FRANKLIN COUNTY, N.C. – Principal Stephanie Brooks knows a thing or two about excellence.  The Edward Best Elementary School principal was named Franklin County’s Principal of the Year in 2019.   Her biggest challenge this year is making sure kids don’t fall through the digital cracks.

 

What You Need To Know

  • According to the nonprofit group “Public Schools First NC," North Carolina is home to the 2nd-largest rural student population behind Texas

  • Democratic candidate Dr. Jen Mangrum supports a large statewide school bond

  • Republican candidate Catherine Truitt promises to direct more funding for school counselors, nurses, psychologists, and social workers


Principal Brooks says they have the tablets, Chromebooks and hot spots, but there’s a lack of internet infrastructure and consequently, bandwidth in rural areas to support all the devices.

“Because of multiple devices being used at the same time, there have been times where families have to make a decision in terms of which child will be able to access the live instruction,” says Brooks.

Brooks says some students have to make do with recorded lessons.

During the pandemic, she’s also worried about the hundreds of students who rely on school food programs. Cafeteria worker pack two meals a day to ensure no child goes hungry.

“The parents can come through and pick up on a daily basis. In cases where there are  parents without transportation we do have bus drivers that will go directly to the homes to deliver those meals,” Brooks says.

A new building tops her wish list, if they had the money.

“We continue to grow year to year. At some point, I’m hoping we’ll be able to get an additional building added to accommodate the growing needs of our population,” says Brooks, whose school utilizes 7 mobile units.

Both candidates for the state superintendent of public instruction agree, more needs to be done for rural schools.

Democrat Jen Mangrum, a professor at UNC-Greensboro, says now’s the time to pass a large statewide school bond.  If elected, she promises to visit rural schools so they don’t feel forgotten.  Mangrum’s also in favor of giving district’s more autonomy to make decisions with things like school calendars.  One of her longer term goals is to expand educational opportunities by providing universal pre-K.

Republican nominee Catherine Truitt is chancellor of an online university.  She wants to look into changing how counties distribute funding based on their tax base.  Another idea is to look into partnership with non-profits and businesses to provide rural students with more resources and opportunities.  She plans to direct more funding for school counselors, nurses, psychologists, and social workers.