Editor’s Note: Kevin Donovan is one of 13 candidates seeking a spot on the November school board ballot in Johnston County. Below are his answers to questions from the Johnstonian News. Four candidates either declined or did not respond to our questionnaire. They were Al Byrd, John Fischer, Jenn Gurley and Joe Preston. Six candidates will advance to the general election this fall.

What grade would you give the school board’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and why?

DONOVAN: The grade I would give the Board of Education’s handling of the COVID-10 pandemic would be an F. Let me first make this very clear: This grade has nothing to do with the teachers, administrators or staff. They did everything they could with what they were handed by the board. There were multiple failures on the board that affected Johnston County’s children. Among them were the inability to fight back when schools were being closed by our governor, failing our children’s education when switching to an online platform instead of reaching out to an already successful online school platform to get help, and not listening to the parents of the county when they wanted a choice whether to wear facemasks within the schools.

Superintendent Eric Bracy’s goal is to have all Johnston schools earn a C or better on their state report card by the end of the 2023-24 school year. And yet the school board last fall extended Bracy’s contract through the 2024-25 school year. Do you support the contract extension beyond his stated date for having all schools earn a C or better?

DONOVAN: I can understand why Dr. Bracy would want to extend his contract, primarily due to the pandemic. But there needs to be accountability for failing Johnston County’s kids during the pandemic and the years before then. I would not support an extension but would like to hear what advancements he would suggest to quickly turn our school system around.

County Commissioner Fred Smith recently noted that school spending in Johnston is growing faster than enrollment. Is Johnston spending too much on its schools?

DONOVAN: Being the fastest-growing county in North Carolina, we must be proactive in planning for the influx of kids within the school system. This includes construction of new schools and expansions of current ones.

The school board has asked the county to put a $253.5 million bond issue on the November ballot. Do you support that amount? Or would you favor something more or something less? The school has a list of building needs. What would be your building priorities if elected?

DONOVAN: Due to the inability to be proactive as a county, we have very little choice but to request the bond for new schools and multiple expansions. This county is growing faster than expected, and we need to be able to provide kids with a safe environment instead of mobile units and overcrowded classrooms. Areas have been identified for new school buildings and building additions. But we also need to ensure we take care of the older schools that need their HVAC or plumbing needs met.

The N.C. Public School Forum has called for the elimination or revision of the state’s A-F grading system for the state’s public schools. How should North Carolina grade its schools to ensure that children are learning and that taxpayers are getting their money’s worth in education?

DONOVAN: I don’t believe there should be a change in North Carolina’s grading system. What the public school system is missing is accountability. I don’t believe there should be a change in the grading just because the system is failing. We need to hold accountable those who are letting the system fail. We need to ensure the taxpayers are getting their money’s worth by providing full transparency of how Johnston County is performing and, if we are failing, how we are going to specifically turn it around.

What do you consider to be the greatest issue facing Johnston schools, and how would you address it?

DONOVAN: In my opinion, the greatest issue facing Johnston County schools is staffing. The rate at which teachers and staff are leaving Johnston County schools is staggering. With more than 400 jobs available, if we do not staff our school systems, then we are failing the children’s education. We need to boost teacher morale and, in conjunction, reach out to colleges and be competitive in hiring staff members.

About Kevin Donovan

Age: 35.

Family: wife, Holly; children, Alyssa, 10, and Ford, 6.

Education: 2005 graduate, Smithfield-Selma High School; associate’s degree, mechanical engineering technology, Wayne Community College, 2009. 

Occupation: robotics programmer, Spirit Aerosystems; owner, KD’s Carts.

Political experience: none.

Community service: Cub Scout leader, Pack 63 in Pine Level; Advisory Council member, Princeton Elementary School.

Religious affiliation: The Bridge, a Smithfield church, where he is an administrator and serves on the board of directors.

Online: donovan4boe.com and acebook.com/DonovanForJoCoSchoolBoard.