Orange County Schools Board of Education: Carrie Doyle

Name as it appears on the ballot:  Carrie Doyle

Age:  51

Party affiliation: Democrat

Campaign website: https://www.carriedoyleforocs.org/

Occupation & employer: High School Science teacher, Durham Public Schools

Years lived in the area:  20 + years

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

My three priorities for students are:  equitable access to rich and broad learning opportunities; continually improving language access to support students and their families; more broad and consistent STEM access across tiers (elementary, middle, high) and between schools.  

To support these priorities for students, we also need to support teachers.  As we have seen in our district and across the state, the past four years during and since COVID have been an exhausting time for educators and school staff, and many have chosen to leave the school setting.  At the same time and over many years, our state has cut funding to teachers and schools: NC has not passed a statewide school bond for many years, is 46^th in teacher salaries, and has refused to pay out Leandro monies.  And our state exacerbated the loss of funding to public schools by encouraging families to leave and take their money with them to charter and private schools.  Public school districts, unlike private and charter schools, serve ALL students.  We need to increase teacher supplements broadly in OCS, and specifically in challenging areas such as Exceptional Children classrooms so that students have the comfort of knowing a stable school staffing experience.  

2. Describe something you think the school board should have prioritized differently in the current budget. Do you think the budget supports students from lower income families as well as from wealthy families? Does the budget meet the district’s infrastructure needs? 

Superintendent transitions are expensive. The Board made decisions that used several hundred thousand dollars of local monies since last summer to fund a Superintendent transition. This spending represented a sizable portion of our local fund balance that could have been spent on student-centered priorities.  

I have supported spending beneficial to lower income families, including developing our family liaison program from scratch over the past four years. I also have supported increasing our bilingual staff members by creating those positions and prioritizing bilingual skills in hiring. Partnering with Equal Opportunity Schools has increased our student participation in Honors, AP, and IB classes, increasing both Black and Hispanic subgroups as well as some White subgroups who were under-represented in these classes. Also, funding a literacy audit and implementing a Science of Reading based literacy curriculum has drastically improved our literacy scores and proficiency across subgroups. We have done a lot of good as a Board to address student achievement scores that began dropping BEFORE the pandemic, and we have begun to close opportunity gaps and the corresponding achievement gaps since 2020; great gains were seen in School Year 2022-23. We have not been able to do everything we need to do as a gently declining student population reduces our monies.  We were not able to do the five priorities that I brought to our board’s budget committee meeting in June 2023.

• Increasing teacher supplements
• Increasing EC teacher supplements
• Adding a dual-language pre-K position
• Supporting teachers pursuing National Board Certification
• Creating STEM positions for all OCS schools

Infrastructure in the area of capital improvements is funded by our Board of County Commissioners. I appreciate the consideration of a bond referendum by the BOCC to help us achieve much needed improvements to our school buildings.  

3. 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?  

Yes. The North Carolina Constitution lays out that providing every child with an education is the obligation of the State. This requirement for a sound basic education as decided in the Leandro case has been upheld twice by the North Carolina Supreme Court. The General Assembly’s refusal to pay out these funds is a detriment to school children in North Carolina and ultimately to the State as a whole.  

4. Orange County’s Board of Education has passed some of the most progressive policies in the state around strengthening racial equity and providing a safe, inclusive environment for LGBTQ+ students to learn. Do you support these policies? Please explain why/why not.  

Absolutely, yes. I was pleased when the OCS Board adopted Policy 1030:  Equity in Education in 2019, the year before I joined the Board. The implementation of the policy was sure to, and did, meet resistance, and I’m glad to serve in support of implementing the policy faithfully. The policy begins with the acknowledgement of “racial intolerance, inequities, and academic disparities in our district.” These are longstanding truths that will take determination and persistence to undo. I have spoken out against racial intolerance and other forms of bigotry: numerous times in our local streets when racist rallying was underway; publicly at board meeting when organized racist demonstrators congregated on and around our school properties. I share the goal stated in the policy of OCS schools “as centers for culturally diverse learning” and yet OCS youth in my life have shared with me ongoing racist and bigoted experiences they have had and sometimes continue to have in our schools. Racial intolerance is not going to go away, but we turn the tide every time we speak truth to the situation and share our vision of what OCS schools can and should be. The policy also sets important “expectations” for our school communities regarding equity; in the alignment of other policies, processes, and procedures to the Equity Policy; in the commitment of the Board to racial equity training; and in the Equity Plan that followed the adoption of the Policy. In the Fall of 2021, the Equity Plan was interwoven into the new 5-year Strategic Plan for the district. The Policy furthermore secures the longevity of the Equity Task Force, which has been a vital body informing our Board.  

