Orange County Schools Board of Education: Saru D. Salvi

Name: Saru Salvi

Age:

Party affiliation: Democrat

Campaign website: https://sarusalvi.com/

Occupation and employer: retired

1. What is your past or current involvement with Orange County Schools? What makes you qualified for this job?

I have been a substitute teacher, in both middle and high schools, including a stint with exceptional children. I have been assigned day to day and weeks long at a time, which has given me a direct look at the daily realities our students and teachers face. I also served as a Guardian ad Litem to two young children and a new born. While with the Durham Black MBA Association, I established a program in a public elementary school second grade. Once a month, students would received certificates for things like “most improved”, “100% homework completed”. 

My professional preparation comes from a 30-year career as an entrepreneur. I managed multi-million-dollar contracts and complex operations of a consulting firm that worked with major global pharmaceutical companies. I hold a BS in Business from North Carolina Central University, an MBA from Wake Forest, and an MS from Northeastern. This combination of classroom experience and high-level business management makes me uniquely prepared to handle the district’s budget and strategic goals.

2. What are the three main issues that you believe the board of education needs to address in the upcoming year?

a. Finances are of course urgent. Without a state budget, the board is closely monitoring spending. They will have to work with Dr. Jones, trimming spending where they can without jeopardizing student learning and teacher’s demand on time.

b. Now that 100% of the schools have met or exceeded growth, we now need to maintain that momentum and work on getting all students at or above grade level. How to achieve this without money, is the challenge.

c. Attracting parents back to the public schools is another issue. Student dollars follow the student. Charter and private schools are pulling badly needed funds away from the public schools. 

3. For incumbents, what has been your greatest accomplishment on the board? For newcomers, what change would you bring to the board?

Not being connected to the schools, is actually a positive. With my love for education, my commitment to the community, and my finance background, I bring fresh eyes to the school departments issues. 

4. Nearly every public school district in the state saw a decrease in enrollment this year. With kids leaving for charter and private schools, what can OCS do to convince parents that this is the best option for their students?

School vouchers and charter schools are not the whole problem with public school enrollment. According to Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Superintendent Rodney Trice, birth rates are down, globally. OCS has been doing a good job of highlighting schools’ successes, but this is only a start. Parents want student results. It has to be shown that OCS is the best choice for academic success. 

Our schools are in a crisis, with decreased support from the state. OCS cannot fix this alone. We need a total community rally to support our teachers and students. Pushing public notices, requesting help through different avenues. Seniors, can join Volunteer Connect 55+, individuals can volunteer through the Mind Your Business Portal (background check), and businesses can apply as a Community Partner. 

5. What’s the best or most important thing the OCS board has done in the past year? Additionally, name a decision you believe the board should have handled differently. Please explain your answers.

The most important achievement of the OCS Board this past year has been its support and funding of the District Accountability & Growth Model. Realizing a milestone where 100% of our schools met or exceeded growth targets speaks volumes to the hard work of our school teachers, staff and students. It shows that working together great things can happen.

However, only a little more than half the student body is performing at grade level. The current proficiency rate is about 57%. While “Growth” shows we are moving in the right direction, hitting growth targets alone while proficiency remains the same, is just treading water. The graduation rate also increased, but are the graduates prepared for their future?

The Board now needs to pivot from celebrating to aggressively closing the proficiency gap.

6. With state and federal funding declining, the Orange County Board of Commissioners fell short in 2025 of funding the district’s continuation request. OCS is committed to equity in education, but the “achievement gap” between white students and students of color persists. How can the district better fulfill its most basic mission of educating every child?

I researched and reviewed what the current Board and school department offers to help increase proficiency, without increasing funding. It is clear that a great amount of effort has gone into engaging parents to be able to help their students. The Family Academy is a great place to start. The issue I see, is that there are so many parents who would not be able to use those resources. The parent would need help, to be able to help their children. This is why I keep proposing that Community Center tutoring sessions be set up using volunteers. 

With a more diverse School Board, different backgrounds, could reveal different ideas. 

7. North Carolina recently received an “F” grade from the Education Law Center, which reported that the state is second to last in average funding per student. As of January 2025, the state legislature hasn’t passed a budget, leaving educators without a cost-of-living adjustment. What can the OCS board do to help student outcomes with a state government that seems uninterested in supporting public schools?

This is a business-friendly state. However, what is going to happen when business employees don’t have properly funded public schools? Will the legislature be pressured to fund our public schools? Of course, these are all questions and not answers.

All school districts are in the same situation. I am thinking that it will be necessary for all of the school districts to work through issues together.

8. Across the Triangle, thousands of students have stayed home from school during federal immigration enforcement sweeps. What can the board realistically do to make OCS a welcoming and safe environment for all students, regardless of immigration status?

This is a difficult question to answer, because even though the School Board passed a “Safe Zone” resolution, do parents really feel safe about sending their children to school? The school department requires a Judicial Warrant to enter a school, and any immigration questions are directed to the Superintendent and legal office. They intentionally do not collect or ask about immigration status of students or their parents. Records are updated to include a “caregiver”, who is authorized to pick up children, just in case.

I don’t think that there is any way for the Board to make our immigrant families to feel safe, when so many us citizens are beginning not to feel safe themselves.

9. Many districts are struggling with teacher recruitment. What are your ideas for recruiting and retaining educators?

Teachers have never been paid their worth, and now is no different. North Carolina ranks about 43rd for teacher’s pay in the country. Without the state legislator increasing starting pay, and funding merit pay, there is little room for the county to increase teacher pay without sacrificing something else.

Teachers need to feel appreciated and for us all to acknowledge the great job they are doing. Orange County teachers and leaders are performing miracles every day. What if we could get local businesses to donate small gifts or gift cards for spa day, or Home Depot. How about a restaurant gift certificate?

10. It takes about two minutes to get a free AI chatbot to write a book report, respond to an essay question, or generate a slide deck for a presentation. Regardless of classroom or district policies, students are using AI to complete assignments. How can the OCS board best support teachers who are trying to make sure that students are still learning the basics and thinking critically?

I remember when Google first started and when Wikipedia was published. Students were specifically instructed not to use Wikipedia. Now, AI is haunting schools. It is here and therefore should be embraced. AI and social media properly used can be positive. 

However, how do you check to make sure students are learning and using critical thinking? Put away the tablets and computers and give an old fashion handwritten essay or exam. It is also possible to have a class discussion on a specific topic or book. Students may have used AI for their report, but in a discussion, they would need to explain how they came to their conclusions. 

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

For my family, education was not a luxury; it was a hard-won priority. My great grandmother was enslaved until the age of 12, making every subsequent educational achievement by following generations a profound victory. I stand on the shoulders of women who valued learning above all else: my grandmother was immensely proud to graduate from high school. Her diploma was prominently displayed in a gold frame. My mother and aunts all achieved college degrees and higher. 

My parents further cemented this legacy. My mother earned a PhD in Early Childhood Education and devoted her life to community work, supporting families through the most critical developmental years. My father was a social worker whose commitment was absolute—his patients even had our home phone number, reflecting his belief in total accessibility and care.