Janis Simmons
Standing UP for Education
Candidate for Brunswick County School Board
Meet Janis Simmons
WHY I BECAME A TEACHER
Living in a small fishing and farming community in rural Northeastern North Carolina, my world revolved around learning at home, church and school.
My third-grade teacher was a neighbor of our family. She had taught many years in another part of the state and came home to finish her career. She was an independent women, owned her own house, and car, went to work every day, and took care of business. She was my role model. I wanted to be like her, a lifelong learner and a positive influence in the lives of many children.
MY TEACHING EXPERIENCES
Janis has had 33 years of teaching experience from 1976-2009. She started her career in the Brunswick County Schools teaching 3rd thru 5th grades. In 1998, Janis began teaching 5th and 6th grades in the Hyde County Schools before coming back to Brunswick Schools where she taught 4th and 5th grades.
Janis has also been involved with: the UNC-W MENTORING PROGRAM at Supply and Southport Elementary Schools and became a MENTORING TEACHER at Davis Elementary and Mattamuskeet Middle School. Janis also served as the Chair of the SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT TEAM at Supply and Southport Elementary Schools.
Janis was also awarded the TEACHER OF THE YEAR at Union Primary School.
WHY I AM RUNNING FOR THE BRUNSWICK COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD
Over the past few years, I have had discussions with community leaders, parents, students, school personnel (active and retired) and I came to the conclusion that their concerns were not being addressed by the current Brunswick County School Board. With my thirty-three years of experience, mainly in Brunswick, I made a decision to run for the school board to bring the perspective of a career educator to the Board of Education decision making.
Some of the concerns follow:
- Advocating funding and implementation of the Leandro Plan
- Addressing bullying, the current BCS anti-bullying policy, and student consequences
- Providing safe and secure school environment
- Opposing book banning and restrictions on curriculum content
- Increasing local involvement of school board
Important message from the North Carolina Association of Educators
Dear Members,
Educators, students, our school communities, and the vast majority of North Carolinians statewide believe in the value of our public schools. Our schools prepare our children for the future, they are the heart of our communities, and the bedrock of both the state’s economy and our democracy. However, it is clear that despite the overwhelming support, state lawmakers are still determined to undermine our schools with a massive expansion of taxpayer-funded private school vouchers.
Republican leaders in the NC General Assembly today announced they had come to a budget agreement—not to increase teacher pay, not to ensure every child has access to free lunch, not to hire enough school nurses and counselors to meet national standards or to fill vacancies for critical roles like bus drivers and cafeteria workers—but rather to prioritize $500 million in school vouchers for the wealthy.
Governor Cooper said it well, "Our public schools are struggling to hire teachers, bus drivers and other critical staff. That is a problem we can easily solve, but the Republicans who control the purse strings refuse to do it.”
The budget will be voted on next week and NCAE is moving swiftly in opposition.
We encourage all members and supporters of public schools to let their state legislators know how they feel. NCAE will be running digital ads and organizing phone campaigns in targeted districts statewide. And even if the legislative supermajority pushes vouchers through next week, remember we are only 59 days out from Election Day.
Finally, please join the NCAE Facebook Live conversation on Monday at 6:30pm.
