What School Board Service Means to Me

Fidelity to My Own Conscience and Values

We live in a Republic, so it is imperative that I listen to constituents. Conversely, when a person is elected to the School Board, the public is counting upon her/him to become a subject matter expert on all things dealing to do with being a School Board member. So, with the knowledge that comes from being on the School Board, I have the responsibility to keep the public informed and defend, if necessary, a decision that is not necessarily consistent with community majority opinion. Not every decision will be popular; that is the nature of representative government as opposed to a pure democracy.

This means also that I will honor how I was raised – I shall be inquisitive, civil, cooperative and committed to exceptionalism. Ultimately, I want voters to know that, in the end, I will lead, speak and vote as my conscience dictates.

Fidelity to Liberty

Liberty is the key to a sound education. Students must have the liberty to be inquisitive and not weighed down by the heavy-handed approach by Raleigh bureaucrats. Local control must be real! Teachers too must have control of their classrooms. State-mandated End of Course and End of Grade testing have destroyed the teacher’s ability to control her/his own classroom and are not an accurate measure of performance. This robs the teacher of the creative spark that led her/him to enter the profession in the first place.

Fidelity to the Law

The State of North Carolina has defined the role of School Boards. While there are many mandates which require a keen eye towards good stewardship, there are also numerous opportunities for the local School Board to develop and implement its own initiatives. I will explore and utilize that liberty to help enrich the offerings available to our students while honoring the expectation of taxpayers that the School Board will be good stewards of their money.

Bring Classroom & Policy Experience to the School Board

I served on the Caldwell County Board of Education from 1998 to 2001. I resigned from the School Board before completion of my term for personal reasons and was fortunate enough to be employed by South Caldwell High School as an English teacher after leaving the School Board. Returning to the classroom at that time was right for me. Returning to the School Board now is timely. I have gained 25 years of experience and knowledge. I believe my inquisitive nature and wealth of experience will add value to the School Board.

I was also the 2000 Republican nominee for North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction. Though I lost to incumbent Mike Ward, we agreed to run civil campaigns; we did. And, Dr. Ward, while I disagreed with him on policy, is a very agreeable person. It is that sort of politics I miss and intend to revitalize.

Our family has produced four generations of teachers. Mom taught for over 30 years. Her mom did the same. I am a teacher (technically retired, but not if you ask our grandchildren). Our younger sister, now deceased, was an educator, and her daughter is a teacher. Other family members, such as my older sister and her husband, are quite active in teaching youth in their community. My paternal grandmother ran a youth center in Morgantown, W.Va. in the mid 20^th Century.

Not only is teaching a family tradition, so is questioning authority. The greatest educators embrace that outlook, for they know that a child’s quest for meaning and truth – and ultimately contributions to society as an adult – is best achieved when students have the liberty to be inquisitive. That is why, on the first day students were in my classroom, I made one demand of them – that they show evidence of a mind at work. I’ll do my best to offer voters the same from me.

In 1999, I was a Fellow at the North Carolina Institute of Political Leadership and also a graduate of Leadership Caldwell. The first experience prepared me for not only electioneering, but governing. That is critical in these times when properly functioning institutions are essential. The second experience reminded me of the many valuable treasures in Caldwell County, the most important of course, being our children.

Understand the Political Nature of the School Board

It might be news to citizens to learn that school board elections in North Carolina are partisan, a very recent development.

I am the lone Libertarian seeking election to the Caldwell County School Board. That means I have no primary and will appear on the General Election ballot on Nov. 5, 2024. The change to party affiliation is fairly recent. Those who know me know that I’ve been around the horn – as a member of all three parties and also as an unaffiliated voter. So, I’m likely not your candidate if you put orthodoxy ahead of results. I’ve bounced around because the Republicans and Democrats just aren’t able to cooperate. That’s a problem if you want results. Most Americans would agree I think.

But it is not dissatisfaction with the two major political parties that has led me to become a Libertarian. Any political party affiliation makes me a bit nervous, as dogmatism can be blinding; if political parties are one thing, they are dogmatic. Still, the Libertarian party offers what the others do not – freedom to follow my own conscience first.

Since serving on the School Board requires an election, it is by nature political. It is also political because it is roughly half of the state’s budget. That is certain to keep it as a top issue every election cycle. We must avoid the culture wars that distract us from taking bold steps. If reform is necessary, as Libertarians believe, then the corrective focus must be on protecting the natural rights of people. Hence, ensuring that teachers are at liberty to teach in such a way as to enable students to explore their full potential is essential. Ensuring that parents have the liberty to challenge the School Board without fear of reprisal is a First Amendment right that must be safeguarded. Administrators must be sure that they have the liberty to assess the teachers and staff under their charge.

I am not interested in a moral victory. I want a meaningful victory – one that allows me to apply my wealth of knowledge and experience in service to our county’s children.

I am not interested in using children to make points in the culture wars or for value messaging. That would be a failure of leadership on my part.

Three issues demand the School Board’s ongoing attention – Safety, Cooperation and Transparency.

Conclusion

I believe these are all solid reasons for wanting to serve on the School Board. I hope you agree. If so, please take the time to vote for me and encourage others to do the same.

© Committee to Elect Michael Barrick, 2023. Contact: michaelbarrick56@gmail.com.