district was guaranteed to have at least two new board members, as current board chair Todd Sutton and first-term board member Terri Sessoms did not seek reelection. .non_result_row div { padding-left: 0; We should bear in mindthat Dr. Bracy was hired at the height of the COVID pandemicwhen every school district in the country was experiencing declines in test scores and other achievement and growth measures. Our students would certainly benefit from that. The Proud Boys have been described as a right-wing extremist group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Since 2010, Ive worked for the Town of Garner as its public information officer and now communications manager. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office? font-weight: bold; Mr. Smith did not look at the full picture; neither did some of the media reports about his comments. Responsible long-term budget planning for both annual operational and multiyear capital needs. margin-top: 1px; font-weight: bold;
left: 0px; It is a beautiful tale of friendship and of evil obsession.
max-width: 600px; A school board member represents the interests of all the stakeholders-students, parents, teachers, classified and administrative staff, taxpayers and local employers. I am fair-minded and am a listener. .percentage_number {
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padding-left: 0; font-weight: bold; It is the greatest work of art by an American.
We can also support important ancillary services such as school food pantries and things such as the Backpack Buddies programs. font-size: 12px; Teacher assistants in all K-2 classrooms: We must have teaching assistants in all K-2 classrooms, and they should be in the classroom during all instructional hours of the day. I support a $253.5 million bond referendum for this fall. .results_row {
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p.survey-question {font-weight:bold;} They were Al Byrd, John Fischer, Jenn Gurley and Joe Preston. padding-bottom: 3px;