Dare County Board of Education – District 1. Frank O. Hester, a Republican, is running unopposed for this seat.

Frank O. Hester

Engineering Technician

Age: 56

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 457, Manteo, NC 27954

Contact Phone: (252) 489-0847

Position/philosophy statement: All students have the potential to succeed and we need to hire and retain the best teachers to help them achieve their goals.

What are your qualifications for this position?  

Hester: As a native of Dare County, I was educated through high school. I received a great education in Manteo that prepared me for my 20-year career in the Coast Guard. I have a BS in Business Management. As a parent, I received exposure to other school systems in Hawaii, New Jersey, California, Connecticut, and Maryland. I received various types of leadership training during my career. During my Coast Guard career, I was successful in advancing through the enlisted ranks to Chief Petty Officer and further promotion to Chief Warrant Officer. In my current position as Engineering Technician for the National Park Service, I manage large Park building projects throughout Dare County.

What do you think are the top 2 challenges facing public education and our students in Dare County?

Hester: Making sure each student gets an education that will help in a career to support themselves or to be positioned to be accepted to a college or trade school. Teachers are imperative to the process of educating students. We must ensure that we hire and retain the best teachers to educate every child.

What steps will you take to ensure that every child receives a high-quality education, including Home Schooled students and those that attend private schools?

Hester: Monitor testing and current success predictors to ensure our schools are not falling behind others in North Carolina or nationally. I would seek technical trade industries within the county to provide students options for getting involved with businesses such as plumbing, boating, carpentry, etc.; providing non-college bound students with options to receive technical qualifications. I used my boating experience to further my career in the Coast Guard rather than attend college initially.

What will you do to obtain sufficient funding to ensure that Dare County students are equipped with adequate technology and teachers to thrive in the 21st Century?

Hester: I can help document the needs for the schools, look at efficient management of the funding (which is something I currently do when I manage large projects for the National Park), and collaborate with groups to ensure that educational needs are sponsored by our citizens. Having a mentor program with students that can interact with successful alumni would be another way to help students see how successful citizens used their education to aide them in achieving their goals.

What policies would you support to mitigate a potential shooting or other threats to student safety at schools in our district?  

Hester: I support more funding for resource officers at our schools, in addition to training staff, teachers, and students on procedures to take if there is a threat to the school. Work with Dare County sheriff’s office to receive appropriate, reoccurring training and assessments that take place regularly. Law Enforcement has the best training and technology for detection and lock down systems and they should be incorporated into an overall school plan.

What will you do to obtain sufficient funding to provide more classrooms and teachers in order to comply with reduced class size requirements?

Hester: I need to better understand the funding system and how we proceed to obtain additional funding. I will learn as much as I can about the needs in our school system before I can obtain sufficient funding for classrooms and teachers to have reduced class size requirement met. Whatever capacity I can work to obtain additional funding either through the Dare County Commissioners, state, or local funding sources; I will move forward with the appropriate information to gain additional funds.

How would you promote quality interactions or involvement between the schools and all Dare County citizens?  

Hester: By providing a positive example myself and interacting with various groups to ensure they know the board cares about the needs of students, teachers, parents, and staff. Board public forums can address school situations and get input from students, teachers, parents, and staff. Attending school events and listening to the public are other ways to get quality interaction. I would seek to understand what the issues are by interacting with students, parents, teachers, and staff.