James Barrett (North Carolina)

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James Barrett

Prior offices

Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education At-large

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Elections and appointments

Last election

March 3, 2020

Education

Bachelor's

College of William and Mary, 1991

Graduate

Georgia Institute of Technology

Personal

Birthplace

Baltimore, Md.

Religion

Lutheran

Profession

Project manager

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

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Campaign YouTube

Personal Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

James Barrett was an at-large member of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education in North Carolina. He assumed office in 2011.

Barrett (Democratic Party) ran for election for North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction. He lost in the Democratic primary on March 3, 2020.

Barrett completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

James Barrett was born in Baltimore, Maryland. Barrett's professional experience includes working at IBM and Lenovo. He has also coached baseball and basketball teams and volunteered in his children's math classes. Barrett is a founding member of the strategy team of Orange County Justice United. He attended district schools before attending The College of William and Mary. He graduated in 1991 with a B.S. in math and computer science. Barrett also earned a graduate degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Barrett is affiliated with the following organizations:

• North Carolina Association of Educators
• NC Association of Teacher Assistants
• NC Public School Forum
• NC Justice Center
• Public Schools First
• NAACP
• IEEE Computing Society

Elections

2020

See also: North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction election, 2020

General election

General election for North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction

Catherine Truitt defeated Jen Mangrum in the general election for North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Catherine Truitt (R)	51.4	2,753,220
		Jen Mangrum (D)	48.6	2,605,169

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 5,358,389
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Watch the Candidate Conversation for this race!

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction

Jen Mangrum defeated Keith Sutton, Constance Johnson, James Barrett, and Michael Maher in the Democratic primary for North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jen Mangrum	33.2	378,396
		Keith Sutton	26.6	303,592
		Constance Johnson	21.1	240,710
		James Barrett	10.8	122,855
		Michael Maher	8.3	95,239

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,140,792
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction

Catherine Truitt defeated D. Craig Horn in the Republican primary for North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Catherine Truitt	56.7	391,915
		D. Craig Horn	43.3	299,578

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 691,493
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2017

See also: Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools elections (2017)

Four of the seven seats on the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools school board in North Carolina were up for at-large general election on November 7, 2017. Three seats were originally scheduled to appear on the ballot, but a special election for the seat of Annetta Streater was held after she resigned from the board in September 2017. The fourth-highest vote-getter won her spot on the board.

Board member Joal Hall Broun won an additional four-year term along with newcomers Amy Fowler and Mary Ann Wolf. Board member James Barrett won the two-year term. They defeated challengers Ryan Brummond, Calvin Deutschbein, and Kim Talikoff.

Results

Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, At-Large General Election, 4-year terms, 2017
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Amy Fowler	22.39%	9,524
Mary Ann Wolf	20.59%	8,757
Joal Hall Broun Incumbent	19.48%	8,287
James Barrett Incumbent	17.46%	7,427
Kim Talikoff	13.82%	5,879
Calvin Deutschbein	3.47%	1,474
Ryan Brummond	2.40%	1,019
Hongbin Gu (Write-in)	0.02%	8
Barbara Foushee (Write-in)	0.01%	5
Write-in votes	0.36%	152
Total Votes		42,532
Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections & Ethics Enforcement, "Official General Election Results - Orange," accessed November 28, 2017

2013

See also: Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools elections (2013)

Barrett ran for an at-large seat on the school board on November 5, 2013, against Michelle Brownstein, Andrew Davidson, and Ignacio Tzoumas.

Results

Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, At-Large General Election, 4-year terms, 2013
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Michelle Brownstein Incumbent	33.3%	6,366
	Nonpartisan	James Barrett Incumbent	30.4%	5,801
	Nonpartisan	Andrew Davidson	21.2%	4,049
	Nonpartisan	Ignaico Tzoumas	14.5%	2,772
	Nonpartisan	Write-in	0.6%	120
Total Votes				19,108
Source: Orange County, NC, "November 5, 2013 Municipal Elections," accessed December 16, 2013

Funding

Barrett reported $2,053.73 in contributions and $1,269.09 in expenditures to the Orange County Board of Elections, which left his campaign with $784.65 cash on hand as of December 23, 2013.

