NEW HANOVER COUNTY — Candidates for one of New Hanover County’s most heated races took the stage together at Cape Fear Community College last week to answer questions from a media consortium and the audience on various issues. Port City Daily is taking a look back to fact-check some of what the candidates said.
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The New Hanover County Board of Education candidates — almost all would-be newcomers to the board — participated in the forum with Port City Daily, WHQR and WECT at CFCC’s Union Station Auditorium. It was open to the public and livestreamed here, with topics spanning the district’s search for a permanent superintendent, student behavior and grading, and litigating the school board’s track record on policy, Covid-19, and civility.
Republican Party candidates included Natosha Tew, founder and legislation chair for the New Hanover County Moms for Liberty chapter, David Perry, a software engineer and former General Assembly candidate, and Nikki Bascome, a substitute teacher and former SmartStart educator.
Democratic Party candidates included retired chiropractor and semi-retired consultant. Tim Merrick, local bookstore owner Jerry Jones and former school board member Judy Justice.
To start off the night, each candidate was asked what qualities they are looking for in the district’s next superintendent and all gave similar answers — fairness, experience, being personable. Each candidate also agreed to choose the best candidate, regardless of political affiliation.
“I think that, fundamentally, I’m looking for someone who is emotionally intelligent,” candidate Jerry Jones said. “I’m looking for someone who is open to being vulnerable, right? I think one of the things that we see in professional spaces is folks who have an ego about the way they do things and are reticent to receive criticism or to receive direction about the way they do things.”
Throughout the rest of the night, candidates fielded several questions submitted by audience members or followers of the three news outlets. They were also given two questions written by reporters; journalists included Brenna Flanagan of Port City Daily, Ava Brendgord of WECT and Rachel Keith of WHQR.WECT anchor Jon Evans moderated the event
PCD compiled a fact check on some of the items discussed at the forum.
NATOSHA TEW
Spreading Covid-19 disinformation
Claim: “The Covid vaccine has killed more people than Covid did, flat out.”
True or False: False. Per the CDC, of 40 deaths that occurred among persons who had received an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine dose, three occurred less than 100 days after vaccination. Among these, two occurred in persons with underlying illness, and one decedent had an undetermined cause of death. Millions of people have died from Covid-19.
Tew was asked to address disinformation on Covid-19, particularly a comment at a 2022 school board meeting where she claimed athletes were dropping dead after getting a Covid-19 vaccination.
She responded: “I think I’ve been proven right with the recent studies that have come out. The Covid vaccine has killed more people than Covid did, flat out — go do your research. I’m not saying something that’s not untrue. It’s just something that other people are not willing to research or accept. That’s not my problem. It is a bioweapon. It has killed more people than it has helped. So look at the facts. There are medical studies out there. There are young athletes dropping dead of a heart attack at 21, 22, 23.
“Those shots are killing people. They are causing turbo cancers. They’re making health issues exacerbated that never would laugh.”
These statements have been debunked by the CDC and National Institutes of Health. Tew said these institutions were wrong and “in bed with Big Pharma”; she also said she had done her own research but could not cite medical journals upon being asked.
There have been rare instances of inflammation of the heart muscle known as myocarditis after taking mRNA-based vaccines, but hundreds of athlete deaths have not been attributed to the Covid-19 vaccine. Reputed medical research shows the risk of getting myocarditis from the coronavirus itself is about 100 times higher than getting it from a vaccine.
Per 2022 reporting from the Washington Post, the origin of this disinformation begins with a Danish soccer player who collapsed during a match. Several figures, including blogger and physicist Lubos Motl and former New York Times reporter Alex Berenson, took to Twitter to baselessly claim the vaccine was to blame for the soccer player’s collapse; the rumor spread to Facebook and was picked up by German website Report24, linked to Austria’s far-right Freedom Party.
The disinformation then spread to American audiences. As part of its partnership with Facebook, PolitiFact fact-checked claims that hundreds of athletes — lists of them were largely fabricated — were dying due to the vaccine on both Nov. 10 and Dec. 1, 2021. Reports also spread that 108 FIFA soccer players had died in a six-month period in 2021. That was fact-checked as false by Reuters.
Still, Tew stood by her belief at the forum. When asked (twice) to supply the “recent studies” to prove her point, Tew said she could not name any off the top of her head. She added she has a three-ring binder full of research she could share with reporters and demanded they be included in any quotes sourced to her; PCD has not received the information as of press.