I absolutely support protecting the learning environment of our district for LGBTQ+ students.  The Equity Policy speaks to OCS taking “active measures” to foster “an inclusive and emotionally supportive environment, free from discrimination,” and without active measure our LGBTQ+ students and staff would not experience the supportive environment they deserve.  

5. Do you support the Orange County School District’s Gender Support guidelines that create a protocol for students who are transitioning or want to? How should OCS balance compliance with the new “Parents’ Bill of Rights” law with students’ rights to privacy and teachers’ ability to provide a sound basic education?

Yes, I fully support the Gender Support Guidelines. Policy 1710 prohibits bullying and discrimination, and Regulation 1710/4021/7230 is known as our Gender Support Guidelines.  The Guidelines were thoughtfully written, in Policy Committee meetings I participated in, to both educate staff and policy makers and to protect and support LGBTQ+ students. The guidelines “help schools promote the educational and social integration of transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming students and staff and ensure a safe learning environment free from discrimination and harassment.” The guidelines speak to the individual nature of the progression in transitioning that students may take, to include socially transitioning and name or pronoun changes.  Much of the “Parents’ Bill of Rights” law details practices long-established in schools, such as parent access to curriculum and opportunities for communication and engagement. However, two provisions challenge the ability of schools to protect LGBTQ+ students, and generally create a chilling effect threatening a sense of belonging for LGBTQ+ students and staff. One provision restricts K-4 Health Education from touching on matters of sex or gender. To that end, our district crafted language protective of representation of LGBTQ+ students, families, and community members in everyday materials in our schools – I was pleased to help write and recommend these protective language changes. The other provision requires that if students formally request name or pronoun changes by school staff, that parents be informed.  This requirement resulted in language changes in our Gender Support Guidelines that detail when parents must be informed of such changes. I do feel that the Parents Bill of Rights deliberately targets LGBTQ+ students and communities, violating the spirit of Title IX which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, and challenging the ability of educators to live up to the North Carolina Profession Teaching Standard 2:  Establish a Respectful Environment for a Diverse Population of Students. I would like to note that the Campaign for Southern Equality has recently filed a Title IX complaint against the State Board of Education and NCDPI alleging that LGBTQ+ students are being discriminated against in a systematic way in North Carolina. 

6. Do police officers (School Resource Officers) have a role in schools? Do you agree with the way the current board is trying to address the role of SROs in Orange County Schools?

As both a parent and a board member, I think our SROs are valuable in creating a safe and secure perimeter and entryway for our school sites. It is appropriate for SROs to welcome students and families to our schools and respond to any safety concerns or criminal behavior on or around our school campuses. However, SROs should not be involved with ordinary school discipline.  

7. Research has shown an achievement gap for Orange County Schools students based on race and socioeconomic status. What specific policies would you support or what actions would you take to help close the gap so that race and socioeconomic status don’t persist as predictive factors?

