Burden running for Dist. 3 BOE seat
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on January 14, 2016 1:46 PM
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Burden
Patricia Burden, District 3 representative on the school board since she was appointed in May 2014 to complete the unexpired term of the late Thelma Smith, wants to continue in the role when her time is up in November.
She filed for the seat, as did three others, prompting the need for a primary in May. Others in the running include Trebor Jackson, Taj Polack and Charles Wright.
It is her passion for children that made her want to become part of the Board of Education.
"I enjoy working with children and helping them succeed and reach their goals," she said. "Serving on the board, I can directly impact through policy and by advocating for the children along with all other stakeholders in Wayne County Public Schools."
In a relatively short time on the board, she said she has learned much by being on such committees as policy, personnel, curriculum and finance.
"I think what I feel most good about is first, serving as an advocate for all stakeholders," she said. "It's not so much that I resolved the problem or the concern, but I can direct parents or teachers through the process or inform them who to get in touch with so that they are not calling 25 different people to really get to the core of the situation. That has been very pleasant for me.
"I enjoyed the process of the superintendent search even though it was hectic at times with the schedule we had to follow. It was a lot of hard work, but it was a very enjoyable experience. We worked diligently to select the best candidate to serve Wayne County Public Schools and our students."
Moving forward, she said she wants to work on improving student achievement and decreasing the gap between students at all the schools. She also wants to expand upon STEM education, which focuses on science, technology, engineering and math.
Studies predict that by 2018, a vast number of jobs will require a college degree or higher, she said, and with STEM-related jobs, that will increase the need for more preparation in technology.
"I think in order to address any of those areas, we have to see that teachers are going to be the priority and that we have to probably invent new strategies of how we recruit teachers, how we induct them into the system, how we assess them and especially how we compensate them for the jobs that they do in the classroom, and we have to do this to ensure that we have highly qualified teachers in our classrooms," she said. "It's definitely not an easy task now because you don't have as many candidates graduating from college that are going into education and the main reason for that is the salary base, the stipends and the amount of money we put into personnel."
A 1965 graduate of Dillard High School, Ms. Burden received a bachelor's degree from East Carolina University and attended Chapman University in California for her administrative credentials. Her 42-year career in education included being principal at Goldsboro High School from 2000-2010. She continues to work with Goldsboro/Dillard Alumni and Friends.
As a former administrator herself, she appreciates the value of staffing schools based on the needs at each school. Not only is it important for parents to be part of that framework and to be heard, but it is critical that highly qualified teachers be placed in every classroom, she said.
"We have to have people there that can address the needs of the students, that go beyond the instructional program in terms of behavior and their social needs," she said.
Being part of the school board means working as a team, she said, but also enlisting partnerships with other boards in the city and county in addressing the district's needs. She has been reminded of this even more since serving as part of the recently created Strategic Planning Team.
"I'm very pleased with the diversity of that group," she said. "I think there's a lot of learning taking place about what really happens within a school district and a school site.
"As we develop these goals for the next three to five years and develop strategies for reaching these goals, it is very evident that it takes more than just the school board and that we have to work together."
A momentum has been built, she says, and she would like to see it continue. There is still more work to be done and she said she looks forward to the possibility of being an active and involved school board member.
Her platform for the upcoming election will be built upon two words, "children first" because that will be essential to policies, programming and funding as well as facilities.
"If I am elected to the board -- I was appointed, this time if I am elected -- I pledge to continue to work hard, to be involved, to stay well-informed and to work with the superintendent and support the superintendent and the leadership team as we work to meet the goals of our strategic plan," she said. "I do believe and feel comfortable in that the experiences that I have had opened me up to serving on the board and understanding the responsibilities of a board member.
"It's different from that of a principal but an extension. Even though you're elected not by one district, but you have to be open to WCPS as a whole, and you work hard to provide for those in your district. It's going to take some time in the central attendance area, but I think with good programs and staffing of highly qualified teachers and making sure we have staff that meet the needs of students, we're going to come through it."