Durham Public Schools Board of Education, District 3: Jessica Carda-Auten

Name as it appears on the ballot: Jessica Carda-Auten

Age: 43

Party affiliation: Democrat

Campaign website: jcafordps.com

Occupation and employer: Public health researcher, UNC Chapel Hill 

Years lived in the area: 12 years in Durham

1. What are the three main issues that you believe the Durham Public Schools Board of Education needs to address in the upcoming years?

1- Disparities in academic and disciplinary outcomes used for our white and/or financially-privileged students and our Black and Hispanic students, our students living in poverty, our students with disabilities, and/or our students with limited English proficiency. 

2- Social, emotional, and mental health challenges facing our students and staff as we emerge from a global pandemic that brought isolation and a separation from community.

3- Gaps in district leadership and insufficient numbers of staff in our schools to adequately address the challenges noted above and to provide the best education possible for the children of Durham. 

2. Durham Public Schools has had a hard time recruiting and retaining teachers and staff members recently and it has been suggested that some classified staff not be compensated for years of professional experience outside of the district in their pay steps. Do you agree with this approach? How can the district work with the county to recruit and retain teachers and staff and make sure they are compensated adequately and competitively?

Classified staff should be compensated for years of professional experience outside of the district (and the NC state employment system). The experience that staff bring to DPS–from school districts outside of NC, private entities, nonprofit organizations, work in other countries, and more–is incredibly valuable and provides these staff with skills and abilities that enable them to better serve our students. As such, I believe it is clear that compensating for this experience is best for the children, families, and staff of DPS. 

The challenge facing DPS and other school districts is that it is becoming increasingly difficult financially (as public schools in NC continue to be underfunded) to credit on a 1:1 basis for all years of professional experience. Other nearby school districts (e.g. Wake, Chapel Hill-Carrboro, Orange, Guilford, Johnson) have a variety of ways that they manage this challenge, with some continuing to credit on a 1:1 basis for certain positions but not others, and/or placing a cap on the number of years credited, and/or crediting this experience on a 1:2 or 1:3 basis for some or all classified positions. As we consider how to move forward, DPS may need to consider some of these options but, if we do, it is essential that this be done in conversation with our staff and that any decisions about this need to be explicit, clear, and transparent. 

To recruit and retain teachers and staff and ensure that they are compensated adequately, we need strong leadership at the district level and the school level. At the district level, we need leadership (both in administration and on the Board of Education) that is committed to building and maintaining strong, productive relationships with county commissioners and the county manager, and a willingness among leaders in DPS and the county to think creatively about how to increase local funding for our school system. In doing this, we must be mindful about the potential impact that something like a tax increase could have on lower-income homeowners, especially our elderly neighbors on a fixed income, while also balancing this against the knowledge that without additional funding (from both the local and the state level) DPS will continue to struggle to meet our goal of providing an outstanding education to ALL children of Durham.  

It is important to also note, however, that while providing our staff with compensation that is commensurate with their skills and experience is critical, we also need strong leadership at the district level and in every school building that values staff and is able to foster a supportive working environment for all staff, which is also essential for recruitment and retention. 

3. Durham Public Schools is committed to equity in education, but disparities between white students and students of color, particularly with regard to the use of suspension and other disciplinary measures, persist. How should the school board work to address these and other equity issues?

The disproportionate use of suspension for students of color, especially Black and Hispanic students, is a troubling trend and just one example of systemic racism within our public school system. I am proud of the work that my colleague Millicent Rogers and I did to create the RESOLUTION TO SUPPORT THE ACHIEVEMENT AND SUCCESS OF BLACK AND HISPANIC STUDENTS IN DPS. This resolution will result in a Black and Hispanic Student Achievement Plan and the establishment of the Superintendent’s Black and Hispanic Family Advisory Council, which will provide those most directly impacted by systemic inequities with a role in deciding how to best address them. This Council will review DPS academic and disciplinary data (disaggregated by race, ethnicity, disability status, limited English proficiency status, and socioeconomic status), the strategies that DPS is using to promote equity and reduce disparities, and the resources that DPS is investing in these strategies. It will then provide feedback that will inform DPS’ equity work. I will continue to use my seat on the Board to support the development of the Black and Hispanic Student Achievement Plan and the establishment of the Family Advisory Council. I will also work to ensure that, when hiring the new Director of the DPS Office of Equity Affairs, we bring someone on board that has the ability to carry this important work forward. 

