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Pamela Thomas
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Pamela Thomas is an at-large representative on the Onslow County Schools school board in North Carolina. Thomas won another term in the general election on March 15, 2016.
Biography
Thomas is a graduate of Dixon High School. She earned her associate degree from Mount Olive College and her bachelor's degree from East Carolina University. She has worked as a coach, teacher and supervisor for Onslow County Schools for 35 years. Thomas has served on the Onslow County Board of Education since July 2004.[1]
Elections
2016
- See also: Onslow County Schools elections (2016)
Four of the seven seats on the Onslow County Schools school board were up for general election on March 15, 2016. Three candidates—Gene Flanagan, Jonathan Merritt and Dawnna Turner—challenged incumbents Earl Taylor, Pamela Thomas and Paul Wiggins in their re-election bids.[2] All incumbents secured re-election and were joined in their victory by a single newcomer: Jonathan Merritt.
Results
| Onslow County Schools, At-large General Election, 4-year terms, 2016 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Paul Wiggins Incumbent |
21.18% | 14,128 |
| Pamela Thomas Incumbent |
19.76% | 13,179 |
| Earl Taylor Incumbent |
19.55% | 13,040 |
| Jonathan Merritt |
14.41% | 9,612 |
| Dawnna Turner | 12.30% | 8,205 |
| Gene Flanagan | 12.23% | 8,156 |
| Write-in votes | 0.56% | 373 |
| Total Votes (100) | 66,693 | |
| Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections, "03/15/2016 Official Primary Election Results - Onslow," accessed June 15, 2016 | ||
Funding
Thomas reported no contributions or expenditures to the Onslow County Board of Elections as of March 22, 2016.[3]
School board candidates in North Carolina are required to file campaign finance reports to their county's board of elections unless the candidate:
(1) Does not receive more than one thousand dollars ($1,000) in contributions, and
(2) Does not receive more than one thousand dollars ($1,000) in loans, and
(3) Does not spend more than one thousand dollars ($1,000).[4]
The first quarter campaign finance deadline was on March 7, 2016.
Campaign themes
2016
Ballotpedia survey responses
Pam Thomas participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 survey of school board candidates. In response to the question "What do you hope to achieve if elected to the school board?" the candidate stated on February 13, 2016:
| “ | Continuous improvement for our schools, providing opportunities for students to find their niche in life, continue to build partnerships between the schools, community and parents.[5][6] | ” |
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues based on how they should be prioritized by the school board, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. Each ranking could only be used once.
| Education policy |
|---|
 |
Click here to learn more about education policy in North Carolina. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Improving relations with teachers | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| “ | The budget drives program sustainability, additional positions, local salary, special programs etc.[6] | ” |
| —Pam Thomas (February 13, 2016) | ||
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer nine questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are highlighted in blue and followed by the candidate's responses. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions. The candidate was also provided space to elaborate on their answers to the multiple choice questions.
| Should new charter schools be approved in your district? (Not all school boards are empowered to approve charter schools. In those cases, the candidate was directed to answer the question as if the school board were able to do so.) |
|---|
| No. Charter schools have limited oversight, no set curriculum or certified teachers. Most charters have no arts, vocational ed or athletics. |
| Which statement best describes the ideal relationship between the state government and the school board? The state should always defer to school board decisions, defer to school board decisions in most cases, be involved in the district routinely or only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. |
| The state should defer to school board decisions in most cases. |
| Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement? |
| No. Everything that can be counted counts but not everything that counts can be counted. How do we measure improvement in behavior, reduction in absences, service to others, participation in the arts, relationship building? |
| What is your stance on the Common Core State Standards Initiative? |
| The Common Core seems to add an extreme testing burden on students and teachers. The rigor of the CC prohibits time to teach for mastery. |
| How should the district handle underperforming teachers? Terminate their contract before any damage is done to students, offer additional training options, put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve or set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district? |
| Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district. |
| Should teachers receive merit pay? |
| Yes. |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| No. |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| There are policies to govern expulsion and there are certain offenses that merit expulsion as outlined by policy. It is used when necessary. |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| Teachers Teachers build relationships that nurture students. They set levels of expectations for students and help them move upward, even if in small steps. Most students may not remember a particular lesson from a teacher but they'll remember how the teacher made them feel. |
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Pamela Thomas' 'Onslow County Schools'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Onslow County School System, "Board Members," accessed February 12, 2016
- ↑ Onslow County, North Carolina, "2016 Local Candidates who have filed," accessed January 20, 2016
- ↑ Onslow County Board of Elections, "Active Campaign Finance Reports," accessed March 22, 2016
- ↑ General Assembly of North Carolina, "Chapter 163: Elections And Election Laws, Article 22A - Regulating Contributions and Expenditures in Political Campaigns," accessed February 11, 2016
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2016, "Pam Thomas's responses," February 13, 2016
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
| 2016 Onslow County Schools Elections | |
| Onslow County, North Carolina. | |
| Election date: | March 15, 2016 |
| Candidates: | At-large: Incumbent, Earl Taylor • Incumbent, Pamela Thomas • Incumbent, Paul Wiggins • Gene Flanagan • Jonathan Merritt • Dawnna Turner |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
