School Board Race Deep Dive: Quincei Lovejoy on IEPs, Funding Priorities, and Parental Voice

Peter Pappas: Welcome back to the Carolina Cabinet. I'm your host, Peter Pappas, in studio with the lovely Mrs. Quincy Lovejoy. Hello. Welcome, welcome. Thank you. So you, ma'am, are running for Cumberland County School Board at large. Yes, sir. And large, it certainly is. Sixteen people, well, 15 people plus yourself running for the race. that is, and we're gonna get into the why right now, but tell me about yourself. I have that you are local, you live in Parkton. Yes. you for to pay the rent. I guess you work at Failable P W C Yes. Okay. And what do you do there? I'm financial planning manager. Are you the reason why my bills went up? No. See, I don't want I don't want anybody to you know, see many of that no sir. Okay, it's not your fault. Well, you know, and my mine went up as well. Okay. So yeah, we all chip in. Yeah, we all pay. Okay. How long have you been with PWC? In little over a year. Okay, okay. And well, family, children here. Yeah, absolutely. I have kids in the Cumberland County School system. My youngest two actually, because now my lovely bonus daughter is living with us as well. Okay. They both go to a Hope Mills elementary school. I like that bonus daughter. I like that. Yeah, very lovely. And then my husband, we've been married a little over three almost three years, sorry, a little over two years now. He's here with me and we're both originally from Virginia. Mm-hmm. came to Fayetteville at nineteen. with the first first mistake. Chasing love that didn't work out. And you know and for all the for those that watching, I always ask, you know, did you follow a boy, follow a girl here, or did your car break down on the way someplace else and you just followed a boy? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. It sounds like you you have your children from that marriage. Yeah. My my oldest graduated last year from Southview High School. She's doing amazing. She's in college now studying neurobiology. Wow. Yeah. Way smarter than her mother, you know. Well, you like numbers, she likes bodies. There you go. It's two different two different segues. I think she needs math still though. Yeah, absolutely. I think she does, yeah. So she's got some mama in there. So Let's see. So well that brings me to your why. Like why so look there there's too many people running, in my opinion. I I'm sorry. There's just because out of the sixteen, we're supposed to have three. Mm-hmm. And you all don't have a primary. So it's not three Democrats, three Republicans. It's I think right now it's three Republicans and thirteen Democrats. So the Democrats gonna be eating their own, it sounds like. Right. They're gonna be Hopefully you'll be one of the three they want to support. Well, I I think there's ten Democrats and three who are unaffiliated because I'm unaffiliated. they're unaffiliated. Okay, so cool. You stay out of it. well, so that brings me to your why. I mean, it's a huge field. when did you file? Like did you file like a right on the last day or were you one of the early second to last day. Second to last day. Because I was really thinking on it. You know, a a lot of the things I went through with the school system last year had me just, you know, how can I contribute? How can I make changes? And this is, you know, the way I could think of it. Why? Why do you want to change it? I well, first and foremost, I wanna say the the elementary school my kids go to, I do love it. I love the principal, I love the staff administration. However, my youngest daughter had some learning, you know, developmental issues. And when we tried to go for the IEP, you know, just getting her some additional interventions, that process was extremely hard and extremely long. so long where for kindergarten, you know, just it wasn't timely enough, we didn't end up retaining her. And then her second year in kindergarten was rough as well. Now, was there was there or was there not a lawsuit brought against the county schools because they were not com 'cause the IAPs are not optional to be timely with. I mean, they're supposed to have so what did you find? Not enough staff or incorrectly applied? What was your situation like? for my situation, I f before before you can get any interventions, let's say this, they put a lot of pressure on the on the parents. Like before we can even start this, they need to go get an eye exam. My daughter already wore glasses. So I'm like, what am I getting her d another eye exam for? You what I It's slowing down the process. Okay. And then you need to go get her hearing tested before you could really even start any interventions, right? So that's already slowing down the process. If you have working parents, taking off, finding the time. but then they do testing first and interventions. So they see if like tier one interventions will work. And then they go to tier two. Okay, that definitely So tier one is like, let's just pull This is layman's term. Let's pull the child out the classroom and try to work with them individually or in small groups and see if that see if that helps. And then they'll do another like milestone check-in. That hasn't been helping. We're gonna continue those interventions. Yeah. What? Yeah. Okay, so I'm gonna pull you out. I'm gonna spend time with you. That's