More broadly, being mindful of the history of racial discrimination that remains pervasive throughout systems and structures in all parts of our society, I will continue to apply a racial equity lens to my work on the Board. Questions I will be asking as I evaluate proposals brought before the board and decisions that we make include the following:

• How will this impact students of color and in what ways?
• How can we best serve students of color? Is this it?
• In what ways, if any, have caregivers, students, and teachers of color had a “seat at the table” in the development of our plans, and how have we integrated their perspectives and experiences? 

As a researcher, I believe we should rely upon best practices and up-to-date research, but I believe it is also important to prioritize the voices of families and teachers of color as their lived experiences make them our most valuable experts on these topics.

4. The new ‘Parents’ Bill of Rights’ law seeks to give parents more control over their children’s education. How should DPS balance compliance with the law with students’ rights to privacy and teachers’ ability to provide a sound basic education?

While controversial, I am proud of the work the Board has done to ensure that we are within the legal bounds of this new legislation while holding true to our values and supporting our students and staff. I believe our recently amended LGBTQIA+ policy is the perfect example of how a progressive Board can work with our Board attorney to thread that needle very carefully.

I also believe it’s important that the Board do the difficult work of outlining to our staff exactly how to implement such troubling legislation in practice. Without clear guidance from the Board, there have been examples of educators misinterpreting their responsibility within the bounds of the new law. As such, I will continue to work with my colleagues and our legal counsel to find a path forward that honors our students and their diverse needs without putting our staff or our district at legal risk.

5. Does the General Assembly have a constitutional obligation to comply with the state Supreme Court order in the Leandro case to fully fund public schools and give every child in North Carolina a sound basic education?  What other policies should lawmakers enact at the state level to strengthen public education?

I believe the General Assembly does have a constitutional obligation to comply with the state Supreme Court order in the Leandro case. Providing every child in North Carolina with a sound basic education is a legal obligation and a moral imperative, and adequate funding is essential to ensure all students have access to quality education.

In addition to fully funding public schools, lawmakers should prioritize policies that address educational equity, teacher recruitment and retention, expanding access to early childhood education, and supporting programs that meet the needs of diverse student populations, such as special education and English language learners. Furthermore, investing in professional development for educators and promoting innovative teaching methods can enhance the quality of instruction and student outcomes statewide.

6. Do you support the recommendations of the Durham Safety and Wellness Task force to increase restorative justice practices and expand Durham’s HEART program into schools? Why or why not? What role should SROs have in Durham schools?

I am supportive of the recommendations made by the Community Safety and Wellness Task Force, especially putting more resources into implementing restorative practices more consistently across the district. This will need to look like training for all school-based educators as well as support for educators who are struggling to implement these practices with fidelity, all of which should be led by a Restorative Practices Director/Administrator.

I have also been pleased by the work of the HEART program throughout Durham, and I am interested in exploring what this might look like in the school setting. Currently, school-based staff can find themselves so busy responding to crises that they are not able to do the work of counseling or social work or behavioral interventions that the rest of our student population so desperately needs. Providing our schools with crisis response personnel will allow school-based staff to invest in preventive strategies that we know work. 

Data has shown that when school resource officers (SROs) are used, this police presence in schools can increase arrests for low-level, non-violent offenses (perpetuating the school-to-prison pipeline), students of color and students with disabilities are disproportionately singled out for arrests and criminal citations for relatively minor school-based offenses, and schools are not safer. I want to see DPS continue to reduce the use of suspensions, reduce disparities in suspensions by subgroups, expand the use of restorative practices, and ensure that restorative practices are being implemented with fidelity so that they are as effective as possible. I also want DPS to continue to reevaluate safety measures on a regular basis, including the use of SROs, to ensure that the benefits outweigh the potential harms, including unnecessary arrests, disproportionate arrests and citations for our students of color, and damage to our learning environments. When SROs are used, DPS should make sure that they are trained to recognize implicit bias, to serve as a supportive rather than threatening presence in our schools, and to work with school discipline staff to ensure that the roles of each are clearly defined and SROs are only acting when necessary. 

7. Despite voters passing a $423.5 million education bond in 2022 to build new schools and renovate existing facilities that money is running out fast due to rising construction costs. Do you think county leaders should put another education bond before voters soon? What is the most sustainable way to address new construction and renovations of existing facilities as Durham continues to grow?

The $423.5 million education bond has been critical for addressing the district’s most pressing construction needs, but we still have many school facilities in need of significant renovations. To meet these needs, it’s going to be important that county leaders put another education bond before voters soon and that education bonds are set on a regular schedule, so that the district can adequately plan for facility needs. 

