Trebor Jackson running for seat on Board of Education
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on January 11, 2016 1:46 PM
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Trebor Jackson
Trebor Jackson is running for the District 3 seat on the Wayne County Board of Education.
This is his second time vying for school board. In 2010, he ran for the District 6 seat held by Rick Pridgen. He was also one of five considered for appointment to fill the unexpired term of the late Thelma Smith in 2014. Patricia Burden now holds the seat.
The campaign warrants a primary since there are three other candidates running -- Ms. Burden, Taj Polack and Charles Wright.
A military veteran, Jackson is a 1984 graduate of Goldsboro High School. He holds a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Fayetteville State University and a bachelor's degree in theology from N.C. College of Theology in Wilmington.
He and his wife, Sheryl, who works with the Department of Social Services, have two children, both graduates of Goldsboro High School.
Jackson, who just turned 50, is a juvenile court counselor with the Department of Juvenile Justice. Since he has 26 years with the state, he is eligible for retirement, but believes staying on could make him more effective on the school board.
"I think it may be more advantageous if I stay in the capacity I work in because I would really love to see some greater collaboration between the Department of Criminal Justice and Wayne County Public Schools," he said. "With the travesties that are going on in our community with young people and some of the shootings and things like that, there's a correlation between our students and my agency, the Department of Juvenile Justice, and the services that WCPS provides."
Jackson said his motivation for seeking office is to advocate for educational opportunities for all young people in Wayne County.
"I'm concerned about the growth of WCPS and the recent scores that the schools have made," he said. "I would like to see some improvement in those areas and some opportunities to see people working positively together to create an atmosphere that would be conducive for our students to continue to improve on their educational goals.
"I think that Wayne County and the city of Goldsboro need to really focus on the students, the staff and the community, and we need to tap into the resources in our community."
Formerly in District 6, redistricting shifted him into District 3, he explained.
"The district that I'm in now is mostly centered around the central part of the city of Goldsboro, more the eastern part of the county and the inner city," he said. "I think it's a fresh breath of air for me to take this challenge to step out and be able to represent the citizens of that district.
"I think that the Wayne County community deserves some new fresh ideas, and they need some new innovative young people that are willing to be able to open to work with the challenges we face."
In his role as a court counselor, he said there is a two-fold purpose at hand -- to try to rehabilitate that young person as well as create an atmosphere that also serves and protects the community.
"I think whatever we do, I think my biggest challenge would be to assist in whatever behavioral and disciplinary direction that we can to make our schools safer, to make our schools able to function at the levels and the capacities (they need to)."
Jackson said he would like to see stronger partnerships between the school system and his agency as well as social services and law enforcement.
"We have a network, and we all work together but there's got to be something that we can strategize together to try to confront these issues," he said.
"We do a great job in the elementary years. And the alarming thing is this -- we're starting to have to deal with some juveniles in the elementary arena.
"We have had a history of standing at the bus stops, bringing cookies, making sure that the kids were doing well, but the key factor is, with these agencies coming together, is there anything that we can do to empower our parents and to be more involved in the community?"
Mentoring programs have been effective, he said, but there is still much more to be done.
"If it means after hours, if it means a team going into certain communities and working one-on-one," he said. "We as leaders need to roll up our sleeves and be seen at the forefront.
"We need to be there, not only making initiatives and plans, but sometimes we need to reach out and be that touch that can make a change."
Jackson grew up in Goldsboro and has a history with the culture of the inner city, although it has vastly changed over the years, he says.
"The environment is not the same, the environment in the classroom is not where there's an apple on the desk," he said. "But the environment now is you've got to think out of the box, and you've got to be creative.
"We've got to come up with a plan that says how we're going to redirect some action. And sometimes we may have to deal with some other things before we can even get to the educational piece."
His motto for the campaign is "Educated, Motivated, Dedicated, Stimulated and Rejuvenated."
He said he has been impressed with some shifts in recent years, including the arrival of the new superintendent, who also has a background in juvenile services.
"One thing I do not want is for people to sleep on this election," he said. "A lot of people have some concerns, but the key thing is we need to get people involved, and people need to be involved.
"Being from here, being a hometown kid, I can relate to living in Westhaven and Little Washington and then coming and having an opportunity to be helpful."