Natalie Beyer for Durham School Board District 4

Published by

The Network for Public Education Action is proud to endorse Natalie Beyer for Durham School Board (North Carolina), District 4. Natalie has served District 4 on the Durham Board of Education since 2010. She won her re-election in 2014 and 2018. Natalie grew up in Durham where she attended public school. Her three children have also all been DPS students since kindergarten. Before joining the school board, she volunteered extensively with Durham’s PTAs and helped advocate for students, families, and educators. Natalie’s love is bringing people together to solve problems, and she helped found two non-profit education advocacy groups: Parents Across America and Public Schools First NC.

Natalie has served on her district strategic planning committee and set a goal of increasing the percentage of Hispanic/Latino educators and staff from 3% to 10% in five years. She convened meetings with key district and community stakeholders which resulted in a $4.8 million grant from the US Department of Education. The grant-funded the UNC DREAM (Diverse and Resilient Educators Aligned Through Mentorship) program which focused on recruiting and retaining diverse educators through their Master’s in Teaching and three years of guided mentorship in the school district. Natalie has led advocacy for more school nurses and counselors dedicated to supporting children and families.

Natalie’s positions on testing and charters are all in line with those of NPE Action. Here’s what Natalie told us.

  • Testing: Students need more instructional time focused on critical thinking and less time wasted on high-stakes bubble testing. They need a culturally relevant curriculum, innovative technology, and professional teachers who reflect North Carolina’s diversity.
  • Charters:  Durham County currently has over 15 charter schools including two virtual charter schools and in addition, Durham students attend nearly 20 charter schools in counties outside of Durham. Charter schools are publicly funded but privately managed. Dr. Helen Ladd’s research has shown that charter schools in NC tend to be racially isolated and some charter schools exacerbate racial isolation by policies that create barriers to students like lack of transportation or healthy school meals.

NPE Action urges North Carolina  public education supporters to get out the vote for Natalie Beyer. Early voting begins April 28th and the election is May 17th.

No candidate authorized this ad. It is paid for by Network for Public Education Action, New York, New York.