Policies the board passed that restrict what can be displayed in classrooms
Claim: “I understand the frustration with some teachers because it may feel like to them that we don’t trust them. However, the unfortunate acts of a few have affected the whole.”
True or False: Unclear. PCD reached out to the district asking if any educators have been reprimanded in the last year for inappropriate classroom displays; NHCS did not respond by press.
Tew made this statement after being asked whether she agreed with the district’s changes to policies 3200 and 7300 regarding classroom displays, made earlier this year. She did and said any teacher looking to display something they were unsure meets policy should bring it before the school board.
The controversial policy limits classroom displays to the United States, North Carolina, New Hanover County, the individual school or mascot, district curricula, family photos, student artwork, and military flags. Critics of the policy have claimed it is aimed at LGBTQ+ Pride flags; the original amendments did not allow for photos, artwork or flags.
The changes were proposed by Republican Pat Bradford in May, who said it was a “deterrent” based on the April pro-Palenstinian protests at UNC Chapel Hill.
In her answer, Tew did not elaborate on any evidence of policy-breaking before the changes were made, though she has said a “political” flag was displayed in an art classroom during a school’s open house.
Separation of church and state
Tew was asked for her views on separation of church and state, though did not describe a specific boundary between the two and instead spoke to morality as a whole.
Claim: “I’m a firm believer that our Constitution is the greatest guarantor of human rights in history. It was written by men on a Judean-Christian faith, but some of them were atheists who did not have a belief in God, but they recognized the necessity of a moral society to succeed. And that’s where I see our society is breaking down right now is, there’s no morality. It’s all relative. It’s all about feelings. You see kids who have the greatest state of mental health issues that we’ve ever had, of kids who are overweight, they have more medications, not succeeding at school, they’re not happy.”
True or False: Both
While some of the Founding Fathers were deist, there is no evidence that any of them were atheist.
Tew’s claims about student mental health and wellness are somewhat true, though the cause has not been linked to eroding societal morality, as she claimed.
Mental health conditions are on the rise in children and adolescents and have been since before the Covid-19 pandemic, which has exacerbated issues. Between 2016 and 2020, the number of children diagnosed with mental health conditions increased significantly, with a 29% increase in anxiety and a 27% increase in depression, according to the CDC.
Though researchers have not pinpointed one official cause, the rise has been linked to social media, adverse childhood experiences and trauma, a lack of access to mental health services, and stress over academics and world events.
All of this affects student nutrition and the percentage of children and adolescents in the U.S. who are obese has more than tripled since the 1970s. However, prescription drug use decreased in 2016 compared to 2007 per CDC data.
JUDY JUSTICE
Addressing her 2022 censure by the school board
Claim: “If you go back and look at all that, it was because I stood up and tried to try to protect the students that were being sexually assaulted to get an investigation gone. It took a couple years, and the other board members that were still on the board did everything in their power to try to silence me for that and other things.”
True or False: False. Justice was censured in 2022 based on accusations that she revealed confidential information about a district employee.
At the time, she denied that she broke any state law on personnel matters, but she did not argue against the accusations that she went against NHCS policy. She said her action was unintentional.
Working relationships
Claim: “In fact, I’ve worked with the current chairman, and he and I actually usually would agree more than we disagree, and we’re different political parties, but one of the reasons we did agree was because we both have a long history of 30 years working together off and on educationally, and we both trusted each other and knew that we were focusing on the kids, and so we did agree on very helpful things for the students. One of the problems I found with past board, and I hope it doesn’t happen with this board, is that people are on there, not necessarily for the kids, but for their own personal agendas. You’ve got to set that aside. This isn’t about you. It’s about the kids.”
True or False: It is true that Justice has had a tame relationship with board Chair Pete Wildeboer compared with other past colleagues.
Former Superintendent Dr. Charles Foust had accused her of “harassing him.”
A previous board also upheld a “no-confidence” motion against her in 2021. The motion was brought by then-Chair Stefanie Adams, who accused Justice of disclosing confidential matters with the public, making false allegations against Superintendent Foust, and bringing forth motions without discussing them with other board members.
Failed leadership
Claim: “We’ve had teachers leave, experienced teachers leave, en masse over the last two years.”
