Let's Get It Right! | Eastern NC Now

Donald W. Shreve, Board of Education member

    I decided to submit this article after a myriad of phone calls and text messages from members of the Conservative Club bullying me to cast a vote against the closing of SW Snowden and to bring up their personal agendas. Regarding the closure of Snowden, this was one of the hardest decisions I have ever made as I stated at the Southside High School public forum. I also spoke about many issues our Board had to consider in terms of the possibility of closure. The talk of closure began five plus years ago by a previous School Superintendent. One immediate concern was the continued decrease over time with enrollment at Snowden. It's a "no brainer" that the number of enrolled students at a school impacts the amount of funding the school receives. Bottom line, the number of enrolled students goes down, the cost per child goes up. While on the topic of enrollment, it should be noted that several "Snowden" parents wanted to send their children to a different school but were not allowed to. Why? Because it would negatively impact enrollment. As a result, "parent choice", a hot button issue nationwide, was prohibited.


Donald W. Shreve, Board of Education member: Above.    photo by Stan Deatherage    Click image to expand.
    The Board had other items that weighed in on the decision about Snowden. We were aware of comments made by the Mayor of Aurora in which he stated he was in favor of closing the school. During public comments at the Southside High School forum, the mayor stated he was not in favor of closing the school. This gave the impression that the mayor was under pressure to change his statement. We also had privileged information related to personnel which cannot be revealed to the public due to confidentiality/privacy policies.

    So, after the current Board was handed the task of making an extremely difficult decision, the attacks continued. Recently, I read where Mr. Richardson of the Conservative Club wrote in his Beaufort Now article, that I and a few other Board members, were Rhino (RINO) Republicans in which I take great offense. I am a Christian with conservative values who always makes careful decisions when weighing all the facts.


    There have been comments from certain individuals that some school board members are uninformed, un-educated buffoons who can't make "smart" decisions. To share a brief overview of my background, I am a college graduate with over 30 years of experience working in the human service field. That work includes Mental Health Case Manager; Executive Director for a Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault program; District Executive for the Boy Scouts of America, Probation Parole Officer with Adult Corrections; Substitute Teacher with Beaufort and Carteret County Schools; and community service work. Through these various roles of service, I gained valuable experience to prepare me for work on the school board.

    I ran for the Board of Education in Beaufort County because I saw things in our school system I felt needed improvement. After being elected, my wife and I worked hard with schools in my district to implement "See You at the Pole", a nationwide prayer event that occurs each fall. Students rally around the flagpole at their school before class starts to pray for each other, their schools, community or anything else they feel led to pray about. All three of my district schools are now involved in this event each year. After being elected, I also brought up getting a "Moment of Silence" implemented at our schools at the beginning of each school day which was passed. We also honor a "Moment of Silence", at the School Board meetings. A core group of us wanted meetings to be videotaped in consideration of parents who are unable to attend. That now occurs at each board meeting. I also fought to stop a social studies curriculum that had overtones of DEI and LGBTQ in its content. Additionally, I personally presented a revised Policy Code 3100 where the board would be more involved in the Adoption Committee process by having a board member to serve on the curriculum committee; however, that was rejected.


    I feel most of the public is not aware how hard the Board of Education works for our schools throughout the year. I realized this after serving for three years. I would like to see more interest from the citizens in attending our meetings. Board meetings are open to the public and they can be reviewed now online thanks to videotaping.

    Before being elected, I kept hearing how bad and liberal our Superintendent is. After serving in this role, I have witnessed how hard Dr. Cheeseman works. I see him in action more than most citizens do and see that he is very passionate about our students' education and our schools. He believes in promoting from within and raising leaders. He has received numerous personal achievements, too many to mention, and recently for the second time has been elected by his peers as Superintendent of the year for 2025-2026 Region 2 Southeast Education Alliance. Also, under his leadership and since covid, we are now projected in the fall to go from eight schools underperforming to just two. That requires vision and hard work!! No, Dr. Cheeseman is not perfect, but neither are any of us who serve on the board. We gather all the information we can, ask questions and try to make the best decisions.

    In serving as a school board member, I have realized that no matter how hard you work, there are always going to be people who are negative and hateful. People who like to talk but don't have the facts. It is very disappointing to hear complaints and see bullying methods such as nasty and hateful articles, calls and texts to demonize and threaten you to submit to their agenda. There is one citizen associated with the Conservative Club who is always outspoken, critical and downright mean about everything. I just pray that he does get some enjoyment out of life!


    I will end by saying we have very smart, compassionate, hard-working educators and staff at Beaufort County Schools. It's an honor and a privilege to serve with them, our board, and our superintendent. In working with fellow board members, we have differing personalities and at times different opinions about certain issues. Regardless, we must try to work harmoniously in our decision-making to give our students the best education possible.