Della Maynor

By Catharin Shepard

Staff writer

Hoke County Board of Education incumbent Della Maynor is seeking a third four-year term on the school board this fall.

Maynor was born and raised in Hoke County and graduated with the Hoke High Class of 1973. She was elected to the position of Register of Deeds and served in that capacity for 30 years. She has a daughter, Lisa, who works at Don Steed Elementary, and four grandchildren in the Hoke school system. She has served on the board for eight years.

Maynor said she is running for a third term because she wants to continue the work that the schools have undertaken during her time as a member.

“We have a lot of projects I’d like to complete, and I’d like to be on the board again because we have so many accomplishments in the past since I’ve been on the board,” she said.

The current school board works well together, having won multiple awards for their efforts, and she would like to continue being a part of that mission, Maynor said.

If reelected, Maynor said she would like to focus on furthering the ongoing work the board is doing already.

“Continue doing what we’re doing, because we’re making progress every year,” she said.

Addressing the growing school system’s facilities needs – making sure that there is enough space for students, and making sure those spaces are clean, safe and functional – is a top priority, the incumbent said.

“I know that we do need additional space, a third space at the high school, we know that. We need to (work on) construction and upgrades at some of the other schools, we need to continue that,” she said. “Our 14 schools and our brand new, award-winning Sandy Grove Middle School is a great example of how well we’re doing.”

Additionally, Maynor said that continuing to work toward improving the high school graduation rate in the county is another goal to pursue if she is reelected to another term.

“I would love to have it to the point where we have 100 percent graduation. That’s a must,” she said.

Continuing to pursue adequate funding for the county schools is another major goal, Maynor said.

“Make sure that we get the funding to help each and every child in the school district, no matter what their social background is,” she said.

Funding is the biggest challenge the school system is facing, the incumbent said. She would like to work closely with the county commissioners over the next years, if reelected, to agree on financial support from the local government.

“We always have to depend on our board of county commissioners, which is a great board to work with also because we all get along real well, working together…that sets the pace for other districts in North Carolina,” she said.

Working to eliminate bullying in schools is another concern that many schools are dealing with. The school system here put policies into effect in recent years to try and stop bullying, and Maynor said she would like to continue working holistically with families, teachers and principals to make that happen.

“Unfortunately, we do have some children out there that bully. We have put in place where we can work with partnerships here in the county making sure that the families – because it starts at home, it starts with the parents and goes to the teachers and principals, the administrators, all the way down to the community. The old saying it takes a community to raise a child, I believe that’s true,” she said.

That ties into children’s safety in school, another important issue she hopes to continue working with the board to improve if elected, the incumbent said.

“I am an experienced board member. I have the desire, I love being a public servant to the citizens of Hoke County and the Raeford area,” she said. “This is who I am at this point in time in my life. I want to contribute to my community and the society as a whole. If we’re sending kids out there to the world – and they’re doing great – I just love knowing that I am a part of that. I just can’t sit back at home and not do anything when there’s a whole world out there that I can help be successful, and our students are going out in that world and being successful.”