not working, but we're gonna continue. We're gonna continue like some additional interventions. And you know, I I saw her teacher trying, and that's why I was not super upset. She had a great teacher. I I think it did have more to do with the timelines around staffing and how they can do testing and all the things. So this was before the lawsuit. the lawsuit came out. She was she had already Well, the lawsuit I think was recent in the last year or so. Last year. Yeah. Yeah. Because she's in first grade now, so she redid t kindergarten, you know. And then she did first grade. Let ask you, was she like age wise, was she like right on the line with Aging out or in that class or was she like in the middle of the year birthday kind of thing? Well I've just seen some kids that are like right on the line and they do struggle. They need an extra time. And and maybe 'cause she her birthday is September nineteenth. So she's one of the on the line. Yeah, on the line. So it was hard for me to say yes, let her do an additional year, but at the end of the day I'm like if she needs it and it's gonna make her better now. but she did still struggle her second go around. You know, she still needed interventions. So just getting those services sooner. that was one of the things that inspired me to run. And then also, you know, we had a lot of issues with bullying, school administration, stuff. You can let your you can tell me what you really feel. You don't have to hold back here, okay? So I think people would appreciate. you can be candid on this. Yeah. I I mean I feel like they probably pissed you off as a as a parent. They did. Abs absolutely. A couple of issues and I I don't want to harp on them, but You know, just a couple the way they support their teachers, their staff. when you say they, are you talking county commissioners, school board, or I'm thinking more school administration and I'll So the guys in the campus. Okay. Principals. What did you see a lack of? when I say support for the teachers, I'll give you a perfect example. Like my daughter was on the cheer team, she was varsity cheerleader her junior year. Her coach was just phenomenal. Like, got her to fall in love with tumbling and all the things again. And you know, a couple of parents, of course, when it comes to coaching, you're not gonna agree with everything the coach does. Yeah. Got super personal though, to where, you know, it it ended up with the coach getting dismissed. And I gave my opinion on it. Like, you know, my daughter's really benefited from her. I know a lot of people on the team. I know I'm not gonna change your decision, but I would hope in the future at least she would support your staff. And I literally I still have the email, the response was pretty much, okay, this is not your business. That's it. Yeah. Yeah. I look, there's always I I think what did I say? I'm gonna be serving on I've been asked to speak for the Fable Tech next Monday for the FBLA kids I think are coming and they sent me a list of questions and it was like about leading an organization and it's like I know that you have to pay attention to your star players. Right. Right. But I also know as a leader and an employer, I have abused the hell out of some of them. Mm-hmm. And I haven't always appreciated and shown the appreciation. So I I get it. It's like yeah, it's not your job or that's not your business, but still I think it's a sting. I think you get that that response because they know they're wrong. Ex Absolutely. They feel it. They're like, sh yeah, she's not wrong. Yeah. So I mean, it's it was it was terrible. Even the kids were like, Well, we didn't find any fault in anything that she did, but we're just gonna kinda wash our hands. No, I well, you know, and we don't want it's a fine line to me. Okay. I you know, a teacher is like a Swiss Army knife of a person. They s they're a little social worker. somebody the other day said they're a bouncer. They're a social worker. They're actually that was Ms. Pwn, I think, called them a bouncer. I cracked up at that one. yeah, but she was she's she's not lying. So what do you so let's talk about the IEP. So what do you think is an acceptable number of days from a parent asking for the evaluation to the child being evaluated? What's the number? At least thirty or thirty or lower. Should be under thirty days. Well, I mean the school year's only nine months, right? Nine or ten months. So yeah. Okay. And What is so I I've had it that you've said safety is more than locked doors. Bullying, fighting, mental health. The district already spends four and a half million dollars on SROs and security. So do you think the money's in the right place? And where can it be applied better? I think there is some opportunities for mental health services. Okay. when it comes to some of the kids because they may be battling something that you know, we just don't know about. It it's not that they're angry, there may be something at home going on. but I'm especially curious, About how we're defining some of these things, because there is protection under IEPs. What do you mean, protection or IEPs? Talk to me. For certain issues, like bullying is a big thing for me when I say safety, you know. I feel like our SROs are in the school to protect the kids really from the outside, make sure, make sure no one's coming in who's