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David Coates
From Ballotpedia
This page was last updated during the official's most recent election or appointment. Please contact us with any updates.
Tenure
2024 - Present
Term ends
2028
Years in position
0
Predecessor
David Coates (Democratic Party) is a member of the Guilford County Schools school board in North Carolina, representing District 3. He assumed office on December 10, 2024. His current term ends in 2028.
Coates (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Guilford County Schools school board to represent District 3 in North Carolina. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Coates completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
David Coates was born in Allentown, New Jersey. Coates' career experience includes working as a lawyer. He earned a bachelor's degree from Wake Forest University in 1971.[1]
Elections
2024
See also: Guilford County Schools, North Carolina, elections (2024)
General election
General election for Guilford County Schools, District 3
David Coates defeated incumbent Michael Logan and Bill Goebel in the general election for Guilford County Schools, District 3 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | David Coates (D)  | 45.2 | 19,341 |
 | Michael Logan (R) | 43.4 | 18,554 | |
| Bill Goebel (Independent) | 11.3 | 4,850 | ||
| Total votes: 42,745 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. David Coates advanced from the Democratic primary for Guilford County Schools, District 3.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Michael Logan advanced from the Republican primary for Guilford County Schools, District 3.
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Coates in this election.
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
David Coates completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Coates' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I am a Wake Forest graduate, BA and JD, and have an MAT from Vanderbilt University. I practiced law in New Jersey for my entire professional career and returned to North Carolina during the early stages of the pandemic. I represented my home school district my entire career and was appointed as counsel to successive one year terms from 1982 through 2019. In that capacity I was privileged to deal professionally with all aspects of school operations. I was lead co-counsel on several challenges to the method and adequacy of state funding of schools on behalf of coalitions of school districts.
I married Suzanne Schafer in 1981 and we are the parents of three sons and three grandchildren. My family is the center of my existence. I have been active mostly in leadership roles in a variety of organizations. My website davidcoates.org has the partial list. I cast my first vote in North Carolina for Nick Galiafinakis for the Senate and the whole Democratic ticket and have for the most part followed that pattern . In my lifetime moderate or liberal Republicans have become an extinct species replaced by the authoritarian right of Trumpism, which I regard as an affront to American values of respect, freedom and decency. I am a Baptist Christian who believes in the dignity and worth of all people.Most importantly, I believe in the power of education to enrich individual lives and our society in all of it's manifestations.
- Children need safe and secure environments in order to learn. Bullying can destroy learning and cannot be tolerated. A secure learning environment for the approximately 10% of Guilford County's public school students who have a chronic illness means a full time school nurse in every school. This benefits all students in that we all know that things happen, for example broken bones, flu, etc. Safety also means appropriate fencing and supervision of outside play, passing in the halls , on busses and in the cafeteria. In recent years school phobia and the overwhelming desire to stay at home has affected too many students. This and other behaviors need to addressed by parents in co-operation with school counselors.
- To attract and keep great teachers and staff, pay, benefits , and opportunities for professional advancement need to be greatly increased. Whether this be through court order, if our Supreme Court so holds, through legislative action or incrementally through county allocation of funds, the need to do this is not disputed. Guilford County wants to attract good jobs , that only happens if our workforce is able to meet the requirements of a demanding and changing economy. This means we must attract and retain the talent we need to educate that workforce. Great teaching leads not only to a place in our dynamic economy, but lives enriched by sports and the arts. Teachers should not have to work two jobs to have a middle class life.
- Accountability for student achievement matters. Our children do not grow up in the same environment as their parents or grandparents. Change is the only constant. But some change means recovering what perhaps has been lost, for example the ability to read and comprehend long pieces of writing, an understanding of the values that have made our democratic republic a beacon to an emerging and oppressed world where the rule of autocrats not of law prevails. Our children and their parents need to know that the high expectations we need to have for our schools, and hence society, are being met. They need to know freedom of inquiry is alive in Guilford County and that teachers, administrators and staff are working effectively to that end.
