David Daniel has a very simple reason for running for the District 5 seat of the Beaufort County Schools Board of Education.
“Because my opponent has been on the board for 28 years. It is time for new eyes, new ideas, and new energy,” Daniel said.
Daniel is for term limits to avoid having board members hold seats for decades.
The biggest issue he plans to tackle if elected is the current dropout rate. He said the current rate is 29 to 30 percent.
“Sixty-eight percent of the prison populations are high school dropouts,” Daniel said. “The dropouts are the ones forming gangs and stealing while you and I are at work.”
Daniel vowed to reduce the dropout rate by five percent in four years.
“Pitt County reduced their dropout rate by five percent in one year. If I can’t do it in four, you will not find me on the ballot again,” Daniel said.
He also wants to make board meetings easier for people to understand and follow.
“Everything should be transparent,” he said. “You really don’t know what’s going on based on the information handed out at the door (of a board meeting).”
When Daniel was athletic director at Washington High School, he managed to build a storage room, press box and concession stand for the girls’ softball field and buy an $11,000 wrestling mat and stay under budget.
He said the key to keeping costs down is scheduled maintenance that would keep schools in working order.
“At end of 2007 school year, the athletic budget had more money in it than they’d had in 23 years,” Daniel said.