New Hanover County School Board
Wendy Dale, Democratic challenger
Career: Legal/Corporate Contracts Manager
Education: B.A. in Communication Studies, concentration in Rhetoric, minor in Social and Economic Justice, Post-baccalaureate Certificate in Paralegal Studies
Q: Why should voters support you to represent them on the New Hanover County Board of Education?
A: I’m the candidate who has personal experience navigating public schools as a parent as well as professional legal and business experience. I grew up in rural Columbus County, and I am a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill. My career experience in the software industry has taught me how to analyze systems, ask hard questions, and make sure resources are used wisely and effectively. My service on the New Hanover County Juvenile Crime Prevention Council has also given me a broader understanding of the challenges facing young people and families in our community. As a school board member, I will focus on three priorities: full funding, fair policies, and safe schools. That means advocating passionately for the resources our students and educators need, with particular attention to making sure educators get the pay and benefits they deserve, protecting every student’s opportunity to learn, and creating schools where students and staff feel safe, respected, and supported. I will listen to parents, students, educators, and taxpayers, examine the evidence, and make data-driven decisions based on what is best for students and our community.
Q: Name one top policy change you want to see and how you will get that passed.
A: One policy change I would prioritize is making breakfast and lunch available at no charge to every NHCS student. No child should have to learn while hungry. Universal free school meals ensure that every student has access to the same quality meal and will also reduce administrative barriers to participation and eliminate the stigma that can come with identifying children who receive assistance. I would work with district finance and nutrition staff to determine the actual cost after available federal and state reimbursements, identify any remaining funding gap, and promote the development of a sustainable plan to cover it. I would also pursue grants and community partnerships where available. I would build support among board members, educators, parents, community organizations, and county leaders by demonstrating both the educational and practical benefits. If a phased implementation is financially necessary, I would support a clear timeline toward universal access.
Q: The current school board and district staff have been clear about the shortcomings in the state’s funding model and the limitations of county funding. What new solution or approach would you bring to the table?
A: I would advocate for a needs-based, multi-year approach to school funding. We should stop thinking about school funding as simply a dollar amount multiplied by the number of students. A student who needs additional special-education services, counseling, English-language support, or other resources does not cost the same to educate as every other student. I would support a transparent budgeting framework that identifies the actual needs of individual schools and student populations and directs resources accordingly. I would also want the district to identify recurring costs and unfunded needs so that we can develop sustainable solutions. I would support a strong partnership among the school board, county commissioners, the New Hanover Community Endowment, and our state delegation. We need to clearly document what it actually costs to provide a high-quality education and make the case for a funding system that reflects those costs.
Q: Superintendent Chris Barnes has been authorized to put together a 10-year sustainability plan in March, which could highlight where the district can close school facilities and reduce costs associated with its current overhead. Do you support this effort and if so, how would you like the district to proceed with this study and its implementation?
A: Yes. I support developing a 10-year sustainability plan because responsible stewardship of public resources is essential. I would want the plan to be transparent and data-driven. The study should take into account enrollment projections, building conditions, utilization, maintenance and operating costs, transportation, program needs, growth patterns, and the total cost of maintaining versus replacing or repurposing facilities. It should also place a great deal of importance on the racial and socio-economic equity impacts of any proposed changes. If a school closure is ultimately recommended, the district should clearly demonstrate the educational and financial reasons for the recommendation and provide meaningful opportunities for families, educators, and the broader community to provide feedback before a decision is made. A 10-year plan should also be reviewed regularly. Our community is growing and changing, so the plan should be subject to adjustment as relevant circumstances change.
Q: The district is also looking to obtain grant funding for a study on how much time students spend with screens in class. Where do you stand on student technology use, particularly screen time and AI in classrooms?
A: I support studying this issue. Technology should be a tool for learning, not a substitute for learning. Students do need some technology skills, but it is more important that they learn to read well, write, discuss ideas face-to-face, solve problems, create things, and develop the ability to concentrate without constant digital stimulation. Screen use has been shown to have an adverse impact on education and should therefore be limited to purposeful, age-appropriate use and subsidiary to physical book and human-centered learning. Additionally, I would support a general prohibition on student use of AI, unless the use is specifically related to a technology program and provides related educational value as well as instruction on the limitations and potential drawbacks of AI technology. Overall, the general use of AI for completing school work undermines the primary goal of education, which is to teach students how to think, not just how to use a tool that will think for them.