This is a difficult question because each child is different. Different in preparation for school, interests and abilities. So to focus on one thing is misleading as we are all individually a composite of many things. This being said I am passionate about reading, because without the ability to read well all other avenues to a personally and financially rewarding life are closed off. Also it is my belief that for all of our nation's flaws we are a great nation because we aspire to freedom and equality. Thus even when things are not going well there is hope. We are at a crossroads, however. A choice is now before us between an autocracy of people who manipulate religion for their own privileged ends and democratic freedom under law.
My father. He always told me to do my best and I know that is the way he lived his life.
Curiosity, Diligence, Deep Listening and Commitment to all students quality education be it vocational, academic, oriented to the arts or special education covering all categories.
I am knowledgeable about most aspects of school operations, or at least know the questions to ask ,and I am curious.
A school board has one employee, the Superintendent of Schools. The Superintendent is responsible for all aspects of a school district, for example: curriculum, hiring and retention, morale, safety, financial management, capital needs and building maintenance, transportation, food service, continuing education of teachers and administrators etc.. So the basic job of a school board member is to be in continuous dialog with the Superintendent and continuous evaluation of the Superintendent and itself as a board. Out of this process comes goals with measurable criteria. A Board member to be truly effective must bring her or his experience, insight and passion to discussion and actions taken.
Education is the foundation for a rewarding life in all of life's dimensions. This being said it is incumbent on a Board member to bring high expectations, clear thinking and diligence to all meetings of the Board. A Board of Education member has no authority on his or her own, but only as part of the group. All students matter so the needs of all students must be uppermost in the mind of a Board member. Also each student matters and each student is an individual with a history, interests and abilities unique to that child. A board member needs to have a Superintendent who buys into these understandings.A school board member brings his or her own personal characteristics for the job, but also must bring the perspectives of the people who elected the member. Their views on a variety of issues come from personal experience or the experience of their children or children with whom they are close. Their opinions matter. Their opinions and insights provide questions for the Superintendent and the answers that come back to the board are part of the continuous evaluation process discussed above. Board members must not, however, let the opinions of others erase the values and ideas that led to their election.
What I am reading now. Right now it is Emily Wilson's translation of the Iliad.
Maxwell's Silver Hammer
Children
By first recognizing that we are diverse and therefore one size fits all answers are not going to work. Equity is a key concept here. It was once said of a politician "he was born on third base and thought he hit a triple." Some people are born on third base. Their needs and aspirations are important and need to be met, but people who start life "on deck" will most likely need more resources to have their needs and aspirations met. This is basic, but not always grasped.
I am a progressive democrat on most issues so I will gravitate to those organized groups, but I look forward to attending school events and hearing from others who attend. I am very conscious of the history of racism which has led to generational poverty. I want to do deep listening to understand better my role as a board member in charting ways out of poverty.
Good teachers sometimes have different styles, but a common calling to teach people not just the subjects they teach. A board must rely on the Superintendent to report on student achievement, best teaching practices, and problems within specific schools. A large part of a Superintendent's evaluation and understanding of a board's expectations comes from these topics.
A board always needs to be informed of trends in the larger economy so as to create opportunities and sunset programs that are no longer relevant. Reading , writing, history civics, basic science and math are always relevant to a rewarding life.
Ideally co-operation and working through our system by testifying in Raleigh and publicizing the need for much more state funding of education would be sufficient. Joining with other school systems and citizens in litigation ,either as a party or by means of amicus curiae (friend of the court) briefs should be explored and used if at all feasible. A vigorous and sustained critique of the failure of our General Assembly to meet their responsibility to our children, as per court order, is required now, recognizing that what was thought to be settled law is under attack.
Physical, Emotional and Mental Health are intertwined and necessary before learning can take place. A full time school nurse in every school is a necessity as are the need for available counselors.
I will research the availability of community based free mental health services for families. Students are part of families and schools are not in the business of family counselling, but referrals need to be part of any school based approach to mental heath.
Guilford for All (hopefully more to follow)
Listen at school events, in small groups and at Board meetings.
The overriding factor in recruiting and retaining people committed to excellence is money. North Carolina is not in line with the nation. That reality does not bode well for the state and for Guilford County ,unless sufficient money is available to greatly increase salaries.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on February 27, 2024
