New Hanover County School Board
Chris Sutton, Republican challenger
Career: Maintenance technician
Q: Why should voters support you to represent them on the New Hanover County Board of Education?
A: I have spent more than seven years attending board meetings, studying district policies, and advocating for students, families, and educators in New Hanover County Schools. As a lifelong New Hanover County resident and father of two boys beginning their public school education, I have a personal stake in the future of our schools.
My advocacy has included supporting students with disabilities, helping bring LifeVac devices into our schools, working with the district to establish women’s wrestling as an NHCS sport, and pushing for greater transparency and accountability. I have also spent years listening to teachers, support staff, parents, and administrators about the challenges they face.
I would bring that experience to the board with a focus on student achievement, supporting educators, fiscal responsibility, transparency, school safety, and innovative solutions to longstanding problems. Our children are our greatest treasure, and we should invest in them accordingly.
Q: Name one top policy change you want to see and how you will get that passed.
A: It is difficult to choose just one when there is so much work to be done, but there are several policy changes I believe deserve immediate attention.
First, I would support a policy requiring parents to receive meaningful answers to questions directed to the district, provided doing so does not violate FERPA, HIPAA, personnel law, or other legal confidentiality requirements.
I would also work to revamp the public records request policy to ensure requests are not unnecessarily delayed or tabled. We should never again have records requests pending for more than a year, as occurred in recent years.
Finally, I would support a transparency policy directing the administration to release the maximum amount of information permitted under state law, rather than simply meeting the minimum legal requirement. That could include expanding which committees are recorded and posted to the NHCS YouTube channel. It is difficult for our community and staff to provide meaningful input when they cannot watch certain committee meetings, such as the Legislative Committee, online. I would work with fellow board members, district leadership, parents, staff, and community members to build support for these changes and use the board’s policy making authority to move them forward.
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 have spent years advocating for change, securing bipartisan support, and helping change things within our school district while operating from outside the board. I have established relationships with current leaders and understand how to navigate the process of bringing ideas forward, building support, and turning them into action. As a board member, I would bring that same persistence and willingness to continuously advocate on behalf of our community, staff, and students. I believe we should look for innovative solutions beyond simply asking for more funding, including partnerships, grants, efficiencies, and creative approaches that allow us to invest more directly in our students and employees.
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: I believe Dr. Barnes is doing an excellent job of looking toward the future and helping position New Hanover County Schools for long term success. I agree that consolidation of campuses could help reduce the costs associated with maintaining and operating a large number of facilities.
This is not a change that should happen overnight. We need to carefully examine enrollment trends, facility conditions, transportation, community impact, and projected growth before making decisions. However, planning ahead now gives us the opportunity to make thoughtful decisions rather than being forced into difficult choices later.
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 believe we went too far with technology use in our district, and I am encouraged that we are beginning to scale some of it back. Research has shown that students can retain information differently depending on how they engage with material, and I believe there needs to be a better balance between technology and traditional learning methods. More pencil and paper. Less button pushing. If you spend enough time speaking with educators and support staff about this subject, there is a general consensus that there is room for improvement.
Artificial intelligence presents another significant challenge. Some students are beginning to rely on AI rather than developing their own critical thinking and problem solving skills. We need clear guidelines for appropriate AI use while also teaching students how to use these tools responsibly and understand their limitations and potential dangers.
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: My answer would be different if the community had been given access to the facility study that was funded with several hundred thousand taxpayer dollars. A lack of transparency makes it difficult to fully evaluate what did not make the bond package and remain top priority once all of the school bond items are taken care of. Our staff worked hard to whittle the list down to create the school bond initiative. It's a tough balancing act because if you ask for too much, there's less of a chance of the bond passing. I think Dr. Barnes and his staff found a good balance.
One capital need I would like to see addressed is the installation of redundant HVAC monitoring systems that can passively measure humidity and temperature and alert maintenance staff before moisture related problems develop. Hopefully the new systems that are being installed if the bond passes give us the ability to control humidity levels even if we keep the temperature higher during the summer.
I would also like to see additional fencing at open campus locations to help direct pedestrian traffic toward appropriate crossing areas. Every year, we have children at locations such as Laney High School crossing busy roads in unsafe ways. We have discussed options with the Department of Transportation for years, but the school system has limited authority over roads and traffic infrastructure. That means we need to focus on the safeguards we can implement on school property while continuing to work with our transportation partners on solutions beyond our control.
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: The vast majority of our community wants us to focus on providing a quality education, supporting our educators, and helping our children succeed.
While I understand this is an important topic, the fact that this question was asked in this questionnaire and no questions about how we plan to make changes that overall support our staff or help get more children on paths to success highlights a problem in my opinion. Let's get back to focusing on what matters most.
To answer your question, I believe if a book is determined to not be grade appropriate by the district then it should be adjusted for the entire district to provide consistency. I support having a robust library where children can find a subject that interests them so it would have to be something egregious for me to support removing it. I'm more concerned about raising and maintaining reading proficiency rates.
Q: If you had to redistrict as a board member, how would you go about that process?
A: If this school bond passes, we will most likely have to redistrict, and that means we need to utilize every tool available to us to thoughtfully determine the boundaries of the different areas.
That means listening to staff, parents and the broader community while also working with traffic engineering partners and conducting a thorough analysis of county data, enrollment trends, transportation routes, and projected growth. Most importantly, the process needs to be transparent and data driven. We need to make decisions based on what is best for our students while also being responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars.
Q: What do you think The Endowment should fund for schools?
A: I appreciate The Endowment stepping up in support of the school bond, and I hope this is the beginning of a much deeper partnership.
The Endowment can help bridge the gap between our community and school system. Many of the challenges our students face do not begin at the school doors, and community partnerships can provide additional layers of support.
There are also initiatives that we would like to pursue but may not currently have the funding to implement. One example would be creating a bereavement pool for our staff so employees do not have to use the limited sick leave they have when grieving the loss of a loved one.
The Endowment is a versatile asset that can help in many different ways. We simply need to be thoughtful about how we approach that partnership and make sure we are asking for meaningful investments rather than overextending the relationship. This is where having strong district leadership is pivotal. Dr. Barnes, Dr. Morgan, and several other staff members have done a great job building relationships with our Endowment partners.
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: Some of our lowest performing schools appear to experience higher staff turnover than some of our highest performing schools. We need to listen closely to our educators and support staff and adapt accordingly. As one educator told me, they became burned out because they were overwhelmed. It is difficult to find someone willing and able to face those challenges year after year. When we find educators who can do that successfully, we need to find ways to retain them, recognize their experience, and encourage them to serve as role models for those around them.
New Hanover County is changing, and ultimately we have to adapt our school district to meet the changing needs of our students. Teachers today are facing challenges that did not exist at the same scale 20 years ago. For example, some educators have students in their classrooms who speak little or no English. We need to make sure those teachers have the resources and support necessary to help those students meet their personal growth goals even if it means not immediately meeting traditional proficiency standards. We also have some students openly telling staff that they do not care about suspension or failing because they are simply waiting until they turn 16 so they can leave school and enter the workforce. We have to find innovative ways to connect those students with education, career pathways, and a reason to believe that success is possible. If they are set on entering the workforce then let's get them to understand that we have programs available to get certifications so they can enter as a skilled laborer making good money. Success is going to look different for every child. As a community and school board, we need to be able to set aside our differences and recognize that the children we are educating today are not the same as they were 20 years ago. We have to be innovative, listen to the people doing the work every day, and work together toward our common goal of providing every child with a path to success.