Editor’s Note: Mark Lane 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?

LANE: I would give the school board a C grade. First off, none of us, including the school board, knew what we were dealing with. We all took COVID precautions to the extreme at the beginning of the pandemic. The school board, not being medical experts, had to rely on the Centers for Disease Control and our local health department for recommendations.

As the pandemic continued into the next school year, it showed signs of slowing, and for most people, the symptoms were minor. This is when the masks should have been removed from our students and staff. When I am elected, I will make only one promise and that is to never vote to require a student or staff member of the Johnston County Public Schools to wear a mask.

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?

LANE: I do agree this was the right thing to do. Our test scores were low before Dr. Bracy was hired. Honestly, he inherited a huge problem. He announced his plan to have all schools at a C or better on their state report card by the end of the 2023-24 school year. Then the pandemic hit. This almost completely halted the learning of our students, and even today, we still are not sure of the effects of virtual learning.

In my opinion, the year of the pandemic should get a pass as this was completely out of Dr. Bracy’s control. I say let’s give him until the 2024-25 school year for all our schools to achieve a C or better on the state report card. At that time, if our schools have not reached the set goal, it may be time to sit down and have a discussion. But if our schools do achieve the set goal, Dr. Bracy should be rewarded.

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

LANE: Johnston is the fastest-growing county in North Carolina and the ninth fastest-growing county in the nation.  Currently, more than 19,000 housing lots have been approved for construction. If you have one student for every two new homes among those 19,000 lots, that would be 9,500 additional students in the near future. Some people note that new charter schools and private schools are being built. But if one-third of those 9,500 students attend a private or charter school, we still need seats for 6,300 more students. Since the 2019-20 school year, the school system has grown by more than 1,217 students, which is an average of over 600 hundred new students per year.

From 2018 to 2021, per-pupil funding from our commissioners decreased by more than $600 per pupil, making funding from commissioners rank 85th out of all county funding in our state. This past year, commissioners increased funding to around $2,000 per student. However, in 2018, the commissioners funded Johnston County schools at a rate of $2,255 per student. I am not sure how you can say school spending in Johnston County is growing faster than enrollment when funding per pupil is not where it was in 2018.

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?

LANE: First of all, I think it is sad we have to have to vote for a bond for school construction. This problem could have been managed years ago by previous school boards and previous board of commissioners who knew unprecedented growth was coming to our county. Instead of taking proactive measures, they ignored the problem, and we have inherited it.

It is projected we need more than $700 million to construct the facilities we presently need. The Wake County school board just asked county commissioners there for a $530 million school bond. So yes, I support a $235.5 million school bond for our county.

The priority should first be to construct a high school in the Wilson’s Mills area to relieve overcrowding at Corinth Holders, Cleveland, Clayton, North Johnston and Smithfield-Selma high schools. We also need an elementary school in the Swift Creek area to relieve the overcrowding at Polenta Elementary.

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?

LANE: We need to keep the A-F grading system. I’ve seen cases where the parents have no idea what their child’s report card means. If the grading system is completely changed, the grades should be based on the growth in learning the student has shown from the previous semester and previous year. For example, a student who doesn’t understand English will naturally have a hard time learning. That student’s report card should be based on academic growth, not proficiency.

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

LANE: There are two main issues facing Johnston County schools. One is inadequate facilities, and another is hiring qualified teachers and retaining those teachers.

We must construct new schools. That is just a fact. Mobile units are not safe, nor do they provide a good learning environment. The school board must continue to communicate with the county commissioners and brainstorm to find ways to fund more schools.

To hire teachers, we must offer a signing bonus. We must also provide a good environment to teach, and we need to let the teachers teach. Teachers today are overwhelmed with all their other responsibilities. The training programs that support our curriculum should be spread out over a few years instead of one year. We must also offer a teacher a bonus when their students reach a certain level of growth.

About Mark Lane

Age: 62.

Family: wife, Cynthia; four children, Jamie Foy, 39, Jerry Thompson, 36, Katie Lane, 34, Shannon Garnsey, 30l four grandchildren in the Johnston County schools

Education: 1977 graduate, Smithfield-Selma High School; attended N.C. State Univeristy, majoring in horticulture before returning home in 1982 to run the family business. 

Occupation: Lane Lawn Care.

Political experience: candiate, Johnston County Board of Education, 2020.

Community service: vice chairman, Smithfield Planning Board; vice chairman, Smithfield Board of Adjustment; chairman, Smithfield Fire Tax Committeel retired volunteer firefighter.

Religious affiliation: Methodist.

Online: marklaneforschoolboard.com.