Dawn McCray
“Every day we read a new story of another public school that has abandoned its primary mission to develop critical thinkers, and have diluted the teaching of reading, writing, math, science, and civics disciplines with the teaching of social and political activism; emphasizing feelings over facts; and stifling personal growth. Well intended, but misguided intentions are producing coddled minds marching off to college, taking on enormous debt, unable and unwilling to embrace a complex and vibrant world, failing to take up a mature role in our constitutional democratic republic society. We have college students that need safe spaces and trigger warnings for words or ideas they simply don't like, and worse, we have college campuses that have every social amenity you can conceive, but actually work to prohibit free speech and the debate of ideas. But I believe Franklin County serves as a lighthouse, a beacon of hope, a reminder that public educators, can and still do believe in common sense policies and have not forgotten their core mission. I believe that our beautiful community, nestled in the foothills of southwest Virginia can and will continue to produce future critical thinkers, inventors, and leaders, and I look forward to serving the members of the Boone community and to ensuring common sense and sensibility remain in public education.”
Franklin County Boone District School Board Candidate.
Mom, wife, friend, business woman, neighbor, and now, candidate for school board.
“Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel.” Socrates
“School boards need to focus on the business of providing a quality education. Identity politics has no place in education. We need to respect and appreciate that we are so much more than our skin color, our sex, and our ethnicity. What unites us is our American ideas.”
Dawn McCray
“Self determination is the foundation to the American promise.” Greg Lukianoff, The Empowering of the American Mind. Fixing K-12 Education.
A School Board Member
Franklin County spends approximately 62% of its overall budget on public education, and school leaders are responsible for using those funds to deliver a proper and quality education for all children. School board members are elected by the community and are responsible for holding schools accountable to their mission. As school board members we have a duty to our community. We need to be engaged, to take the time and listen, ask questions, even the tough questions, make decisions, and communicate.
Focus on What Matters
“Limited resources means we must focus our energies on the business of education. Everything else is a distraction.” Dawn McCray
Parent Choice
Everyone has role to play in education. Franklin County is blessed with many dedicated educators who care and work hard to provide a quality education. Teachers cannot do it alone; parents need to be engaged and they need to know what is being taught in the classroom. Parents are the final authority on what what is best for their child and their family.
Career & Tech. Education
College and technical education have been treated like an either/or proposition. And for far too long the emphasis to our young people is that the only way to be successful is a college education, but that is simply not true. Neglecting one at the expense of the other is short-sighted, undermines so many of our youth and hurts our communities.
Learning Disabilities
Franklin County is blessed with committed teachers, but as a parent of a daughter with dyslexia, I know very well the struggle for resources that truly make a difference. Franklin County does many things well, but LD is an area where improvement is still needed, I promise you, LD will have a voice!
Communicate
My pledge is to communicate with you on the issues facing our school system.
Paid for by Friends of Dawn McCray - Boone.