True or False: It is true that teacher attrition is on the rise in NHCS.
As reported by WHQR, the district’s 2022-2023 attrition rate is 12%, higher than the state attrition rate at 11% and three percentage points higher than the previous year’s. According to the district data, 80% left for personal reasons or ‘other.’
Justice blames this on NHCS leadership, particularly the school board. She says current board members are “more interested in their agenda that they have ignored the crisis we brought on by their leadership in the administration.”
Nikki Bascome
State superintendent race
Claim: “I haven’t had a real good chance to look at the policies from Moe Greene and Michelle Morrow. I’ve heard a lot of social media chatter, and I don’t think that’s a great place for us to get any of our political information.”
True or False: Unknown, though Bascome has posed for a photo with Morrow at a GOP event in recent months.
Bascome was asked to share who she planned voting on as state superintendent in the 2024 election. The options are Democratic candidate Moe Green or Republican candidate Michell Morrow, the latter of whom has been called out for controversial statements.
Morrow, a conservative activist, took to Twitter in 2020 to express support for the televised execution of former President Barack Obama and suggested killing then-President-elect Joe Biden. She made made other comments about executing prominent Democrats for treason, including North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper. Morrow has also referred to public schools as “indoctrination centers.”
Bascome said she had not researched enough on either candidate to make an endorsement. However, she has been pictured with Morrow giving a thumbs-up.
Battle of the Books
Claim: “I think there needs to be a little bit more clarity that these books are not from our school district, they are from the Library Association, and it is voluntary, but once it’s voluntary, those books will be in your child’s school library, and parents need to know what books are there.”
True or False: It is true that Battle of the Books is not a New Hanover County Schools program; it is sponsored by the North Carolina School Library Media Association. It is also true the books selected for the competition are available in school libraries.
It was at the forefront of school board discussions in the spring after board member Josie Barnhart wrote an op-ed about BoB in the Carolina Journal.
The program includes students of participating schools reading books from a list established by the state BoB committee. They then compete in quiz-bowl-style tournaments to test their knowledge of the books. It is a completely voluntary extracurricular.
This year the program was questioned by some school board members who were concerned about how books were selected and by whom. The district’s lead media specialist gave a detailed presentation on the program at the board’s May 28 meeting and the district has a webpage dedicated to BoB information and book lists.
Improving curriculum
Claim: “I also met with a high level official at Cape Fear Community College that said that our high school students are coming into the dual enrollment program, and they’re not prepared for the dual program, and they have had to hire a couple of tutors.”
True or False: This needs more information. Most dual-enrolled students in CFCC courses pass with at least a C. Port City Daily asked the district to provide more data on dual-enrollee success and if tutors were hired; no response was given by press.
Bascome was asked to address her comments that the district needs a “reliable” curriculum and what she meant by that. She said educators have told her the curriculum is not cutting it, though she didn’t name anyone or how many expressed concerns.
As far as student success at CFCC, WHQR reported in 2023 there were 1,560 CFCC courses where students did not receive college credit, meaning they didn’t earn at least a C, in the 2022-2023 school year. In total, 73% of NHCS students who took CFCC courses pass with at least a C, and 27% don’t receive credit for taking the class. In contrast, 94% of those students who take UNCW courses make at least a ‘C’, and 6% won’t receive credit.
Tim Merrick
Candidate extremism
Claim: “All the Republican opponents that I know of have signed on to the Moms for Liberty pledge. Moms for Liberty is described as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.”
True or False: Both.
It’s false that all candidates have signed the pledge, which calls on people to advocate and advance policies that increase parental involvement in educational decision-making. Natosha Tew, legislation chair for the NHC chapter of MFL, and David Perry have signed the Moms for Liberty Pledge. Nikki Bascome has not.
Merrick is correct, however, in saying Moms for Liberty is considered a far-right extremist group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, a civil rights watchdog organization. MFL grew out of opposition to public health regulations for COVID-19, but has moved into opposing “woke indoctrination” in schools — LGBTQ+ and racially inclusive school curriculum, anything deemed anti-American. They have also advocated book bans.
The former vice-chair of the local chapter, Justina Guardino, was recently arrested on federal charges after trespassing into the capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021.