unsafe. they've become bouncers. They're breaking up fights, they have all this paperwork to do around it. and I think that's unacceptable. I think when we have kids who are consistently, like consistently causing fights, starting problems, you know, we should have interventions to deal with that. Now, when I say there's protections under certain IEPs, you know, in schools, if you are fighting, no matter if you started the fight, you guys are both probably getting sent to Ram Street or the alternative school, right? But if a child is protected under an IEP, the district can say, Well Yes, they started the fight, but that's a manifestation of their disability. So we're not gonna put them out. We're gonna put the other child out. Of the aggressor? Exactly. It's called a manifestation document. And absolutely. How about I manifest some discipline and actually expel some of these? So I think that has been a theme of some of your I I won't say running mates, but other people running for your office. That has been a theme, discipline. Now My problem with it a lot of times is back in our day we not it's like, all right, bro, stop. We're in twenty twenty six. Let's let's deal with actual solutions and not paddling kids. Right. They could probably benefit from a a whooping here and there. But I don't know if I'm with the whoop with the whoopings, but definitely accountability. Okay. You know, I'm gonna hold you accountable. I'm gonna hold you That's an accountability tool right there. So all right, so I'll be honest. So my girlfriend has two younger girls and I told her, Well, they're your kids, I'll tell you when to beat them. So, you know, I'm outsourcing that to to her. I'm not gonna touch those girls, but I gotcha. But no, I look There's a reasonable way to discipline and hold accountable your children. You're not beating these children. That's just not the way you think nowadays they have so many other things you can take away from them that are much that's that's true. Yeah. Different generation, you know. See, I was a generation you could just tell me you're disappointed in me and I'm gonna be like that was it. But some of these kids, you know, they're pretty tough kids. They gotta take away a lot. Take the door off their room and stuff like that. I think I'm midpoint generation 'cause I'm a millennial. Like you took the phone and I'm like, man, I don't There goes your social life. Now it's like you can take the phone, they have iPads, they have computers, you gotta shut off the Wi Fi. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. Well, let's see. So safety is a big deal for you. and but again, I think this is colored by personal experience. I mean you've you're a mom. Absolutely. And you're you're the mama bear. You're supposed to. Now what happened to so I know there's like counselors in school. Are they derelict in their duty? Like what Are they not having enough tools or enough resource? Like where shouldn't they be getting in the middle of bullying and stuff like that? I think it may be the resources. I mean, there are just so many kids and then you have vacancy issues. it's just not enough to go around. I I I do believe they care. If you're if you're working in the school system, it's kind of a thankless job. So I do believe you care. It's just do you have enough resources? I don't think your criticism is an indictment on the people that are doing the job. I think it's the system that it's definitely the system. How can you help though? I mean, there's only a finite amount of money in the budget. Now this year they did fund the schools a hundred percent. Right. And then some I think. I think they came back, got a little got a little extra. but where are we just not allocating our resources right? I mean, what if what have you learned? You're a CPA. You should have been digging in this budget. definitely, definitely. I do I do think it is a thing on allocation. also, of course, just it starts with enrollment. When I hear candidates like anybody else, like I wanna hear it starts with enrollment. Because if you are in finance or just business period, you know you have to start the budget out with sales or how you're bringing in your money in order to know where you're gonna budget. to me, bullying f flows right into that, right? If if we had of had a way to get our kids to like a charter school this year with both of us working, they would be there. Yeah. Because they both they they got the opportunity scholarship and things like that because of the bullying issue and just what I went with through with the administration. So you know, they would have lost the one f those enrollment dollar dollars from my children. So okay, so let me track that. So basically we spend more time disciplining so we don't lose children to other places. To other places. So we can retain the funding up because what people and So in this room we like vouchers. Okay. Yeah. I'm speaking for myself and that sounds like you you're good with it too. But it's not a one to one thing. Just because you get vouchered does not mean school does not get money. Right. The school wouldn't have gotten money for that kid not being there anyway. That's what people don't quite get and our government's big enough in the state of North Carolina to do both. Right. Absolutely. I I mean But I d I am for. public school education. That's