Who is Stephanie Sneed, District 4 CMS Board of Education candidate?
Name: Stephanie Sneed
School board seat you’re seeking: District 4, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education
Age as of Nov. 8, 2022: 47
Campaign website: sneed4education.com
Email: sneed4schoolboard@gmail.com
Occupation: Attorney — employment law
Education: Juris Doctor, Bachelor of Science (Environmental Science Concentration)
Have you run for elected office before? (Please list previous offices sought): Yes, CMS Board of Education
Please list your highlights of civic involvement: I served as chairperson (also previous Education Committee member) of the Black Political Caucus where I led efforts on civic matters through position statements, a legislative agenda, communications with elected officials and forums. I led a robust GOTV program including voter registration, canvassing, phone banking & partnerships with students & grassroots organizations. I initiated a viral voter registration campaign recognized by national media. I served as vice-chair of my voting precinct.
What qualities, skills and experiences do you think would make a good superintendent for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools?
Superintendent must have knowledge, skills and abilities in operating a large and diverse school system; management of large budgets; and various teaching, leadership and administrative methods. Superintendent must be a transformational decision-maker comfortable making necessary operational changes. Superintendent must have the ability to motivate CMS staff and community. Most importantly, the superintendent must not have a deficient view of students but set high expectations for all students and structure CMS for their success.
CMS, along with other districts across the country and state, has lost a lot of teachers. What are your ideas to keep teachers in CMS classrooms?
Teachers must have an organization they enjoy working for. This means providing meaningful salaries; proper support; exceptional leaders; proper policies; paid training and less burdensome administrative requirements. Teachers must be able to provide feedback regarding school leadership and student evaluation/instruction. There must be monies and incentives, for hard to fill positions, experience and training/education. Through public/private partnership there is opportunity for housing incentives.
What solutions would you offer to improve student and employee safety on CMS school campuses?
There must be funding for 1) ensuring buildings are physically secure; 2) ensuring monies for counselors/psychologists; 3) training for teachers/staff to recognize students who may need mental health support & 4) partnership with the City’s violence disrupters and grassroots organizations in order to be aware of and engage in collaborative violence prevention methods to lessen community issues in schools. Input from students, teachers/staff & community regarding best practices for safe schools.
How do you define CMS’ achievement gap? How can CMS bridge the achievement gap, raise test scores and get the 50 district schools off of the low-performing list?
Disparities in student performance outcomes are wide and unacceptable. The board must set aggressive, measurable and equitable goals and have a laser focus on school improvement plans to ensure college/career readiness outcomes. The board must set standards for the superintendent to coincide with board goals especially noting, student achievement, closing achievement gaps, equity, support for teachers, access to mental health and collaboration with other government entities, parents and community/corporate stakeholders.
Why should voters choose you over your opponents?
District 4 has now become the lowest performing, with 65% of the schools deemed as low performing (rated D or F). It is time for new leadership that will have a laser focus on student outcomes and ending educational gaps. The board is in need of a member that is a trusted leader; has genuine connections in corporate/government/community/grassroots arenas; legal and HR experience for large organizations; and children recently in CMS.
This story was originally published October 3, 2022 at 2:13 PM.
