Voters Deliver a Message in School Board Races
In the closest school board race Tuesday, Robin Calcutt beat out Don Zawlocki by 53 votes. Calcutt secured 26,671 votes to Zawlocki’s 25,564, a difference of a tenth of a percentage point.
Calcutt is a Moore County native who grew up in Pinehurst. She followed in her mother’s footsteps and became a teacher. She has held teaching and administrative positions throughout the district. She ultimately became a department chair of the teaching education program at St. Andrews before wrapping up her long career last May.
Before the election, Calcutt told The Pilot she was concerned that the district was losing valuable teachers to nearby counties because of the current board’s actions.
Calcutt said she wants to foster a supportive school board.
“They are there side-by-side with the teachers, with the principals. They’re cheerleaders for the public schools,” she said. “They advocate with the legislature. They advocate with the county commissioners and with the public. They tell the story of the public school. They value the work and the success, and they don’t bring political ideology into the public school.”
Following the election, Calcutt said she saw first-hand the actions of the Moore County GOP and the ensuing ramifications.
“I was very disappointed that they wouldn’t consider what I brought to the table, but at the same time, it’s a conflict — I’m in the middle — this battle between partisan and nonpartisan. I want it to be nonpartisan, but I’ve got to win.”
The GOP, instead, endorsed Zawlocki, who, like Calcutt, is a career educator. Zawlocki taught in Indiana for decades before moving to Pinecrest High School, where he coached basketball, golf and track and field. Zawlocki’s campaign hinged on campus safety and student discipline.
Calcutt said she heard the community's calls to return to education policy and put aside the cultural fights.
“I heard it at the polls. When we were giving information, people said, ‘Yes, please, we are so tired of it; this is so distracting.’ The morale has gone down, even in the parents, and they were frustrated. We heard it over and over again.”
Calcutt also spoke to her experience as a potential motivator for voters.
“Everybody that knows me, they know how hard I’ve worked in the schools and all the different roles that I’ve played from the ground up. They saw that I had the perspectives that would bring knowledge to the table, so we support the schools and maneuver through all the complicated issues and requirements that we have to do to get this job done, and they wanted an advocate. They wanted somebody that knew what they were talking about.” "
Editorial, The Pilot Newspaper
"BOE, District 5In the race between Robin Calcutt and Don Zawlocki, The Pilot endorses Calcutt.
Both are educators with decades of experience, but Calcutt is a native who built a career in Moore County Schools. She knows the people, the schools, the parents and the issues. Whether it’s staff retention, legislative funding, credentialing requirements or being able to distill the latest academic achievement data, she has the experience to probe for deeper answers." John Nagy, editor
Board of Education Career Educators Vie for District
Calcutt, 63, is a Moore County native who grew up in Pinehurst. She followed in her mother’s footsteps and became a teacher. She has held teaching and administrative positions throughout the district. Calcutt was eventually tapped by Superintendent Dr. Robert Grimesey to be the district’s research, planning and accountability director, where she retired from Moore County Schools.
Having earned two master’s degrees and a doctorate while teaching, Calcutt worked as a student teacher supervisor at St. Andrews University, preparing student teachers for the classroom. She eventually became the department chair of the teaching education program at St. Andrews before wrapping up her long career last May.
Calcutt, who ran unsuccessfully for an at-large seat in 2022, said she was careful about entering an election again.
“I was very slow to agree to run again,” she said, “but people reached out to me, and they said, ‘Robin, we need you to run,’ and I said, ‘I want the best person to run. If I’m not the best person and there’s somebody else, then you need to let me know.’ They said, ‘No, you are the best person.’”
Calcutt told the community that she needed help this time around.
“I said, ‘If I do it this time, I need a lot of help.’ And people have stepped up with the meet and greets, opportunities and connections. That’s been really reassuring to have the support from the community this time.”
Calcutt feels like the current board is making teachers’ and principals’ jobs more difficult.
“Our teachers, our principals, our administrators are doing the very best they can,” she said. “That’s not the morale issue; the morale issue is the current board of education.