my thing. That was a I don't feel my children are being protected or I'm being heard in the school system. Let me go somewhere what I know they will they will value and say that's sad. Why can't we deliver better? And that's what we see people are like, man, get rid of the vouchers of taking money from the schools. Well, but we're not putting out the best product that people want. And if I'm not mistaken, Cumberland County is one of the number one voucher recipient counties in the state. I can agree with you on all all those things, yes and I feel like that's why I can run to help make a difference. Okay. because you know, we're paying for, you know, our taxes and everything. We're paying for our kids to have this free education. Yes, I want it utilized. Yes, I want to make the the best use out of our funds and have a great school system where my children will want to raise their kids, you know, and not want to leave. Well, listen, chickel chicken little, I don't think the sky's always fallen. So tell me something that you see in our county schools that is running right. Something that you saw that runs well. Yeah, I think for sure our IB program and our A P program. my oldest daughter went through both of those. Describe them what's I B? Great, but so inner baccalaureate program. So basically our IB program. So it can put you on an advanced track. you're doing advanced work, you can work for college credits. same with our A P program. So I do think they are doing a very good job of those things for the gifted students that they've identified. Sure. For sure. All right. So we do Well I I know they're getting better with EC, but that's more by by by force. And E. However, yeah, they got put to the fire and they're doing both. So they had to do it. So EC is exceptional children. Yes, exceptional children. so all right. So it not everything's bad. We don't have a burning house. No. Okay. we're not sending you in as a fire brigade to go put it out. Okay. well, all right, how about this? Low performing schools drop from twenty seven to twenty this year. So does the superintendent get any credit for that or is it just too early to call? No, I would think the superintendent does get some credit for that. I've I've actually heard very good things about our superintendent while I've been campaigning. just some people who have said they lived in a school system where he was at and he did the exact same thing, you know, helped to improve those schools. So yeah, definitely kudos where it's where it's deserved. Yeah, absolutely. Well, I have seen him very visible and I have seen him I I've had the kind of the same opinion so far. I had no other reason why. now I've heard your opponents talk about electrical HVAC welding. Everyone on every side says that they love CTE. Why isn't there more of it already? What do you think's in the way of that? Yeah, again, I think it is just budgeting. You know, and and what kind of emphasis we put on things. It seems we put more emphasis on science, math programs, expanding those things. It's okay. We need math and science, but it it is okay, but not every child is gonna go down that track. Right. Okay. And as someone who used to work in the trades, I used to do accounting for a trade company. Okay. I do know that that's a great profession where you don't come out of school with student loans. You can make six figures and really make a a living out of that, start your own business, however you would like to do it. So I would love to see more of those programs because they're important. Okay. Yeah, you said you were in the trades. I'm like, I you know, Quincy the Builder. Yeah, I I thought I thought of some flannel shirt and some boots, you know. But no, you were the accountant for the trade. I can speak first hand. Did you ever swing a hammer? Never swung a hammer. Okay, Ever throw a plate at your husband? well, no, not that either. Never mind. Okay, all right, no, no. That that's for the after dark episode. Okay. so let's talk about well, you like math, so we'll talk math. So the district lost more than twelve hundred students this year. which comes out to about ten million dollars in state money. So where do they go? you would have to look for grants at this point, look for grants, ask for county funding. if we're not getting that state money. Now I wanna chime into I don't know why people assume accountants are so great. When it comes to math, but when it comes to the budgeting, yes. Like and and we can be looking for things where we're we we don't have spending that can be used. You know what I mean? one of the things for sure I I noticed this school year, especially having multiple in, I probably received multiple of the same handbook that they give out for every single school. I have a friend who has four kids in the school system, same thing. What paper handbooks? Yes. Who does paper anymore? These are things where we can save money. Yeah. We can find money in the budget. Those are pennies, but they add up eventually. They add up. Unless we have a school print shop where we're making the the bad kids do the printing. No. Like the ones that act up, give a job, you know. So so all right. Well, are you a nerd or a super nerd? What do you think? Just a nerd. Just a nerd? Yeah. Okay. See, we think CPAs are so good at math because you're analytical