ABC11's Akilah Davis sat down for an exclusive discussion with Wake County (WCPSS) Superintendent Dr. Robert Taylor, Durham Public Schools (DPS) Superintendent Dr. Anthony Lewis and Cumberland County Schools (CCSS) Superintendent Dr. Eric Bracy to talk school safety, teen violence, their professional journeys and how to attract more qualified teachers to the profession.
Each of them told ABC11 that initially, this position was never their goal. Lewis was a special education teacher. Taylor wanted to be a history professor. Bracy's parents were educators. His father was a high school principal and was the only person he ever wanted to be like. They've all had different journeys to leadership, but they can agree that they saw a critical need in supporting the next generation.
WATCH: The full hour-long conversation
Full interview with Wake, Durham, Cumberland counties school superintendents
Akilah Davis: How do we attract more qualified people to the profession?
Dr. Anthony Lewis (DPS): As educators, we are our worst recruiters. When we have a student, family member or children that say they want to go into the profession, we say, 'Are you sure you want to do that?' When we think about it, yes, you do what to do this noble profession. The more we can lift our educators up, I think, that will help us recruit and retain teachers.
Davis: I think all of you know and understand the value Black male teachers have on Black students. What can be done to attract those Black male college students to the profession?
Dr. Robert Taylor (WCPSS): It is how we model ourselves. I can tell you one of the greatest things for me was, I was in Fayetteville 10 to 12 years ago in the post office, and a former student said Dr. Taylor, I teach because of you. That's the power of what we do. We have to remind people why this work is important and why they should want to be part of it.
Dr. Eric Bracy (CCS): I remember being a child, and I wasn't making good grades. I wanted to be like my best friend. He wasn't making good grades. My dad sat me down and said it's cool to be smart. People need to understand, other Black males need to understand that it's cool to be a teacher. It's cool to be an educator. It's cool to be a role model in your community.
Davis: We talk a lot about student mental health. I want to turn that around on you. What's the weight of this role? You have the largest school district in the state.
Taylor: It is heavy. That's why I show up every day and give 125%. I know how important it is. I know the value of this role and how people look at this role. I have to use that for good to make sure I motivate everybody on the team. That's what weighs on you. Are you doing enough at the right time and at the right level?
Davis: What keeps each of you up at night?
Bracy: The safety keeps me up at night. Anything could happen at any time. We could have all the protocols in place. It's just so unpredictable. I think sometimes people don't realize what it's like to be in this role. I've been a superintendent for 18 years. When it beeps, I jump and check it. Even if it's 3 in the morning.
Lewis: Ensuring we're doing all we can to keep our students safe. Of our close to 32,000 kids, two of them live in the house with me. So, it's personal.
The superintendents said they want to improve their metrics academically. They will retire one day. They hope that they leave the industry better than they found it.
Previously in this series
Wake, Durham, Cumberland superintendents on teen violence: 'Home and schools fail young people'
Wake, Durham, Cumberland superintendents talk school safety, more: 'We are not reactionary'