As an active parent and PTO leader, I’ve attended almost every Regular Session, Work Session, and Special Session of the ACS Board of Education over the past eight years, longer than any current Board member.

I offer accountability, transparency, and historical insight into what has worked, what’s broken, how and why we spent down our General Fund surplus. I understand how to address many of the issues facing our district in terms of funding, spending, and governance so that we can meet the needs of our students, staff, and families.

It starts by building trust with all our families, staff, and community members – including our partners in City, County, and State government.

We have amazing staff and parents but our leadership is at war with its past, too eager to throw out our babies with the bathwater, including many successful programs like Asheville Primary School’s Public Montessori program which had the smallest achievement gap in the district until it was abruptly close after the Board voted previously to keep the school open. Our Asheville City Preschool, in the same building, was a model NC Five Star preschool which should be expanded, not cut, so that every family has access to quality pre-K and every child starts school ready to learn.

A balanced budget requires increasing revenue. We simply cannot cut our way to fiscal health while shrinking enrollment. Closing schools and cutting staff is not the solution.

We CAN work with County Commissioners, Council, state legislators, staff and FAMILIES to be a financially healthy, GROWING district. We have excellent schools in a City that is growing. We need leaders committed to the type of excellence in education that lifts up every student and builds community trust so we can maintain and grow enrollment to better serve the needs of students and our entire community.

– Pepi Acebo