A frequent critic of the board and Superintendent Pat Russo, he will seek the seat currently held by board Vice Chairman Wiley Barrett.
Cunningham was a driving force behind exposing the fact that some students at North Moore High School were paid incentives for improved SAT scores several years ago. It was later determined that state remedial funds were used to reimburse the school for some of those payments. That led to an investigation by the board’s attorney last August.
He is now conducting his own investigation into the vending contract the school system has with a Lee County distributor called PFS.
“For about a year I’ve been concerned about the priorities of Moore County Schools and I would like to see some changes made to refocus those priorities,” Cunningham said in an interview.
Cunningham said he would like to see the school system move from a “competition model of education” to a “cooperation model of education.”
“There is an emphasis on ranking and how this school system compares with another school system,” Cunningham said.
Under a competition model, schools systems are set up for failure, he said.
“If there were 20 counties in the state with a goal of being in the top 10 in the state, well, for 10 counties to succeed, then 10 must fail,” Cunningham said. “I would rather adopt a model of cooperation rather than competition between counties, where everyone would succeed.
“The concern I have under the current practice is there is a priority placed on how Moore County measures up objectively, statistically, with other counties rather than looking at what’s good and what can be better in our own county.”
Cunningham said one of his first actions as an elected board member would be to move to abolish the current accountability model, which has been in place since the 1996-1997 school year.
The county commissioners and the school board devised the formula in 1996 as part of a settlement of a funding dispute. SAT scores, student proficiency rates, the number of schools meeting expected growth and school dropout rates are all part of the model.
Based on the accountability model, the school system’s ranking has climbed into the top 10, but Cunningham isn’t sure it’s an accurate measure of how well the schools are performing.
“It appears that the schools have improved, but how do you know that?” he said.
Cunningham said the statewide accountability model, based on the ABCs, is sufficient for measuring a school system’s progress.
“The ABCs are working and can indicate whether or not Moore County is measuring up to what is expected according to state standards,” he said. “I’m not against accountability.”
Cunningham’s wife, Ann Peterson, is a teacher at Southern Middle Schools. He has two children in Moore County Schools.
“Teachers are not opposed to being held accountable and having their students held accountable,” Cunningham said. “What I am opposed to is prioritizing on a county level, statistics that are used to compare Moore County with other counties on things that we create ourselves and don’t even tell the other counties.”
Cunningham has been an outspoken critic of Russo. He has made numerous public information requests while conducting his own investigations into the SAT program and the vending contract with PFS. Many of his requests have been directly related to Russo’s alleged involvement in both issues.
Despite his inquiries, Cunningham said he is not running a campaign to get Russo fired.
“My reasons for running for the board go far beyond any personal issue I have with Pat Russo,” he said. “I believe that there are policies in place that should be changed whether Pat Russo is the superintendent or somebody else is.
“This is not a personal vendetta on my part. This is a concern that I have that’s developed over the past year primarily as to the direction and the emphasis of Moore County Schools.”
Cunningham said some people may perceive his candidacy as a personal vendetta against Russo. But he said his public document requests related to Russo have been made “because (as superintendent) he is at the top.”
When asked if his sudden interest in the school system had anything to do with a personal conflict between his wife and Russo, Cunningham simply said, “No.”
If elected, Cunningham said he will put the interests of the children first. He referred to a conversation he had several months ago with the father of a student at North Moore High School.
“The student was offered money based on her SAT scores,” Cunningham said. “That father told me his daughter had a conversation with him and she said that, ‘The lesson she learned from the SAT program at North Moore High School was that the world cheats.’
“It’s sad beyond words to me that a student would leave Moore County Schools with a belief that the world cheats. That’s a fact that needs to be addressed that I don’t believe is being addressed at the present time.”
Cunningham believes the Board of Education needs to be unified. The school board is currently divided on whether Russo’s contract should be extended two years.
A vote to extend Russo’s contract during a work session next Wednesday is expected to pass by a 5-3 tally. A motion to begin the process of dismissing Russo from his position was voted down by the same count in October, following the investigation into the SAT program.
Four of the board members who support Russo are up for re-election this year, including Barrett.
“It’s premature to speculate on the composition of the board after the November election,” Cunningham said. “I would hope that whatever board is elected would be able to work together for the best interests of the children of Moore County.
“My goal is not to be a monkey wrench in the system. My goal is to reorder priorities where teachers feel comfortable teaching and connecting to students in a way that doesn’t prioritize statistical data. I know from personal observations with my wife that what turns on a kid to learning is not a (focus) on standardized tests, but a caring, one-on-one relationship with a teacher who is concerned about that child.”
Barrett said Friday that he is leaning toward running for re-election but declined to comment further. “I will comment if and when I announce,” he said.
No official date has been set for when candidates may officially file. Filing may not begin until a lawsuit over the state’s redistricting plan is resolved.
