On the latest episode of Nooze Hounds, I spoke with Jennifer De La Jara, at-large representative on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Board of Education.
De La Jara discussed this week’s announcement of a new interim superintendent at CMS, as well as what she and the board hope to prioritize in the coming search for a permanent replacement. We also talked about the recent elections, which saw five new members voted onto the board, as well as how the board has interacted with other governing bodies in recent years — namely the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners and the North Carolina General Assembly.
In other political topics of the day, we discussed the movement to discredit and defund public schools, and how the tendency for some Democrats to join with that movement as a way to garner centrist and right-wing votes has only made things more uncertain for students and educators.
In October, De La Jara wrote an op-ed that we published with the title, “Pat Cotham Is a Republican and It’s Time Democrats Admit It.” On the podcast, she discusses why she feels the same about other local Democrats such as Joel Ford.
For other reading related to our podcast discussion:
- NC Supreme Court Issues Leandro Ruling (Nov. 5)
- OPINION: Moms for Liberty or Parents for Bigotry? (Sept. 13)
- Advocates Push Back on School Performance Grades (Sept. 3)
Remember you can catch Nooze Hounds on Spotify and other places where you find podcasts, and be sure to check out Queen City Podcast Network for a slew of other great Charlotte podcasts that aren’t quite as good as ours but pretty damn close. Find past Nooze Hounds episodes here.
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