people. Right, right. And we're hoping I think One of the benefits possibly of electing you would be that maybe you could read through a document and tear it apart, I think. So choice from both sides. Cumberland has led the state in opportunity scholarships and charter enrollment is up 77%. Wow. One side is gonna say that that's money leaving public schools. The other side says it's families voting with their feet. What do you think it is? And what does the district do about it? So why what do you think? Families voting. Or money leaving school. It's a combination of of both. It definitely is family voting with their feet. Cause like I said, I was going to be one of those families. What deterred me was just there's no, you know, transportation when it comes to the charter schools. that's something we can really fix if we put some effort into listening and seeing what it is that reasons why people are leaving. Like what are we lacking that can get you to come back? And I know some of those things are a choice programs which are kind of up. on the chopping block right now. And the choice describe those thing. What's the choice program? So like if your kid wants to go to a school that is year round is is a perfect example. Or has it what kid must go to school around the year? What kind of crazy kids do we have in this parent might want the kid, you know, to go to the school this year round or if they have some g some type of literacy programs or the I B program is a perfect example of it. A P schools that offer that, schools that offer language programs, just to be able to send your kids there. Okay. All right, I got you. That makes sense. let's see. I'm gonna I'm gonna try to ask you questions that I'm not gonna make you just just die over. So let's see. I'm not taking it easy on you, but I'm Hey, that's okay. You know, I'm not trying to just stick a hot poker on you. So there's one hundred and seventy one days instead of the one hundred and sixty-six. And phones are away being put away in class. Yes or no? Do you like the shorter gear and do you want phones away in class? I personally do not feel comfortable with with the phone being away in class. just in case of emergencies or should anything happen. And that's probably just my personal experience because of Because of what you've been through. Okay. Well what about the shorter school year? w or let's see. I'm sorry, longer school year, one hundred seventy one versus it's only five days different. Yeah, it's to me it's just only the five days. So no no complaints. No no complaints, no, yeah. Okay. let's see. No, I'm not asking you that. No, see, sometimes I feel like some of the questions I have turn into like a Senate confirmation hearing of a of a judge and asking you how you would have voted and I don't think those are ever fair questions. I I need I want people to know and get to know you. I want people to see if you can make a decision, take information and digest it and read your packet. That's fair. For Christ's sake. Can you just do the homework? Just read. Yeah, just read. It's it's fundamental. Thank you. Hey, hooked on phonics work for me. You can work for you too. All right. So tell me about the CPA exam. What section almost tanked you? the hardest part. Really? Yeah, really. That's like ancient history for you, but I gotta know. FAR. Do what? FAR. Financial reporting. Fi isn't that what you do though? Well, it's very, very it's a very tough test. Okay. I'm gonna gloat a little bit here 'cause it's the only exam the CP like the chat GPT and the AIs can't pass yet. It's a CPA exam all the way through. Okay. Okay. So very, very chat you got some to do, man. Okay. That and the electric exam. I'm gonna give the trades a shout out to you. So for Did you take the well no, you didn't take that, but that's you just know that's a tough one. All right. well now county county schools, they asked the county for a hundred and ten million dollars. The county approved one hundred five, about four and a half million dollars short. Now the school budget how big is the school budget? I think it's like six hundred eighty six million around there, six hundred eighty million. Yeah. Yeah. I'm gonna let you have that one six seventy, but you know I that you knew it was over half a billion dollars. let's see, the county approved a hundred six hundred and ten million dollar facility plan. Now, a hundred and fifty million for one school to rebuild EE Smith. Wow. Now I'm not asking you to say good or bad E. E. Smith, but is a hundred and fifty million dollars really what it's costing to build a school these days? You know, I don't know 'cause I'm not an engineer. I'm not in construction. I would love I I would hope that the schools have some good contractors and some good engineers that are giving them good advice and then they are reading through those packets and they're asking the questions about why why the costs are so high, if they would escalate. so what kind of questions would you be asking if you make it on there? Yep. Same same same deal. Yeah, like why are the costs so high? Do you see them escalating with the current economy? definitely how we're funding this, because I'm assuming it's not through the budget they're gonna have. go take out some loans, issue some bonds, things of that matter. Tell me about bonds. Now do you so the school board, do you