North Carolina’s primary election takes place on May 8th – when voters decide on their November candidates for school boards, county commissions, sheriffs, congressional representatives, and the state legislature. Bill Rivenbark, who currently works at a New Hanover County ABC store, is running for a seat on New Hanover County’s Board of Education.
All four Republican incumbents on the school board are seeking to keep their seats. Bill Rivenbark, who ran for the New Hanover County Commission in 2002, is one of three Republican challengers who says it’s time for a change. The current school board earns a C+ in his estimation for lack of preparation in the face of New Hanover County’s population growth.
"They haven’t done the planning, and there are some… I’m not picking on anybody – because anybody that’s been down there for 20-25 years, they deserve credit for it. But I don’t think that we have done the long-range planning for this situation that we should have. Now, we’re trying to catch up. We’ve got classrooms with 40, 50 kids in the room. You can’t give a kid a quality education like that."
Rivenbark also says he doesn’t think the current board has a good relationship with state legislators, he doesn’t believe in arming teachers, and he’d like to do what he can to help under-performing schools. What that is – he doesn’t yet know.
To listen to the extended interview, click on the audio below.