Tara Waters, candidate for Wake County Board of Education District 4
Name: Tara Waters
Political party: Democrat
Age as of Nov. 8, 2022: 44
Campaign website: https://waters4wake.com/
Occupation: Volunteer Manager
Education: B.A. in communications from N.C. State University, M.A. in public administration from East Carolina University
Have you run for elected office before? Appointed to the school board in March 2022
Please list highlights of your civic involvement: National Association of Volunteer Programs in Local Government from 2021 to present. Sub-committee Chair of Raleigh Mayor’s Committee for Persons with Disabilities from 2016 to 2021. Member of Wake Tech Staff Council from 2017 to 2021. Volunteer, Guardian ad Litem from 2006 to 2013.
Why do you want to serve on the Wake County Board of Education?
My love for education was cemented when I was a graduate student and worked as an adult high school and GED instructor. Through the relationships I built with my students, I learned the importance of a strong public school experience and have chosen to focus my energy on supporting elementary, middle, and high school students through the Board of Education. As a result of my own experiences, student success is my number one focus. I feel compelled to advocate for our students and educators.
What are the Wake County Public Schools doing well?
The district has a strong commitment to offering unique educational opportunities to support the needs of students with a variety of gifts, talents, barriers, and needs. District educators have worked to ensure that families can find a school community that supports the short- and long-term needs of every child. Our robust magnet school offerings are highly regarded throughout the country and enrich students in many areas.
What would be your three top priorities if elected? Choose one, and explain how you would address it.
1) Equity and trust: It is important to ensure that we are utilizing an equity lens to address student needs. I will focus on transparency throughout my advocacy work.
2) Students, teachers, and staff: I plan to advocate for the needs of students and educators, including improving salaries, enhancing school safety and insisting on fair discipline.
3) Community: It is important to allow parents, neighborhoods, nonprofits, and business to contribute to and support the work of public education.
What should the district do in response to calls to remove books from schools that some say are inappropriate for students?
The debate over books is not new but continues to be a polarizing subject. It is important to keep the needs of students at the center of the work and support their growth and development through literature available in our schools that is historically accurate and reflective of our diverse study body. The district should continue to provide opportunities for the community to become familiar with the book selection process and related policies and procedures.
How should schools discuss issues involving discrimination based on race, gender and other factors?
I will be ardent in looking for ways to address discrimination and am committed to applying an equity lens to our work. In that effort, it is important to ask: Are the right people at the table to make the decision? What are the potential impacts on those who are historically underrepresented? Does the decision have the potential to ignore or increase existing disparities or produce other unintended consequences? How will evaluation and monitoring be implemented to ensure equity?
How would you go about making schools safer in the aftermath of school shootings such as in Uvalde, Texas?
The district conducted a school safety assessment and gleaned valuable information. My recommendations are: Ensure safety protocols are the same across district schools. Cultivate trust between members of the school community and provide methods to anonymously report concerns. Provide resources to support mental wellness of students and educators. Partner with community agencies to provide additional resources to support students. Prevent isolation among members of the school community.
What would you do to try to address student learning loss that was exacerbated by the pandemic?
The pandemic has upended our lives in many ways, and the true impact is still being uncovered. As I think of my priorities for supporting our schools, I want to acknowledge the extreme sacrifice that educators across the district have made to support our students. I also acknowledge the anxiety, depression, and fear that many students have faced during the last two years and are still experiencing. With that in mind, my focus is on high-dosage tutoring and expansion of behavioral health support.
What’s the appropriate level of funding that should be provided to Wake County schools?
In comparison to similarly-sized districts, our per-pupil spending is low, and I do believe we are understaffed and underfunded. There is an urgent need to increase wages and ensure that we pay competitive salaries for all educators. Additionally, our schools need more social workers, guidance counselors and nurses. Funding that provides for instructional materials and supplies is critical. I will advocate for more funding with our commissioners and at the North Carolina General Assembly.