Endorsements

On October 16, 2013, Indy Week officially endorsed Barrett.

2011

Chapel-Hill Carrboro City Schools, At-Large General Election, 4-year terms, 2011
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Mia Day Burroughs	18.9%	7,735
	Nonpartisan	Jamezetta R. Bedford	17.6%	7,218
	Nonpartisan	Annetta Streater	17.3%	7,114
	Nonpartisan	Mike Kelley	17.2%	7,069
	Nonpartisan	James Barrett	17.2%	7,045
	Nonpartisan	Kris Casetllano	8.8%	3,615
	Nonpartisan	Raymond D. Conrad	2.6%	1,079
	Nonpartisan	Write-in	0.4%	156
Total Votes				41,031
Source: Orange County Board of Elections: "Municipal Election November 8, 2011," accessed September 6, 2013

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

James Barrett completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Barrett's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I'm a product of North Carolina public schools, son of a career teacher, and parent of two public school students; I've been a school board member, coach, and math tutor. I'm a leader with a passion for ALL children being successful, and the only candidate with a track record of doing all aspects of the work: leading a large department, managing change efforts, promoting policies that respect teachers, and advocating for our schools with elected officials. I just finished eight years as a school board member in Chapel Hill, including two years as chair during a time of superintendent turnover. Among my efforts on the board: I pushed for our district to provide supports for teachers; a living wage for all employees; and protections for students. In my day job, I have provided executive leadership of large professional projects for two decades. Before joining the school board, I spent seven years as a community organizer, using the power of people to build relationships and make positive change in government. I'm a lifelong Democrat with decades of campaigning for pro-public education Democrats. I'm eager to bring about transformative, transparent, collaborative improvements and support to North Carolina's 115 school districts.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Leadership experience matters
• All means ALL and James believes public education serves all.
• We can teach all students to read through a structured approach.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

- eliminate the testing stressing out our students and teachers and painting a narrative of failure. I will work immediately to change from high-stakes to lower-stakes tests that give useful measures of learning and guidance for adjusting instruction. This likely means focusing assessments on standards-based grading-a major change project that would make a positive difference for everyone.

- focusing on state-level policies that can restore respect for the teacher profession, even within the constraints the legislature continues to put on schools. For example, working with the State Board to put into policy work that we've done locally that restores protections for teachers from at-will firing and supports teachers' free speech. I would also find money in DPI's budget to offer paid parental leave immediately, to model what districts should do for all educators.
- focusing on safety, with an immediate push on physical security (eg, quick locks on interior doors) and emotional safety, with proper levels of mental health funding as we face a student mental health crisis. Providing excellent training from DPI to all districts on using school resource officers in a positive manner, in support of Chief Justice Beasley's School-Justice Partnerships, and investing in restoring relationships through restorative practices.

