The fifth and final candidate to be Lee County Schools‘ next superintendent met with the community Wednesday in a public meet-and-greet session at Depot Park. Carol Chappell, LCS director of K-5 instruction, is a Lee County native and the only woman up for the job. She has a Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Here is an excerpt of Chappell’s comments:
Chappell began by saying how she has worked at Lee County Schools and watched it improve through the years to become one of the leading public school districts in the area. “We’re very, very competitive,” she said. Chappell said she is very interested in exploring small-group instruction more. She also said it will be important for the district to explore more grant options as the economy falters.
Q: Can you elaborate on any background you have in finance?
A: Chappell said she has a degree in economics and worked for BB&T bank in its management and development program. “I have a business background,” she said. “I just felt like this career wasn’t going to be satisfying for me,” she added, explaining her switch to education. “I knew from day one that was the right decision for me.
Q: How would you work with Central Carolina Community College?
A: Chappell said her first teaching job was teaching an economics class at the school. “We need to make sure students are prepared,” Chappell said. “I’m a firm supporter.’
Q: How would you deal with the changing demographics of LCS?
A: Chappell spoke about how the county is gaining Hispanic students, losing white students and maintaining about the same number of African-American students. “They bring with them talents and they want an education,” she said, adding that the district must meet this growing segment of the population’s needs.
Q: What would you do to combat the drop-out rate?
A: Chappell said it is important to look at subgroups and not just the whole picture. She pointed to one good program that targets younger students. In that program, high-school students are paid to be mentors to students in after-school programs. They talk to the children for at least 15 minutes (in person) once a week to find out how they are doing and talk about high school. She said it is important to follow up programs like this in middle school.
Q: How visible should a superintendent be?
A: Chappell said it is very important for a superintendent to be visible in the schools, as well as the community. She said it’s important to make time to talk casually to people because that’s where many good ideas and good information comes from.
Q: Is there a style of management you would like to emulate as superintendent?
A: Chappell said she appreciates superintendents who have an open-door policy. “Even if they were on the go, they would make time for you,” she said. She also said it is important to hae a good relationship with school board members. “They want what’s best for school children,” she said. “When they have good information, they can make good decisions.”
Q: What would you do on your first week on the job?
A: “I would talk to people,” Chappell said. She said it would be important to talk to people about what needs to be done and talk to school board members. Chappell said she would do that before setting up a more permanent schedule for her time.
