Mason No Holds Barred: Calls for Foust’s Termination
Wednesday night at the School Board Candidate Debate hosted by WHQR, Melissa Mason once again distinguished herself as the most forthright candidate out of the field of eight. When asked,
“How do you plan to work with Superintendent Foust?”
seven candidates described what their style of collaboration would look like. Several candidates made it clear that they would raise the standard of holding Foust accountable.
Mason, however, silenced the crowd at the CFCC auditorium with two words:
“I don’t.”
She was the sole board of education candidate to call for Foust’s immediate termination.
Below: watch this clip when New Hanover County Schools board candidate Melissa Mason explains why Superintendent Dr. Charles Foust should be relieved from his position.
Crowd Cheers for Mason
Mason proceeded to lay out a brief case for why Foust needs to be fired: repeated statute and policy violations in regards to seclusion room use. When she finished, in spite of repeated instructions to the contrary, the thin crowd burst into applause, sounding much larger than it was.
Mason was not surprised by this, noting,
“I’ve said it before, this community is united on this. We want to fire Foust for cause. First of all, it saves us the money of having to pay off his contract.”
Local Control of New Hanover County Schools is Vital
Mason later added to her answer,
“We want to be able to hold failing administrators accountable. If we can’t do it through our elected officials on the School Board, then we have no local control in our schools, and no recourse for grievances. We need to set a higher standard for accountability. Our kids deserve it, and it’s our right to demand it.”
Mason Stays the Course
When elections draw near, candidates often back off even their most cherished policy positions. However, as Mason reminded the crowd Wednesday evening, “I’m not a politician, I’m a mom, and a fighter.” During the debate, she stayed firm on all of her stances, including her opposition to the Gender Support Plan, and the presence of obscene literature in the schools. “It’s a class 1 felony,” she said.
As we head into the elections, it’s clear that on November 8, one candidate stands above all others in her commitment to confronting the difficult issues, and refusing to compromise when the well-being of our students is at stake. That candidate is Melissa Mason.