Rhonda Cheek has served on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Board since 2009. She faces four challengers for her seat representing District 1.
Occupation
Nurse Case Manager
Involvement with the school district (employment, kids in the system, volunteer, appointed or elected roles):
Board of Education, District 1 since 2009
South Meck HS graduate
Parent of 3 K-12 CMS graduates
North Carolina PTA Volunteer of the Year (Oak Leaf Award)
PTA Board Member at 4 CMS Schools
CMS Volunteer in numerous roles: Room parent, Field trip chaperone, Math Superstars tutor, Health Room Assistant, Team parent in both MS and HS for soccer, track and cross county
Founder of F.U.M.E. Families United for Mecklenburg Education, an advocacy group to lobby for increased capital funding for North Mecklenburg.
Political experience:
Board of Education, District 1 since 2009
Education and/or political advocacy groups you’re affiliated with:
None
Other relevant experience:
Founder of F.U.M.E. Families United for Mecklenburg Education, an advocacy group to lobby for increased capital fundng for North Mecklenburg.
Citizen Capital Budget Advisory Committee (CCBAC)- Appointee to the Mecklenburg County committee from 2003-2008. Chair of the CMS and CPCC Sub-committees. Vice-Chair of CCBAC 2007-2008.
School Building Solutions Committee — Appointment for Town Of Huntersville on the committee led by former Gov. Martin following the failed 2007 bond.
Superintendent Standards Review Committee 2005-2006- Appointed by CMS Board of Education. Committee review capital facilities and looked for efficiencies and improvement in function.
Former Board member; Charlotte Advocates for Education
Political affiliation:
Republican
What actions should the school board take to improve outcomes for students and schools that are performing below expectations?
The board role/responsibilities are to: Hire/Fire/Superintendent, establish policy, eevelop capital and operating budget, approve student assignment boundaries, and oversee management of all operation. With that in mind, the board needs to ensure that each student has the resources and support to achieve their highest potential:
1. Provide the operating resources and support to:
a. Recruit and retain highly effective teachers for every classroom,
b. Fully staff the multi-tiered system of support which identifies the differentiated needs of eachstudent and provides supports needed to be successful (this includes academic, social and wellness),
c. Provide a robust tutoring and in-school interventions designed to remediate areas of concern.
d. Integrated afterschool options to coordinate with school day classroom instruction. Including partnering with known successful programs in the community
e. Summer learning enrichment programs that are well vetted and integrated with the curriculum
f. Continued professional development for teachers and staff with emphasis on literacy fundamentals in the early grades.
g. Literacy and math curricula that have integrity from school to school, but are able to be adapted at each school to the needs of their population.
2. Continue a robust student outcomes-focused governance model
3. Hire and retain a visionary, dynamic leader as Superintendent.
What are the district’s most significant funding needs, and what should the board do to meet them?
The first step needs to be a comprehensive business audit to review all departments and make sure there are no redundancies and everything is streamlined, especially in central office. Our resources need to be directed to student focused staff.
1. Salary increases for all staff
2. Increased positions in student support services
3. Enhanced tutoring, after school enrichment and summer enrichment programs.
4. Facility capital needs
How would you rate current leadership of the district (board and superintendent)? What changes would you propose?
Our new interim Superintendent is doing a fabulous job of returning to student outcomes-focused priorities, with emphasis on the board goal and guardrails. A pedagogically focused plan of action, with interim steps to measure progress has been implemented. A top down management style with work in all areas of compliance, consistency and improving culture is underway. I give him an A for the work he is doing and how quickly he is turning around processes and systems within the organization.
I give the board overall at B- at this time. Because of splintered efforts on some initiative, failure to stay out of the “weeds” and several members straying into management instead of remaining governance focused. I would give myself a B+ at this time, for trying to remain student focused in all decisions and also remaining the in management oversight role.
The leadership team needs to continue to build on the student outcomes focused governance model and differentiate the work that both sides are doing. With the Superintendent and his designees focusing on procedures and pedagogy. The board need to be tightly focused on governance and oversight and not trying to micromanage staff.
What should the board do to improve safety for students and employees?
Expand proven safety and violence prevention programs that I have been a lead advocate for in the past, like Dads on Duty/Titan Men on a Mission, Say Something App, Use of Body Scanners across all high schools, middle schools and expand to elementary schools.
Increase social, emotional and mental health supports for students while increasing awareness and access to these supports.
Coordinate with our partners ( Charlotte and the 6 suburban towns, Mecklenburg County, and all Local Law Enforcement), to reduce the violence in our communities that spills into our schools.
Improve Title IX Compliance by increased training at every level, including students and by expanding the department to have more centralized investigation and communication.
Are there additional issues, themes or characteristics that you see as central in your campaign?
Experienced and effective leadership are needed to represent District 1 through upcoming student assignment policy review, development of a capital bond campaign, selecting a long term Superintendent and continued student outcomes focused governance. An experience leader with a proven track record of buidling relationships and consensus to accomplish great things for students is needed.