Welcome back to the Carolina Cabinet, Cumberland County's smartest hour of talk radio. Peter Pappas and Laura Mussler sit down with Theodore Lee "Ted" Miller, one of 16 candidates for at-large seats on the Cumberland County Board of Education.
Miller, a Flint, Michigan native who came to Fayetteville with the Army and retired in 2001 after a 20-year career, puts one proposal at the center of his campaign: every senior takes and passes the GED to graduate. He argues an 89% graduation rate means little if students aren't at grade level, and that a graduate who can't pass the GED was failed by the school system. Peter and Laura press him on the numbers behind that claim and on what happens to students who don't pass. His answer: free continuing-education classes at FTCC and a corrected transcript once they do.
The conversation also covers the district's capital needs, Miller's case that Cumberland County has been shortchanged by the NC Education Lottery, his idea for yearly home visits by homeroom teachers (Laura isn't sold), consequences for students who assault teachers, and bringing hands-on trade programs back to the schools.
Find all of our candidate conversations at thecarolinacabinet.com.
00:00 Intro
00:42 Meet Theodore Lee Miller
03:13 Why he filed
05:55 A GED requirement to graduate
09:44 Who passes, and what happens if they don't
11:37 School funding and the NC Education Lottery
13:44 Enrollment and choice schools
14:45 Home visits by homeroom teachers
17:53 Students who assault teachers
19:46 Trades and hands-on learning
22:47 Failing to teach critical thinking
23:52 Telling 16 candidates apart
24:51 The FTCC path and a corrected transcript
26:01 How to reach the campaign
27:51 Even if I don't win
RSS Feed