- focusing on literacy-providing guidance through DPI for teachers on what science shows actually works to teach all children to read.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty; integrity; transparency; a willingness to admit when you're wrong, but stay consistent and true to your beliefs even in the face of criticism; the ability to listen to all sides, seeking out those with less of a voice; deep knowledge of and curiosity and passion for the less-flashy parts of the job, such as policymaking and management; and, for a statewide office such as state superintendent, previous experience in elected office, to be tested and ready to take the reins on Day 1.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Under my watch, "what's best for kids" is always the guiding star, and North Carolina becomes a state that puts into action what we say about believing in education, living up to and beyond its obligation under the state constitution to provide a "sound, basic" education for ALL students. Under my watch, North Carolina's children can get a great education no matter where they live or what advantages or disadvantages they bring in through their school door. And they feel safe, loved, supported, and inspired when they walk out.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I worked for two summers starting at age 15 as a plumber's assistant. It was hot, dirty, smelly work that taught me the importance of hard work as well as lifelong skills I use at church and home. It was also a job I thought of often in college, knowing that I was better suited for an office job and needed to finish my degree to reach my goals. Students today need to know they have multiple paths to success in life, though even traditionally blue collar jobs like manufacturing often require at least meaningful certificate programs beyond high school. Our schools need to prepare students for whatever direction is best for them, while giving them exposure to options.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Goodnight Moon. Its soothing tone also includes the ridiculous so that the adult reading it is amused while the child drifts off to sleep. The illustrations are bold colors, but also dark enough to encourage sleep. I've also been using it lately as a lesson about literacy because while you'd likely never recognize the title in Korean, once you see it in yellow characters with the Great Green Room behind it, you know instantly it says "Goodnight Moon". Guessing from clues is not how we ought to teach students to read English, but far too many times that is happening in NC classrooms today.

What responsibilities of this office do you personally consider the most important?

The state superintendent must, first, competently oversee the Department of Public Instruction. After four years of incompetence, DPI needs rebuilding to provide great, innovative, honest, ethical, and transparent service and support to all the state's school districts, thinking creatively about how to do so in the face of tight budgets. The superintendent must also have the experience to combine that with effective public and behind-the-scenes advocacy and creative policymaking to make North Carolina a top state again in education. That means working cooperatively with the State Board of Education to enact policies that treat educators with respect, sometimes working creatively within the boundaries from the General Assembly, and being the chief advocate for our public schools with communities across the state and with the General Assembly to get them to meet their constitutional requirement to fund a sound, basic education with equal opportunities for all students.
In all of these, the state superintendent must do as I always have: listen, then lead - listening to everyone who seeks me out to share their concerns, seeking out the voices of those who feel less empowered to speak up, studying the details, and leading the way to common-ground solutions. Being visible matters, but photo ops in classrooms are not what the job is about. That's not what best for kids, which should be the guiding star.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

Yes, this is a must for a job this large, leading a department this big, working with-not against-the State Board of Education, and advocating for our schools with many other elected officials. We can see all too clearly from the current officeholder what happens when this office is held by someone without experience as an elected official. Although he had teaching experience, he had no experience leading a large department or making change as an elected official-both of which I have. He has not been transparent, is defensive when challenged, and fails to use the power of the bully pulpit effectively, both in public and behind-the-scenes advocacy with other officials. For 25 years, I have spent all of my working days driving change projects of various scopes. I know how to get stakeholder feedback before a decision is made. I know how to get buy-in and cooperation from those opposed to a decision before implementation is complete. There aren't many areas of public policy more contentious, more likely to activate strong emotions, than our children's education. As a previously elected official, I am committed to transparency in our public service and openness to feedback, and showed in eight years on the school board that I know how to take public criticism, to be consistent and true to my beliefs, and to acknowledge when I'm wrong.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

I've always viewed social work as an ideal background for elected board members - social workers know how to listen to people's true needs, guide without being pushy, and bring people together who don't know they have common ground. Instead, my training as a community organizer has given me those skills. Focused on using relationships as the basis for effective organizing within our networks, but then also relational work with those with power to make changes we want is the bedrock of my work. Analyzing issues and power structures to determine how to achieve goals together is work that excites me. And then using all tools to achieve victory, including direct action when necessary on behalf of the people we represent, brings power back to the community and positive social change in our government.

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.

2013

Davidson identified the following campaign themes on his website:

“	I want to see the 28 strategies of our new long-range plan (http://tinyurl.com/chccslrp) implemented across the district. These are the changes needed to improve instruction, eliminate achievement gaps, have great teachers in place for every class, and ensure that 100% of our students are learning and growing every day.	”
—James Barrett (2013)

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External links

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