Name: Jennifer Hansen
Party affiliation: Republican
Career: 4-H/Youth Development Extension Agent, Substitute Teacher
Degree: UNCPembroke – Bachelor of Science
NC State University – Master of Science, Agriculture Education
Q. What qualifies you to serve on the Pender County School Board?
In December 2024, I was appointed to the Pender County School Board by the GOP Executive Committee. I believe my unique set of experiences allows me to serve the students and staff of Pender County Schools with understanding and commitment. For 16 years, I’ve been actively involved in Pender County Schools—as a substitute teacher, PTA president, Science Olympiad coach, robotics mentor, School Improvement team member, athletic booster, and parent of two graduates. I’m committed to putting students first and supporting the educators and staff who serve them every day.
Q. Name one top priority policy change you want to see and how you will work to achieve it.
A top priority for me is strengthening the implementation of Board Policy 9200 to ensure the proper care and maintenance of our school facilities. I will work to achieve this by advocating for proactive maintenance planning and responsible use of resources so issues are addressed before they become costly problems.
Q. What is your view of the current board’s leadership? What are they succeeding at and what needs to be improved?
I view the current Pender County Board of Education as committed leaders who are focused on improving outcomes for students across the district. They’ve demonstrated strong fiscal stewardship, supporting competitive compensation for bus drivers, enforcing policies like 4318 on student devices, and proactively updating policies 4310 (Integrity), 3220 (Technology in Education), and 3225 (Responsible Use) to govern AI.
Areas for growth include long-term planning and community communication, particularly around funding, teacher recruitment, and facilities as the county grows. Continuing to apply policies consistently will help maintain stability and strong outcomes for all students.
Q. What is the biggest challenge facing the district?
Growth is the number one challenge facing Pender County Schools. This growth puts pressure on classrooms, staff, and instructional time. Addressing it means investing in new facilities, maintaining existing buildings, and ensuring schools remain safe, functional and supportive for every student and staff member.
Q. What’s your assessment of the district’s financial status? Would you advocate for more funding — if so, what for and what sources would you target?
I feel very positive about the financial status of Pender County Schools. The finance department has done a fantastic job of managing ESSER (COVID) funds, which has allowed us to avoid the financial challenges faced by surrounding counties. While I will always advocate for increased funding, it is important to recognize that neighboring coastal counties contribute significantly more in local funds per pupil than Pender County- approximately $2,000 more per student in Brunswick, New Hanover, and Onslow counties. These four counties directly compete for teachers, bus drivers, and academic success across K-12. As Pender County continues to grow, I believe we should examine ways to increase our per-pupil local investment so we can remain competitive and continue to support our students. Pender County ranks 111th out of 115 school districts in North Carolina in per-student expenditures.
Q. Pender County implemented a three-tier bell schedule in the 2025-2026 school year. Do you think the schedule is working out well, or do you think it needs tweaking?
On February 2, 2025, NCDOT/WMPO required the implementation of a three-tier schedule as a condition of the driveway permit for the new K–8 school in Hampstead. Moving to a three-tier bell schedule was a major change for Pender County, and I understand that it has had a real impact on our families, students, and staff. Change of this scale is never easy. The three-tier schedule has improved bus arrival times in the morning, resulting in increased instructional time. Student benchmark data shows the highest test scores since before COVID. I think it’s important to continue to see if adjustments can be made while maintaining the benefits for learning and transportation.
Q. About a year ago, the Pender County school board sent a letter to state lawmakers asking them to set a salary floor of $50,000 for new teachers. (The current minimum is $41,000.) Please share your thoughts on the issue of teacher pay in Pender County. What, if anything, would you tell state lawmakers?
Teacher pay is one of the most important factors in recruiting and retaining high-quality educators in Pender County. Raising the salary floor for new teachers to $50,000 would be a meaningful step toward making the profession more competitive and helping our schools attract and keep excellent teachers. I would tell state lawmakers that investing in teacher pay is investing in student success and competitive salaries help make that possible. Board members visited our representatives in Raleigh this past summer to advocate for increased teacher pay.
Q. Last year, Superintendent Brad Breedlove announced a new set of raises and benefits for county bus drivers for recruitment and retention. Do you think this package will resolve Pender County's shortage, or do you think something else should be done?
The raises and enhanced benefits for bus drivers were an important and forward-thinking step. This package is already strengthening recruitment, as evidenced by the 31 prospective bus drivers in the pipeline with the NCDMV. Currently, we are the 2nd highest paying school district in our area. The challenge now is not a lack of interest, but capacity. At present, only two DMV examiners are serving Pender, New Hanover, and Brunswick counties. At the last meeting the Pender County Board of Education sent a resolution to encourage the NCDMV to increase the number of school bus driver trainers.
Q. Pender County cut its number of low-performing schools in half this past year – from six to three, according to NCDPI's latest report card. What do you believe were the biggest contributing factors to those successes? And what needs to be done to bring the other three schools up to spec?
Cutting the number of low-performing schools in half is something the district should be proud of, especially given our low per-student expenditure ranking statewide. I believe the biggest contributing factors were strong school-level leadership, targeted academic interventions, and the effective use of available resources. Just as important was the commitment of our teachers and staff, who went above and beyond to help students recover academically. To bring the remaining three schools up to spec, we need to continue and expand these targeted supports. That includes sustained instructional coaching, additional academic interventions, and ensuring we can attract and retain high-quality educators.
Q. How do you think the district should handle the use of smartphones by students on campus? Are there other disciplinary issues you have concerns about?
Pender County Schools has adopted a well-defined policy governing student use of smartphones and wireless communication devices, and I support its continued enforcement. Policy 4318 for the 2025–2026 school year requires devices to be turned off, out of sight, and unused during instructional hours. The policy’s graduated consequences—beginning with a warning and progressing to office storage and parent retrieval—provide a fair and consistent framework while minimizing disruption to instruction. Consistent, well-enforced policies create predictability for students and staff and help maintain safe, focused learning environments.