In Pender County, Democrat June Robbins is running for Board of Education in District 4. Her opponent is Republican Ken Smith. The seat opened earlier this year when Katherine Herring, who had served on the board since 1990, passed away. Robbins is a familiar face in Pender education circles, having served as the principal and assistant principal at several schools.
The seat’s District Four covers the western part of Pender County.
Robbins says the district’s challenges include continuing funding issues between the school board and county commissioners and rapid growth in the county’s coastal section.
“The first one is keeping up with growth in Pender. The northern side will grow because I predict that that's the only area that didn't flood. And there's a lot of people looking for higher ground so that's a possibility. Surf City though is going to continue to grow. There's always going to be a new school. So keeping up with growth. We need another high school on the eastern side.”
She says another top priority is school safety, and hiring more nurses for the system.
Election Day is Tuesday, November 6th.