As we approach new construction, I think it’s important that we build for the future and that includes ensuring environmentally sustainable schools for years to come, though I am mindful of the expense that comes with such construction and recognize that we do not have an endless supply of money to support such projects. That said, DPS administration needs to be planning with an eye towards sustainability, knowing that federal money and cost savings over time can offset initial expenses. 

8. Durham School of the Arts is planned to relocate to a new facility in North Durham by 2026, but some in the community say the school should remain downtown. They argue the downtown campus would continue to serve students in the central part of Durham and it would be more cost-effective to renovate the existing building rather than spending a large portion of bond funds on a new facility for a school that serves some of Durham’s more affluent students. What are your thoughts on this issue? If you’re in favor of DSA relocating, how would you propose repurposing the current DSA campus?

While I hear and understand many of the concerns raised by the community and agree that this has been a very challenging decision, I believe that relocating Durham School of the Arts to a new facility in North Durham is the most prudent long-term decision for our students and the community as a whole. The current downtown campus faces significant challenges due to its age, and will almost certainly require ongoing costly renovations and repairs, and likely also present safety hazards. Although costly, the budget for this project is in line with recent comparable new high schools across the state (and DSA is both a middle and high school, and an arts school, which tend to be more expensive than non-arts schools), and investing in a new facility now will ensure a safer and more conducive learning environment for students for decades to come. 

I recognize that this is a very complex decision, especially when we have so many other competing renovation needs and in light of the fact that DSA has become one of the schools in our district with the greatest concentration of financial privilege. With that said, I believe that the Board and district administration are committed to the difficult task of finding the funding needed to complete the other needed renovations across the district, and I believe that the recent adjustments made by the Board to the DSA lottery will result in a more economically diverse student population at this school. It is my hope that these decisions collectively will provide Durham youth–from all economic backgrounds, races, and zip codes–with an amazing arts-based education that many would not otherwise be able to access if not provided through the public school system.  

As we look towards repurposing the current DSA campus, I think we must do two things: 1- ensure that it remains a space that supports the needs of Durham students, families, and staff, and 2- utilize a robust system for gathering and incorporating public input from a diverse group of stakeholders as we’re making this decision. 

9. How should schools ensure that high school students are prepared for tw0- or four-year college or are career-ready and have the skills to take advantage of new economic opportunities coming to Durham upon graduation?

DPS has worked diligently over the past several years to improve graduation rates. While I do believe we should be proud of that fact, I also recognize that graduation doesn’t always ensure our youth are “college and career ready.” Whether a graduate chooses to continue their education after high school or not, all of our youth should be prepared for whatever their next step may be. To that end, I believe our high schools should have sufficient counselors to help our youth navigate what they want their next steps to be and provide them with sufficient training while in high school to graduate prepared for that pathway. Currently, our counselors do not meet the national recommendations for caseload, and I would support a long-term plan being put in place that will move us towards that using local funding.

We also need to strengthen our relationships with local colleges and universities and with local businesses. Our early and middle colleges and our Career and Technical Education (CTE) program offer outstanding opportunities to prepare our students for careers after graduation, by providing them with the college credits, certifications, and training that they need. Strengthening relationships with local colleges, universities, and businesses will enable DPS to provide more of this career preparation and hands-on experience for our students, ensuring that more are ready to continue their education or enter the workforce when they leave DPS.  

1o. How should DPS address mental health and wellness for students, educators, and staff coming out of the pandemic years?

Our students cannot learn and educators cannot teach when they are struggling with mental health challenges as we know many of our students and staff are currently, especially in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. We also need to acknowledge the unique mental health challenges our youth face as developing adolescents in a tumultuous world that remains plagued by racism, classism, ableism, homophobia and transphobia, and so many other forms of bias and discrimination that directly and indirectly negatively impact our youth.

DPS should prioritize mental health and wellness by implementing comprehensive support systems. This includes increasing access to counseling services (for students and staff), providing professional development for educators on trauma-informed practices, fostering supportive environments, and collaborating with community partners to address the diverse needs of students, educators, and staff.

As we continue to work towards increasing access to counseling services, we need to ensure that we have sufficient staff to respond to students’ mental health needs when they arise. DPS has taken the important steps of using COVID relief funds to hire additional mental health counselors, has established co-located mental health support inside many of our schools, and has implemented social and emotional learning (SEL) curriculum throughout the district. I believe we need to try to maintain these supports while building upon them when needed. 

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