“I feel like the principals and the administration are doing everything they can to keep the morale high. But I feel like there is a definite impact of the conversations, of the board’s actions, and some of the policies that they have put in place have definitely affected the morale of the people working for Moore County Schools.”
Calcutt said she is concerned that the district is losing valuable teachers to nearby counties because of the current board’s actions.
“Teachers have to look at all their books on their shelves to make sure there’s nothing controversial, which is a good example. They’re afraid of what they might say or do that might cause controversy.”
Calcutt described what a supportive school board should look like.
“They are there side-by-side with the teachers, with the principals. They’re cheerleaders for the public schools. They advocate with the legislature. They advocate with the county commissioners and with the public. They tell the story of the public school. They value the work and the success, and they don’t bring political ideology into the public school.”
Calcutt has direct experience working to recruit teachers and said the school board must advocate for increased teacher pay.
“I have not seen them advocate for an increased income source for our local schools from the county commissioners,” she said. “We have the money in our state savings accounts to pay for public schools and give teachers (higher) salaries.”
“You don’t know how hard I would try to recruit teachers, and every time I would, they would say to me, ‘Dr. Calcutt, I can make more money working for UPS or FedEx; why would I want to be a teacher?”
She added, “It’s abysmal what teachers are making right now. This is ridiculous, and I’m really angry with our legislature. We’ve got to change it; we’ve got to vote for people who will support public schools.”
Calcutt is also an advocate for enhanced child care and pre-kindergarten programs. “I think we have got to get more involved in providing preschool programs, especially in Aberdeen and Robbins. Quality child care and preschool programs are incredibly important.”
Calcutt wants to sit down with stakeholders and develop funding sources for future capital development in the district.
“We’re just going to have to sit down with our county commissioners, and we’re going to have to think about funding sources, maybe even with the state, and we’ve got to get our priorities lined up,” she said. “I’ve been in Carthage Elementary, and it needs a lot of help, but I like the idea of listening to the community and finding out what they want.”
Calcutt said she hopes to unify the board into a collaborative body if elected. “My hope is really to build bridges and to use my voice to help people to learn how to collaborate and to see different viewpoints and really to follow the law, follow the guidelines, the policies and procedures that we have in place, and then really think about the impact of decisions.”"
The Pilot Newspaper
"These updates should encourage us to find new candidates for the board who have experience and competence. I hope that voters will regret their poor choices in previous elections and, when voting in November, send Dr. Robin Calcutt and Ellie Collins to help guide and improve our local public education system."
Russell McAllister
Pinehurst
Moore County and its Board of Education are at a crossroads.
We all want schools that are safe, disciplined, culturally enriching and academically challenging. And we want a district that stands out for its achievements and students who are adequately prepared for their futures.
That describes the schools we have, but not the board we elected.
Voters in 2020 and 2022 elected a slate of conservative candidates to six of the seven seats. In their time on the board and in leadership, the conservative members have never missed an opportunity to micromanage educators. They’ve approved policies that parrot culture war commentators. They have removed books from schools that depict cultural differences. They have run administrators ragged with competing demands.
We have a chance this year to change the culture. Four of the seven seats are up for election this year. Two new members are guaranteed; incumbent Stacey Caldwell isn’t running; and fellow incumbent Philip Holmes lost in the March primary race.
Of the eight candidates across the four races, there may be no finer, more qualified candidate for the Board of Education than Robin Calcutt.
Broad Experience
Calcutt, a Moore County native, is running a second time for the school board; she narrowly lost a race two years ago. This time, she is seeking election to the District 5 seat against fellow career educator Don Zawlocki. Zawlocki, who taught more than 30 years in Indiana, recently retired after several years as an assistant basketball coach and math teacher at Pinecrest High School.
As career educators, both are sensitive to the needs of students and teachers, and they understand how schools operate. But whereas Zawlocki filters everything through the lens of a former basketball coach, Calcutt’s experience is far deeper and diverse.