Q: Is there a capital need that you would have liked to see make it onto the school bond? How would you work to fund that project in the future?
A: One capital need I would have liked to see addressed more directly is the modernizing of school kitchens and cafeteria infrastructure, including improvements to kitchen capacity, equipment, storage, ventilation, and serving areas. I would start by having the district conduct a comprehensive assessment of kitchen and cafeteria needs and prioritize projects based on student need, facility condition, capacity, and cost. From there, I would support developing a phased capital plan. Funding could potentially come from future bond cycles, county capital funding, grants, and any other available state or federal resources. I would also look for opportunities to coordinate these investments with broader facility renovations so we can get the greatest value from each capital dollar. I would not prioritize kitchen improvements over urgent safety or infrastructure needs, but I do believe that good nutrition and access to quality meals are part of education infrastructure and will ultimately help improve student learning outcomes.
Q: The state recently mandated a specific process for handling book challenges. It requires the school board to weigh in on all challenges, supplanting the district’s multi-layered challenge and appeal process. However, the state doesn’t specify if the board has to remove the book from all schools or grade levels, versus just the school where the book was challenged. Should a parent challenge at one school trigger a district-wide review, or should the concerns stay local? Why?
A: A challenge at one school should not automatically result in district-wide removal of a book. I support a consistent review process that considers the age and developmental level of students, the educational purpose of the material, the district’s selection policies, and the specific concern being raised. The board should follow the state’s required process while also respecting the professional judgment of educators and librarians and protecting students’ access to a broad range of diverse materials. Parents should have the ability to guide what their own children read, but that should not mean that one parent has the power to determine what every child in New Hanover County can read. Our goal should be thoughtful review, age-appropriate materials, parental involvement, and educational freedom, not censorship based simply on disagreement with a particular viewpoint.
Q: If you had to redistrict as a board member, how would you go about that process?
A: I would approach redistricting openly and thoughtfully, using good data and listening to the families and communities affected. I would make sure the process is coordinated with the district’s ten-year sustainability plan so that we are planning for the long term, not simply moving students as a quick short-term solution. I would also make sure parents, students, educators, and community members have meaningful opportunities to review and provide input on proposed changes. Any plan should prioritize students, fairness, reasonable transportation, and making the best use of our school facilities. Racial and socio-economic integration is essential, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that there has to be specific student ratios in every school. The most important factor is that all schools are able to reach a certain level of excellence so that it shouldn’t really matter where your child goes to school because all of the schools should be of the same high quality with well-maintained facilities, highly trained educators, a reasonably diverse student population, and good educational outcomes.
Q: What do you think The Endowment should fund for schools?
A: I believe the Endowment should fund needs that public funding doesn’t adequately cover. That could include classroom resources, technology, arts and enrichment programs, career and technical education, student activities, and innovative programs. I also believe the Endowment should make sure students have access to comparable opportunities regardless of which school they attend, while recognizing that schools may have different needs. Public funding should remain the foundation, with the Endowment providing additional support.
Q: What should be done to improve the district’s five low-performing schools? Why does New Hanover County have some of the highest performing schools in the state – and then some of the lowest performing ones in North Carolina?
A: We need a focused plan for each of our five low-performing schools. I would start with the data to identify the specific academic and attendance gaps at each school and then provide targeted support. That means investing in highly effective teachers and leadership, expanding tutoring and small-group instruction, providing early intervention in reading and math, and using data throughout the year to identify students who are falling behind before they reach the end of the school year. We also need strong behavioral and mental-health supports, better family engagement, and strategies to improve attendance. I would also look at what is working in schools that have successfully moved off the low-performing list and determine which practices can be replicated. For example, NHCS has already seen significant improvement from early literacy interventions. I would establish measurable goals for each school and require regular reports to the board and community on whether those interventions are working. We should give schools the resources to improve, while holding ourselves accountable for making sure those investments are producing good results. I think economic inequality is a significant part of the reason we have both very high performing and very low performing schools in our county. Wilmington’s growth has brought substantial wealth and economic opportunity, but that prosperity isn’t distributed evenly across the county. That means a school district can simultaneously have highly resourced communities and schools serving students experiencing significant economic hardship, leading to unequal educational outcomes. Factors like housing instability, food insecurity, and access to educational support can adversely affect a student’s ability to learn.