Student behavior
Claim: “Zero-tolerance exclusionary practices have been shown to be ineffective, and they reduce the amount of education of those children who are suspended. They also disproportionately affect people of color and LGBTQ kids. A recent University of Chicago study showed that when we use restorative justice, rather than exclusionary principles, 35% less arrests in school and even 15% less arrests out of school and 18% less suspended.”
True or False: True, according to the numbers from the referenced University of Chicago study.
The American Psychological Association Zero Tolerance Task Force, analyzing zero-tolerance policies, found negative consequences of these practices. It included intensified unequal treatment of Black students and urban school students with low socioeconomic status, and higher likelihood of recurrence of deviant behavior, dropouts, and crime.
In September 2023, the university’s education lab released its findings on the effect of restorative practices in Chicago public high schools beginning in the 2013-2014 academic year.
In the words of the Learning Policy Institute, restorative practices are designed “to build a strong sense of community in schools, to teach interpersonal skills, to repair harm when conflict occurs and proactively meet student’s needs — including those that result from trauma in or outside of school — so misbehavior is less common.” These strategies could include classroom meetings, community building circles, and conflict mediation and resolution.
The education lab reports schools that implemented these policies saw out-of-school suspensions fall 18%, a 35% reduction in student arrests in school and a 15% reduction in out-of-school student arrests. The study reported a decline in arrests for both violent and non-violent offenses.
Per federal data, Black students in Chicago schools made up 15% of students in 2016, they accounted for 31% of school-related arrests and referrals to law enforcement.
The University of Chicago is not the only one to tackle restorative justice research, as other institutions have published similar findings.
As for New Hanover County Schools, teachers indicated in a recent climate survey that student behavior is a top issue for them; some teachers have reported feeling inadequately equipped in their disciplinary efforts. As well, the district just emerged from under a federal sanction for disproportionate suspensions of students with disabilities.
NHCS uses Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, an evidence-based, tiered framework for supporting student success that promotes the use of clear and consistent classroom expectations. As supported by Merrick, this system can be integrated with restorative practices.
Mask mandate
Merrick was asked if he would make a different decision than the school board did during the pandemic on mask mandates; he indicated he supported the decision to keep children masked at school.
Claim: “What we know now, we know things like the masks were not as effective as we thought they might be, but you have to remember that we were in crisis. People were dying. Over a million people died in this country, and we were doing everything we could to save lives.”
True or False: This needs context.
Mask effectiveness has been contested since the beginning of the pandemic, though masks have long been used to reduce respiratory disease transmission. A 2023 Cochrane review was interpreted by some to mean that masks do not work and that mask mandates had no effect.
However, there is consensus masks help, though they are not perfect, block airborne particles. The effectiveness varies among mask type; an N95, for example, is named as such because it is at least 95% efficient at blocking airborne particles when used properly.
DAVID PERRY
Academic standards
Claim: “I think in many cases, we are lowering the standards in order to get the numbers to be a little bit higher so that we can keep our funding and keep our grades at the state level.”
True or False: There is no evidence to support this claim. Educators are bound by state-set academic standards and students are tested on them using the same assessment statewide.
Perry was asked what he thinks is the cause of disparities between schools; he addressed academic disparities as reflected in state performance grades, based 80% on test scores and 20% on growth metrics.
Despite NHCS improvement — decreasing its low-performing schools by one last year and half since the pandemic — Perry claims student achievement is actually worse than the numbers reflect.
While he mentions the policy of giving students 50s instead of zeros for uncompleted projects, this is done for classroom assignments, not standardized tests that make up the state’s performance scores.
Mask mandates
Claim: “I was the one who sued the school board because they were violating your rights to not be able to attend these meetings.”
True or False: True. David Perry filed a pro se lawsuit against each member of the New Hanover County Board of Education, the board of education itself, the sheriff’s office and Sheriff Ed McMahon in 2021.
Perry’s petition for declaratory judgment and relief sought a judicial review of the school board’s requirement that attendees wear masks in public meetings. He said it may violate the state open meetings law and the First Amendment. The case was eventually dismissed.
District finances
Claim: “We don’t know all the money we are spending on, say, technology, how much money are we spending on all these various, you know, through all the software that we that we’re using to buy, like try to buy laptops and tablets for every single student in every county, instead of using that money for teachers.”
True or False: False. Internal audits are available on the NHCS website and line item budgets can be obtained via a public records request.
The district’s finance team puts together a report on the district’s financial statements at the end of each fiscal year. This complies with state requirements.
