Orange County Schools Board of Education: Wendy Padilla

Name as it appears on the ballot: Wendy Padilla

Age: 46

Party affiliation: Democratic Party 

Campaign website: https://www.padilla4oc.com/

Occupation & employer: Founder & President of Sunflower Turning Nonprofit, Inc.

Years lived in the area: 6 years Hillsborough, 14 years total in NC

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

• K-12 Literacy Focus 
• Living wages for Teachers and Staff 
• Capital Improvement Projects: major repairs and improvements

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? 

The budget might seem appropriately distributed. Frankly, I have not gone through the budget thoroughly. I do not want to give you false information. I will learn more about the budget as I move forward, thank you.

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 General Assembly has the constitutional obligation to ensure all children have access to a sound basic education. However, our state continues not to meet the constitutional obligation, as affirmed by the Leandro ruling. It has been 25 years or so since the ruling. It is a shame we have not done right by our future: children. 

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.  

Yes, I support the policies for students and staff. Public schools educate our future: children. I believe in diversity,  equity and inclusion. We need to embrace a global society, though many groups are marginalized and underserved, we need to continue to dismantle racism particularly when it comes to gender identity. We need to accept one another for who we are regardless of race, gender, class and culture. We should celebrate diversity/racial equity and enrich our culture. As a Hispanic mother of two children of Afro/Hispanic background, this topic is near and dear to me. I appreciate what Orange County has done in the past to help children celebrate diversity. We still need to do more.

 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 support the Orange County School District Gender Support guidelines. Frankly, I have an issue with the Parent Bill of Rights, which  imposes and creates harm. In addition, to violating Students Rights and Teachers Rights. Who are we to judge and tell any human being who they should be? Why should they struggle to be themselves? Students and Staff need to feel safe to be able to teach and students to be able to learn. Here is a little something about Title IX: “Title IX requires schools to adopt and publish grievance procedures for students to file complaints of sex discrimination, including complaints  of sexual harassment or sexual violace. Schools can use general disciplinary procedures to address complaints of sex discrimination.” (NCCASA.ORG Title IX Information)

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?

Yes, they are there to support the school community. I am not aware of any changes or changes on addressing the SRO role. I will add that it would be important to have SRO’s to train staff and students what to look for in behaviors when it comes to possible school disruption in a harmful way. I also want to add that I am mindful of the negative impact some students of color have experienced with SROs. 

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?  

We need to stop calling it an “achievement gap”. The question is, are we going to blame our students for their achievements? Our students, teachers and support staff are working really hard. We also have to be mindful of trauma some students may have experienced. We need to call it the opportunity gap. Are students, teachers and staff being supported to achieve? Do they have everything they need? Are they being provided with a sound basic education? No, they are not.  It is a society issue that we need to address. When it comes to support, we need to embrace and support teachers that look like students of color. Also, some teachers who are not of color understand students. It is not just our teachers of color that can understand and support students of color. We need teachers that are raising expectations for our children. We should blame the system for the “achievement gap”. 

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?

By continuing to support equity because a lot of the needs fall under the equity umbrella, for example, exceptional children, student support, academics, counseling and more. 

1. The School Board should continue the mobile hotspot program. 
2. By continuing to support equity, students with disabilities can get IEP support, 504 and anything they may need to succeed.
3. For students who speak English as a second language, provide them with a program where they can learn English for a couple of hours. Since 27% of students are Spanish speakers, provide them with a bilingual teacher if feasible. However, if a bilingual teacher is provided, they should not be pulled out of the classroom to translate for meetings with parents – it happens at schools. That is why having a family liaison is great. With the technology we have, it is wonderful to have access to the 40 languages spoken in the county. to be able to serve all families and students to be able to communicate. 

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?

The Board of Education should trust the superintendent and district leaders. One of the many board responsibilities is to create community and govern. It is not a board member’s job to manipulate and meddle between parents and teachers issues. It is the board’s job to create leadership and oversight and provide support for the  superintendent and district leaders. The board’s job is to say, I am here to support you. 

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

There is a dire need of repairs in all the schools: “capital improvement”.  It is important for Orange County School Board Members and County Commissioners to collaborate to create a safe, healthy environment for ALL children and staff to thrive.    

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