have taxing authority? no, the school board doesn't have taxing authority, but the county you can't pull bond? I thought you could. Yeah. You can apply to the LGC to issue bonds, yes. So you can. Okay. All right. So you d I knew you did your homework. Well I d I kind of my profession is kind of financing. Yeah it's kind of that. So you know let's see. So I like I said, I'm trying to not give you hot stinkers here. Well, let's talk about first hundred days you get on the board. Yes. There seems to have been from reporting by City View and some other people factions on the board. And I've seen this develop watching city council, I've seen it develop on county commission. Some people and some factions vote contrary just to be contrarian. How will you try to reach out and get the contrarians to move things forward? Because look, kids are not Republicans or Democrats. Right. The potholes are not partisan. Right. Let's take off our red blue jerseys. You're the unaffiliate anyway, so you don't count. But let's take those jerseys off and remember why we're there. Yeah. What would you do? What kind of experience in the workplace have you had that will help you reach across and say, maybe shake somebody's you know W what what's your experience? What would you do? Yeah. Just being in finance in general and accounting, especially working with business owners, you you kind of do have to just convince them. Like they have these big audacious goals and you're you kind of have to be the one to say, yes, and now how do we make this happen? What does this look like down the line? Now I will say if someone just does not want to do something, you are not going to make them do it. I think the way to shift that, and I'm seeing that a lot now with parents in the school system, is to be transparent. so that the parents can hold them accountable and where have you seen opaqueness from our school board? Where have you seen something that maybe you weren't aware of or something? So how would you and what you've seen and what would you would improve? Definitely with the with the school closures and the schools on the chopping blocks and and those votes. you know, pretty much they voted in then we heard about it. And to me that's unacceptable. Okay. Well, let me ask you this, 'cause you see you're running to be one of the decision makers. Yes. We have elections every two years for school board as people rotate in and out. We've elected you to be the subject matter expert. Yes. I want to make of the sandwiches and sell some real estate. Okay. I don't want to be doing the school board stuff. So if I elect you, should I not trust you to make the right decision? Because at a certain point, and I'll go back, I'm gonna follow the sword for this one, the E. Smith debacle a couple years ago. Okay. my take on it was I'm glad you're proud. I don't know why, but how dare you keep a child from a 21st century education and moving that campus to where we had free land? You know, I but I believed in maintaining the the the history of E. E. Smith. Right. There was accommodation for it. I think the striker golf course pro shop was gonna be turned into a museum to E.E. Smith. So I felt like we had a way to honor. or past, but give the current children the opportunity to have that education. But the alumni eventually won out. And it was all emotional. Very emotional. Okay. I mean, they have I mean, let's let's face it. Bronco Pride is you know, it or are they what are they? They're not Broncos, are they? They Fable State, they're Broncos. Well, Fable State is, but not Smith. no. What's Smith? I don't know what they are. God almighty. yeah, you're gonna get I'm gonna delete that, you're gonna get trouble. but no, they have a very There you go. Okay, those are your kids. Okay. No, so my thing with with E. Smith was like, look. We've developed so many leaders have come out of there. Yeah. We can't crap on that school. I mean, it is very vital to that o that community. but I feel like we could do both. We could honor the history and give these kids the opportunity. But the strong alumni group won out over, to me, reason. Wow. Is my opinion. And I'm not asking you to jump on that. But I mean, so you felt that they were not transparent about things. Yes. But to me, I'm like, well, I voted for you to go there and make the decision, whether it's difficult or not. True. And so so I guess my question is, yes, should I trust you or not? Well, definitely trust but verify. Okay I'm a big trust but verify. And I think a lot of times what happens is we know somebody and we've known them for a long time and we've seen what they've done here, what they've done there, and they're great. And it doesn't always translate. so I'm a s my assumption is yes, we voted. We thought you'd be great in that role. Maybe we didn't do all of our research about what you think and where your priorities lie and how you would vote, which this election cycle it seems like people are asking those really tough questions because they see what the outcome was from this current board. Well, I again we have a representative government. We are not a straight up democracy. Everybody most people know that. but to in my opinion, as having run and all, it's like look, We put you in the spot to make the decision. And frankly, you have to make the decision that sometime will result in you