I believe there is a long history here, in which our county, as one of the wealthiest in the state, has served White students exceptionally well and other demographics worse than average. Here is what I posted publicly in July regarding the progress made in recent years towards addressing head-on and beginning to close that opportunity gap: “The SY22 and SY23 data show growth across all student demographic groups; some year-to-year growth data showed Black student growth outpace White student growth. Another favorable shift for English Language Learners (ELLs) is that a larger percentage of the multilingual population succeeded at ACCESS testing and was able to exit the ESL program in SY23 vs. SY22. Closing achievement gaps is more successful with a focus on leaning into advanced, rigorous coursework rather than a focus on constant remediation. However, historically, in Orange County Schools, Black and Hispanic students less often took Honors, AP, or IB courses, either because there was a lack of teacher encouragement to do so or because these students disproportionately did not see themselves succeeding in those classes. The partnership between Equal Opportunity Schools and OCS these past two school years has resulted in a dramatic increase in Black (up 83%) and Hispanic (up 26%) students selecting rigorous Honors, AP, and IB coursework; overall, targeted high school students taking these courses is up 50% from SY22 to SY33. While Dr. Felder and her team were finding new ways to support more diverse students accessing rigorous coursework, the district was also successful in recruiting and keeping more classroom educators of color. As stated in the June 2023 Points of Pride on the OCS website, ‘Our teaching corps is more representative of our students and families, as we continue to hire and retain more teachers of color. In the past three years, teachers of color have increased from 13.3% to 20.3%…50% growth among Black teachers (8% →12%) and four times the representation for Latinx/Hispanic teachers (1.3% →5.7%).’”

8. How can the school board better assist students who (a) lack broadband access, (b) students with disabilities, and (c) students who speak English as a second language?

(a) Broadband access was particularly challenging during covid when learning was remote for one year. We invested in hotspots to support students with limited access.  We have a reduced number of hotspot needs at this point, and broadband access has increased across the more rural parts of our county (including where I live) in the past couple of years, due to efforts of our Commissioners. I believe we as a Board of Education have done a good job advocating for and addressing these needs.  

(b) Students with disabilities need stable and supportive learning environments like all children. I believe that we have robust offerings through our Exceptional Childrens Department and classrooms across Orange County Schools. We continue to make improvements including prioritizing adaptive playgrounds. Our Board needs to support supplements for Exceptional Children’s teachers and teaching assistants to reduce turnover in this challenging field; increased stability would better serve our EC students.  

(c) Students who speak English as a second language is a growing demographic in our district; while not all Hispanic children speak English as a second language, our Hispanic student populations has grown to more than 27% of our student body, and our Multi Language Learner (MLL) population has grown in a parallel fashion.  Numerous other languages are spoken in students’ homes – more than 40 languages.  We have a great team in our district serving these students and their families, including “Newcomer” students (defined as students who have been in American schools for 3 years or less). The Board needs to continue to improve in centering voices of these families and students and showing ongoing support through our presence and financial decision-making.  

9. The Board received criticism last year over how it handled the departure of former Superintendent Monique Felder in the middle of her contact. How should Board of Education members work with the district’s new superintendent? How should the board support the superintendent in their work with administrative and other school staff?

Dr. Monique Felder was an incredibly hard-working and talented leader who brought equity-mindedness and academic excellence to our district. We made great gains under her leadership increasing both a sense of belonging for our diverse student body (as measured by Panorama surveys), and student growth in literacy and achievement broadly. Boards have strictly a governance role; they shape vision for the district, set policy to support the vision, and also serve in a listening role to members of the community, primarily students and families. Boards best support Superintendent success by recognizing their governance role and not drifting into administrative roles. Boards can best help a Superintendent to succeed by: partnering in the work of listening to the community and shaping vision; committing to training to grow as a more culturally competent team; committing to study district data and educational trends; continuing to train in board governance and ethics; bolstering the Superintendent with constructive input in a courteous manner; and respecting her ability to lead district staff to achieve the vision and goals of the Strategic Plan. With this mindset and commitment, everyone wins, particularly students.  

10. If there is anything else you would like to address, please do so here.  

As a scientist, educator, mother, and someone who continues to study and learn, I find the idea that we can only pursue a sense of belonging for students OR academic excellence for students to be a false choice. I firmly believe that academic excellence for all begins with fostering a sense of belonging and value for every student; all children benefit when we take the time to welcome and support each child in the school setting. That is when each person’s gifts have the opportunity to contribute to the creative, collaborative whole. That is how I’ve parented my own children; that is how I’ve supported other peoples’ children; that is the attitude I bring to my classroom every day; and that is the standard I expect for anyone who seeks to serve as a Board Member in Orange County Schools.  

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