Calcutt’s experience in Moore County Schools includes years as a teacher, assistant principal, middle school principal, administrator, college professor and administrator responsible for training young teachers. Whether it’s staff retention, legislative funding, credentialing requirements or being able to distill the latest academic achievement data, she has the experience not just to follow along, but probe for deeper answers.
One of Calcutt’s greatest concerns is that Moore County Schools, once one of the most desirable districts where teachers would aspire to work, is now at risk of losing educators to other districts. That’s why she says teacher recruitment and retention are so key to the next few years.
“I’ve watched that over the last four years,” said Calcutt. “(Teachers) are afraid of what they might say or do that could cause controversy.”
As a teacher and administrator, Calcutt said, she didn’t pay much attention to the school board. “I trusted them to do their job — to get the funding from the county commissioners, to get the funding from the state level. And to stand up for me. And for my students. I trusted them.
“I don’t trust people that are focused on their ideologies.”
A Trusted Change Agent
Too much of the past four years has been spent on the interpersonal dysfunctions of the school board. Members have spent an inordinate amount of time on juvenile arguments: nonsensical presentations that are little more than grandstanding, name-calling and retribution.
Here, too, Calcutt can change the culture. She will be the one we can count on to be the adult in the room, who will try to keep the conversation civil, productive and on track.
What’s the big deal about that, you ask? We don’t have that now. Consultants and senior staff cringe at the thought of presenting to the board, not because of getting tough questions, but of getting talked down to, having their experience and ideas dismissed.
Robin Calcutt will prioritize building a better work environment for staff, a solid budget taxpayers can support, and ensuring the right strategies are in place for our students to excel.
There is no better candidate for the Board of Education this year, which is why we endorse Robin Calcutt for the District V seat.
Moore County registered voters have another opportunity to choose the best people possible to serve on the Moore County Board of Education. Our children and our entire community deserve the very best. One of the best people we know running for a seat on the Moore County Board of Education is Dr. Robin Calcutt.
Not only is Robin Calcutt committed to whatever she undertakes, she excels and goes beyond the call of duty to make a real difference in the lives of people whom she teaches or supervises.
Blanchie and Nathaniel Carter
Carthage
Letter: Calcutt Most Qualified
"There is no one more qualified to serve on the Moore County Board of Education than Robin Calcutt. She is a civically engaged life-long resident of Moore County who is active in her church, civic clubs and local nonprofits. She is a parent and grandparent of children who attend Moore County schools."
Lynn Thompson
Southern Pines
Robin attended the Martin Luther King breakfast hosted by the West Southern Pines Civic Club on Saturday, January 14. The event was held at Brownson Memorial Church in Southern Pines. Reverand Dr. Paul Murphy received the Legacy Leader Award from the group for his work in the community and beyond. Mitch Capel was the emcee and shared poetry and stories about the work of Martin Luther King and the community. Attorney Al McSurely was the speaker who shared memories of his work in civil rights and the impact of Martin Luther King in our country. Photos By Joseph Hill link to pictures of the event.
SOUTHERN PINES, NC- Dr. Robin Calcutt announces her candidacy for the Moore County Board of Education, District V seat.
Dr. Robin Calcutt, a Moore County native, is the current chair and a professor in the Teacher Education department of St. Andrews University in Laurinburg, N.C. She announces her candidacy for the District V seat on the Moore County Board of Education.
"I am incredibly excited to offer my service to the children and families of Moore County as a Board of Education member. My current work as a university professor for future teachers includes visiting and supporting schools across the state's central region. This work also broadened my perspective and will provide the Board with an updated and diverse outlook. Supporting and retaining our school staff is a top priority for me. I look forward to serving all students by meeting and listening to our Moore County community.”
Dr. Calcutt retired from Moore County Schools with 34 years of service in 2018. During her career with Moore County Schools, she served as a teacher, instructional technology lead-teacher, assistant principal of Union Pines High School, principal of New Century Middle and West Pine Middle Schools, and director of planning, accountability, and research.It was such an honor to be selected as the Moore County Schools 2014 Principal of the Year.
"Calcutt, who has held the position of principal... said she felt it was a "tremendous honor" to be chosen." January 13, 2014.
