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Four candidates left in race for Swain County School Board
BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER
Unique among the Smoky Mountain News’ four county coverage area, the Swain County School Board is a partisan-elected board. This election cycle there are four candidates competing for two seats. One is currently held by Travis Hyatt, a Democrat, who is seeking reelection. The other is held by Kim Carpenter who is not seeking reelection.
Two Republicans and two Democrats are competing in the General Election. All voters in Swain County will vote for their two candidates and the top two vote getters will fill the seats on the board.
REPUBLICANS
R.L. Taylor is a native of Swain County and a graduate of Mars Hill University with a degree in teaching. He owns and operates an insurance agency, participates in the Swain County Schools Reading Buddies program and coaches and sponsors little league teams and recreation park basketball teams.
“I am always glad to donate in support of the local fundraisers and in support of school events,” said Taylor.
Taylor spent 33 years as an educator and believes this experience gives him better insight into not only the strengths of the school system, but also the areas that need improvement. He says his Christian roots and values have guided him throughout his life.
“I believe I can help our system get better while helping to improve our children’s education experience,” Taylor said.
Lisa Loftis is the director of the State of Franklin, a private nonprofit health planning agency. She has five children in the Swain County School system. Loftis decided to run for school board because she wanted to be as involved as she could in what is happening within the school system her children are a part of. “As a mom, oftentimes we’re doing a lot of the picking up and dropping off and the teacher meeting and that kind of thing,” said Loftis. “I really want to help bridge the communication between faculty and parents.” If elected, Loftis’ priorities would be to advocate for the children of Swain County and allow her faith to guide her in any decision making that would come her way. Taylor says he would work to ensure Swain County Schools are ranked among the best in North Carolina, promote an attitude that Swain students are as capable as any in the world, set high standards and help everyone realize that they have an obligation to teach and train children to become responsible adults with ethical and moral values.
think it should be a partisan position.”
Some of those school board members and candidates who are in favor of partisan school boards say that these boards are already partisan in everything but name.
As Marla Morris, candidate for Haywood County School Board, pointed out, a candidate’s party affiliation is public record and local political parties will list which candidates the party supports, even for nonpartisan boards.
If school board candidates already embrace political parties, even if they aren’t running for a partisan board, does it matter if these local leadership positions become partisan? Cooper said partisan school boards could result in, among other things, a decline in trust of local schools.
“If half the country’s bright blue and half the country’s bright red and a school board is controlled by the red or blue faction, the other side is going to distrust them,” said Cooper. “So I worry about it from that perspective, regardless of who’s in charge. It’s a convenient excuse to distrust the system.”
Then there are the faculty and staff to consider, the people whose very livelihood is wrapped up in the work, advocacy and decision of school boards.
“People are being elected to school boards on the promise of making changes to teachers’ jobs, and teachers are going to feel that,” said Cooper. “Whether they can follow through with that change is a different question, but the rhetoric is certainly felt by teachers and is contributing to the crisis we have in this country of teachers leaving the profession.”
The loss of public school staff is a growing problem in Western North Carolina. North Carolina teachers already make around $10,000 below the national average for public school educators, even when accounting for local supplements. According to a report from the North Carolina School Superintendents Association, there were an estimated 11,297 vacant positions in North Schools prior to the start of the 2022-23 school year, up from 7,639 at the start of the 2021-22 school year.
Still, a large majority of the candidates interviewed for the impending school board elections told the Smoky Mountain News that politics have no place in the classroom or the school board. Except for a few outliers, many of them never want to see the day that their local school board is a partisan-elected board.
“Politics have no place in education, especially at the local level,” said Brooke Haynes, a candidate for Haywood County School Board. “Rather than divide our nation and community even more, nonpartisan races seek to unify us in the best interest of our children.”
This November there are school board races taking place in Haywood, Macon and Swain counties. Jackson County held its school board election during the primary election earlier this year and now has three new members.
There are two seats up for grabs on Swain County’s five-seat board of education. Because Swain’s school board is a partisan board there are two Republicans, R.L. Taylor and Lisa Loftis, and two Democrats, incumbent Travis Hyatt and Jamie Fisher, running for the open seats. All voters in Swain County will have the opportunity to vote for two candidates and the top two vote-getters will join the board.
The Haywood County Board of Education is made up of nine seats, four of which are up for election this fall. Two incumbents, Jimmy Rogers and Steven Kirkpatrick, are running uncontested in their districts of Clyde and Fines Creek, respectively. The third incumbent in the race, Larry Henson, is challenged by Mike Graham for the Bethel district. In the Crabtree district Brooke Haynes and Marla Morris will compete for a seat, meaning that whoever wins will become the sole female representation on the board.
In Macon County, districts two and four are up for election. District two incumbent Tommy Cabe was running for reelection but passed away last month. Danny Reitmeier, Stephanie Hyder Laseter and Billy Handley will compete for the seat. In district four incumbent Carol Arnold is challenged by Diedre Kaye Breeden.
R.L. Taylor Lisa Loftis
DEMOCRATS
When he graduated from Swain County High School, Jamie Fisher went directly into the United States Army. After serving in both the army and the National Guard, Fisher returned to Swain County and has worked for Coca Cola for the last 27 years. He has coached little league baseball and football, served on the Swain County Social Services Board, Swain County Board of Elections and the schools’ booster club. “It’s just been a privilege of mine to support the kids of this community ever since I came home out of the military,” said Fisher. Fisher describes himself as having been a hyper child. When he was in first grade, he had a teacher who would hug him every day and say ‘just be better today.’ Educators made a big impact on his life. “She made all the difference in the world,” said Fisher. “Ten years ago, I had a near death experience, and when I realized I was going to live, I said I want to give back to my community. I said if I ever get up from her, I’ll do everything I can.”
Travis Hyatt was first elected to the Swain County School Board in 2018. He is a graduate of Swain County High School and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Western Carolina University. He now works as a supervisor for Duke Energy. He first ran in 2018 because he felt compelled to give back to his community.
“After losing our home in a fire a few years ago, Swain County rallied around us and took care of every need and hardship we encountered,” said Hyatt. “I vowed at that time that I would do everything in my power to give back to the community that got us through one of the most challenging times of my life.”
Hyatt has three children, one of whom has graduated from Swain County Schools, two who attend high school now. Additionally, his wife has been working in the school system for 25 years. This investment in the system is part of what makes Hyatt invested in giving back.
“I believe in public education, and I love what this school system means to me and my family,” said Hyatt. “I am visible throughout the community and can easily be found at school functions whether it be academic banquets, plays or sporting events. My door will always be open to you. I believe Swain County Schools can and should be the leader in Western North Carolina.”
Hyatt is particularly keen on making sure there is complete transparency when it comes to the board’s decision-making process. He would also like to see the county improve upon its graduation rate, which has been below the state average for two years now. During Hyatt’s time on the board, the school system completed its expansion project at Swain County High School and has submitted a needs based grant for construction of a new middle school.
