Name as it appears on the ballot: Keith Sutton
Age: 50
Party affiliation: Democrat
Campaign website: N/A
Occupation & employer: Education Innovation Consultant, FocusED, LLC
1. What do you believe are the three most important issues facing the Board of Education? What are your priorities for addressing these issues?
To further improve our commitment to educational equity, specifically by defining our equity goals through development of a comprehensive equity policy.
To improve our strategy and approach for turning around and improving our lowest performing schools.
To provide the appropriate level of investment in public education to ensure success for all Wake County students.
2. What in your record as a public official or other experience demonstrates your ability to be an effective Board of Education member? This might include career or community service; be specific about its relevance to this office.
I have a professional background rooted in civil rights and advocacy, and I have spent a significant part of my professional career as an advocate for marginalized populations. I have served as the Executive Director of the North Carolina NAACP, and President/CEO of the Triangle Urban League. Here on the Wake County Board of Education, I have spent the last 10 years continuing to advocate for policies that improve the lives of the students, employees, and communities of Wake County. I have an Ivy League master’s degree in Education Entrepreneurship from the University of Pennsylvania, so I have both the training and experience to provide transformational leadership.
3. Research suggests that North Carolina’s schools are becoming more segregated by race and economic status. What do you think is driving this trend, and do you think this is an issue WCPSS needs to address? Please explain your answer.
I think growth is driving this trend. I also think the continued economic stratification of our communities which effects housing patterns is a factor. I also believe our own attitudes and personal biases affect the decisions of families and where they choose to send their children to school.
Yes, I think WCPSS needs to address this and we began work to do so by examining ways that we can maintain healthy, balanced, and integrated schools. However, that work was interrupted by COVID-19.
4. What effects do you believe the popularity of charter schools is having on the school system? Is it exacerbating segregation or draining resources from neighborhood schools, as some critics contend?
I think there should be a moratorium on charters in Wake County. Almost since their inception, charter schools in North Carolina have segregated schools and communities and siphoned off funds from traditional public schools. The future of charter schools should include a return to their original intent, which was to serve as incubators of education innovation. Successful innovations would then be scaled up in the traditional public schools. A moratorium on charters would allow for a process to conduct a more thorough review of their anticipated impact on the communities they plan to serve.
5. In light of the ongoing threat of COVID-19, do you believe it is safe for students to return to the classroom? What policies or protocols should be put in place to ensure the health and safety of students? If remote learning must continue in some form in the future, what can be done to ensure students are still receiving a quality education?
Yes, I do believe it is safe to return to the classroom. There are several policies and protocols in place to ensure a safe and healthy return. There is no way to list them all here. To continue remote learning, we must continue to improve access to technology.
6. Do you support the placement of school resource officers in Wake schools? If so, what do you think their role should be? If not, what do you propose as an alternative?
I support safe and secure schools. We are currently conducting a review of the SRO program to determine its efficacy. We will also be reviewing various alternatives. It is my hope that we can reform the practice of using law enforcement in our buildings and still maintain safe and secure buildings. The Wake County Public School System can lead the state and country in this effort.
7. Black students make up about a quarter of Wake County public school students, yet, according to the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, are nearly eight times more likely to be suspended than their white peers. Are racial disparities an issue you think the board of education needs to address?
Yes, the board of education should and has made efforts to address racial disparities, particularly regarding discipline. The school to prison pipeline is a real threat to Black students. That is why this current board has changed some of its policies to reduce suspensions, especially for issues such as noncompliance. But we need to go further. I would love to see a moratorium on suspensions, especially for our youngest students. Many of these students can ill afford to miss valuable instructional time. We must find better ways to support Black students who are struggling to regulate behavior.
8. Identify and explain one principled stand you would be willing to take if elected that you suspect might cost you some points with voters.
I just took a principled stand by voting to reopen schools, understanding that may cost me some support with voters. This issue is the most polarizing one that I have seen in my 11 years on the board of education. Just as many people feel like we are returning to soon as there are that feel like we are not returning soon enough. However, I think that it is time for us to return students and teachers back to our building and I am confident that we can do so safely and in an operationally sound manner. If health trends and conditions change, then we will respond accordingly.
Comment on this questionnaire at backtalk@indyweek.com.
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