Name: Jerry Jones Jr.
Party affiliation: Democrat
Career: Environmental Chemist/Small Business Owner
Degree: BA History/Political Science, BS Physics, MBA
Q: What qualifies you to serve on the New Hanover County Schools Board of Education?
A: My story is the story of the impoverished, hungry, angry child that found an outlet in books and support in school. I found a discipline and path forward that helped me break the cycle of poverty in which my family was mired. I’m specifically qualified to do this work because my combination of experience and talent have brought me to a place where I’m uniquely qualified to connect policies and practices to the kinds of outcomes that I achieved. I have a litany of degrees and a host of work experiences (including being an educator) that lend themselves to this work, but ultimately I believe it is precisely because I’ve been through this gauntlet that qualifies me for this service.
Q: Name one top priority policy change you want to see and how you will work to achieve it.
A: My top priority is creating a district that works for and is respectful of working families. The very first thing for which I would advocate would be changing the meeting times of committees to a time more convenient to the schedules of our working families. They can’t be involved if they can’t be present at the meetings.
Q: What is your view of the current board’s leadership? What are they succeeding at and what needs to be improved?
A: In a significant change from a previous administration, I would say this current board has an excellent working relationship with our superintendent. This functioning relationship is a significant boon to our students. In terms of what needs improvement, I would again argue it is the focus of the board. We currently have an absolute crisis in literacy scores for economically disadvantaged children. The board has yet to take action that is indicative of the seriousness of that crisis.
Q: What is the biggest challenge facing the school district?
A: I think the acquisition of resources is the biggest challenge. Currently, the district is operating at a subsistence level with respect to its budget. Our state and federal educational partners have slashed their financial commitments to us with reckless abandon and have left localities the job of bridging the gap between what we’re given and what we need.
Q: Even though the people will vote on the $320-million school bond, would you advocate for its support? Why or why not?
A: Yes, I would advocate for its support. Our infrastructure has suffered from a pattern of neglect and lack of investment. Those chickens have come home to roost.
Q: What would you like to see the state legislature do regarding school funding?
A: I would like for the legislature to recognize the competitive advantage afforded to the state with a well-educated populace. I would like the legislature to recognize the well-established fact that investing in education, dollar for dollar, is the single most effective economic development tool in its toolbox. Specifically, I would like the legislature to fund our schools and pay our teachers that would, at the very least, make us competitive with our neighboring states. Additionally, I would like the legislature to implement the Leandro funds.
Q: What is your view of the board’s role in overseeing curriculum and library book selections?
A: I think it is the board’s role to solicit recommendations from experts in the field and then choose which is most cost effective or affordable and is aligned with the academic achievement goals of the district. I do not believe that it is the board’s responsibility to oversee curriculum. That is the purview of the experts.
Q: What are specific actions you would support the board voting on to address low-performing schools?
A: I would support decreasing the educator-to-student ratio, an incentive pay program to encourage faculty and staff to stay in low-performing schools to reduce turnover in all positions, and funding in-school suspension positions so that students can continue learning while they reset and repair.
Q: What do you think The Endowment should fund for schools versus what should be funded by the government in the school budget?
A: I think the distinction between The Endowment and government responsibility has gotten in the way of the ultimate goal — to improve the lives of citizens in New Hanover County. I think that The Endowment belongs to the people and should therefore fund those programs that make life better for the citizens of New Hanover County. Everything from workforce housing for our faculty and staff to afterschool programs for students whose parents work until late should be on the table for funding.
Q: How do you view your role in providing information to the public and the press?
A: It is an essential function of any elected official. I very much want to decrease the power gap between people who are elected and those that do the voting. A co-governance model for local government depends upon a timely and honest flow of information to and from the public, generally through organizing bodies that already exist in the community.