not going back. Absolutely. You know, you'll be penalized by the voter, but I feel like are you brave enough to risk it? well, absolutely. And can you stand on it? Because if if you feel you made the best decision, you're not going to backtrack. And I I believe recently they overturned a decision to to close the school. Placate exactly the emotion. And see that I have a real problem with that because at a certain point we got real money involved. Right. I mean six hundred million dollar six eight six seventy six seven six seven you know I mean we that's a lot of money yeah and you know the the capital the capital repairs that are required eight hundred million dollars that we were but now some of that was like landscaping and stuff but some of it was like a roof falling in. Yeah. I mean we have serious, serious issues and I need a s I need a school board that's gonna stand up to the emotion. Mm-hmm. And I I like you said earlier, if somebody is determined to do a certain thing or a certain way, you ain't gonna change their mind. No. But do you feel like you have the skills to reach over and jostle the brain a little bit? Yeah, absolutely. In nice way. Absolutely. And I and I definitely stand on my decisions, but I do believe in collaboration. that's what I feel like this whole thing is is missing is the collaboration, getting the input from the community so you can really go back and see. Okay, this is what the community wants. What can we do to come to a happy medium? That's what was missed. That's what was missing. And that's what I plan to do if elect it. Well, I'm gonna hold you to that. We're gonna be watching you and see how things turn out. And if you do make it, we'll be talking. Okay. You know, I I actually I spoke to a school board member earlier today and I I well, I told her, so that puts you in a majority, I think. I told her that after the election is over, that I'm gonna be asking all school board members to come on. Okay. we'll do an education episode or a segment or whatever, but I want to hear. I want to s I need to see y'all talking to people and interacting in the community. Right. unfortunately, I think a lot of people don't understand that's the the the level of job that we have to do. We are not a small community and there might be a community watch meeting y'all need to go to. Yeah. I mean, I I hate to put it on you, but it's it's not going to be an easy job. So all right. So last one. Then I'll let you go. If somebody's watching agrees with me on almost everything and thinks you're wrong on almost anything. okay. What's the one thing you'd want them to take away out of the last half hour or so we've been chatting? definitely that I I just want all the voters to know I really feel like it's just time for a change, like a shake up on our board. And I mean that like professionally. I know we have a lot of there's already a lot of experience on the board, principals, teachers. Okay. A lot of years there. And and we've gotten to this point where there's obviously a lot of frustration. Sixteen people's people are running. you know, I plan to really ask those tough questions. I I want to see the reports, the vacancy reports. Why are we not recruiting? Why is there such a hard workload on everyone? Why are we voting to close schools before getting the input from the community? you know, my heart is especially with the EC program, making sure our kids are getting their IEP services and timely. so definitely if you just I care, point blank. you know, I care. This is this would not just be a a board role for me. I really am looking to make some positive change and listen and collaborate. Okay. And I'm in studio with her, so I can tell I I believe her. She's pretty earnest. So you know, give give her a look see. So, you know, I listen, I I thank you. You've you've answered every question, including the ones that had numbers in them. I know Miss CPA were not great with math, but whatever. but, you know, that's the kind of conversation that keeps people you know, it people say it doesn't happen anymore. And I'm glad to see that you were able to do that. So where do people find you? Vote on Facebook, vote for Quincy Lovejoy. for Cumberland County School Board at large and same for Instagram and you can always email me. I've been very pleasantly surprised at the amount of people who've actually reached out via email with questions. Okay. at Quincylovejoy at gmail dot com. Okay. Excellent. Well, it that is nice when people do reach out and actually ask you reasonable questions. Yeah. so all right. Well folks, look, you need to go look it up yourself. I'm not just going to hand you the answer. You're going to need to g maybe Google her. I think and then you'll find all that stuff because I'm not gonna remember Quincy Lovejoy of this Just having Quincy Lovejoy. It'll come up. It'll it'll come up. It'll come up. Well, Mrs. Lovejoy, I appreciate you being here. as always, you're welcome anytime after the election or even in your role at P W C. We'd love to hear from you. So to everybody watching, you can find all of our episodes and links on the Carolinacabinet.com. It takes you four whole seconds. Just click, like, subscribe. It's free. Just go do it. And that way we'll send you fresh stuff every week. So with that, I'm Peter Pappas with the Cabinet. Have a good evening. Thank you.