At a meeting on August 17, members of the People's Alliance PAC endorsed Millicent Rogers as their choice to fill the vacant seat of the Durham School Board. The People's Alliance members found Rogers, who has a long been associated with Durham Public Schools as a student, parent and advocate, to be the most aligned with the People's Alliance's mission and vision. The letter the People's Alliance PAC sent to the Durham School Board in support of Rogers' application for the position appears below.

The Durham Public Schools Board of Education
Bettina Umstead, Chair
511 Cleveland Street
PO Box 30002
Durham, North Carolina  27702                                                                                                           August 19, 2020

Dear Chair Umstead and Members of the Board,

               On behalf of the People’s Alliance Political Action Committee, I urge you to appoint Millicent Rogers to the vacant Consolidated District B seat of the Board of Education.  At a recent, well-attended meeting , our members considered the candidates for the vacant seat and voted to give Millicent their whole-hearted endorsement. 

               Millicent’s record of advocacy for Durham schools and Durham school children is unsurpassed.  We believe that it matters that she is from Durham, attended Durham schools herself, and is now a DPS parent.  She knows Durham and she knows Durham’s schools and kids.  She understands that we have just one chance to get education right from the beginning for every child.  It is this experience and understanding that drives her desire to advocate and to serve.  PA members are impressed by her years of leadership in PTA and other organizations.  Millicent’s leadership of Rebound, Alternatives for Youth is especially pertinent.  Millicent knows how destructive mismanaged school discipline can be. Through Rebound she advocates for alternative approaches for students in trouble.

               We are especially grateful to her for her membership on and now effective leadership of the People’s Alliance Education Team.  In that capacity she has been an outspoken and tireless advocate for better school funding from Washington, Raleigh, and our own county government.  She is aware of abiding inequities in our community and in our schools.  She strives to confront these and correct them by working across the stakeholder spectrum to build understanding and cooperation for better outcomes for everyone.

               Millicent believes in teachers.  She wishes to improve their working conditions.  She wants to empower them with better resources, greater flexibility, and increased opportunities for leadership.  She wants to improve communication between teachers and parents.  Millicent knows that a good teacher is the greatest gift the system can give students and their families.  We agree with her.

               Who serves the community in positions of leadership is of the greatest importance.  Millicent Rogers is a Durham progressive and proven education leader.  She has earned the community’s trust.  Please appoint her to the Consolidated District B seat.

                                                                                                                        Respectfully,

                                                                                                                        Nana Asante-Smith,
                                                                                                                        for PA PAC