The district also paid an independent consultant who presented a 113-page audit to the board in January; the district paid more than $69,000 for that contract.
JERRY JONES
Student achievement
Claim: “From the perspective of mathematics, an F is an F, right? From the perspective of encouraging a child to attempt the work, putting them at a 50 instead of a zero gives them some sense of hope. I’ve seen that myself in the classroom. If a student believes there’s an opportunity to raise their standard, then they’ll attempt to raise their standard. If the student believes that there’s no hope at all for raising their standard, then they walk away from that opportunity.”
True or False: Under debate.
Jones was asked if he supported the district’s policy of giving students 50s instead of zeros for incomplete assignments. While there is evidence to support his claim from scholars and educators, it is still under debate in the education community.
Though public school education was built on giving students numerical grades to reflect correct answers, some people believe the traditional grading scale is not the best way to gauge student knowledge.
Those that criticize making the minimum score a 50 — such as candidate David Perry did during the forum — say points should not be given for not doing the work and must be earned. Critics also say giving away grades prepares students for the less forgiving “real world.”
Those who are against giving zeros often say the score is not reflective of a student’s grasp on the material, but rather a response to behavior — and a harsh one at that. After receiving a zero, a student would have to move up at least to a 60 on most grading scales just to reach the D range — an “academic death penalty” per Douglas Reeves, a PhD scholar and author.
There is some research on the topic; a 2014 literature review that explored the history of grading spanning almost 200 years, found grades increase anxiety and decrease the interest in learning for students who struggle.
Low-performing schools
Claim: “We can look at the data that has been provided by the district and see that we have pockets of students all over the district who simply are not performing as well as some of their peers, and a lot of that really is down to funding and the ability to apply resources in such a way as to leverage.”
True or False: Jones is correct there are some concentrations of underperforming students, namely in the district’s low-performing schools.
The state reviews test scores and other metrics annually, and schools that have earned a D or F, without exceeding growth expectations, are considered low-performing.
This year NHCS had six low-performing schools, an improvement from previous years. Williston and Snipes Academy actually moved out of low-performing status this year.
Rachel Freeman School of Engineering (F, Met Growth), College Park Elementary (D, Met), Forest Hills Global Elementary (D, Met), Career Readiness Academy at Mosley (F, Met), Wrightsboro Elementary (D, Met) and Alderman Elementary are low-performing.
The majority of these schools have the highest populations of students of color and students with a lower socioeconomic status. The high concentration is mostly due to how New Hanover County schools are districted. NHCS adopted a “neighborhood schools” model over a decade ago, meaning students would attend the school closest to them even though Wilmington’s housing has been divided by race and class due to historical segregated housing practices.
Jones argued more resources are needed to bring these low-performing schools into passing territory.
NHCS does receive extra funding for its schools with high percentages of students from low-income families through the federal Title I. NHCS has begun a turnaround task force to address ways to improve learning at its low-performing schools.
NHCS has leveraged funds from the New Hanover Community Endowment, which is funding a three-year pilot of the Full-Service Community School model at Rachel Freeman. The endowment has also provided a grant to cover literacy coaches at each school.
But as far as governmental funding, it remains tight. Commissioners stepped up their funding this year, but many in the district have claimed the state, which makes up the bulk of school districts’ funding, needs to step up its allocations. That’s where school board members can come in to advocate.
Funding sources
Claim: “I think that we have monies to sell the hospital that we could leverage.”
True or False: This statement is technically true. Jones is answering a question on what he thinks of the county’s role in funding NHCS. He says the board can (with “professionalism”) ask the county for more money, apply for grants around the country and leverage hospital money.
After the sale of New Hanover Regional Medical Center to Novant in 2021, $1.25 billion was put under control of the New Hanover Community Endowment. Another $300 million was transferred to a revenue stabilization fund, controlled by the county commissioners.
The school district can, and has, applied for grants from the endowment and was awarded $8.7 million this year to fund literacy coaches.
The revenue stabilization fund has been brought up numerous times to help cover increases in funding. Commissioner Jonathan Barfield recently suggested this route in the county’s last budget cycle.
Jones did not say this, but his fellow Democratic school board candidate Judy Justice has claimed that money from the hospital sale was “promised” to NHCS. There is no evidence this was the case.
Reach journalist Brenna Flanagan at brenna@localdailymedia.com.
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