My name is Anna Barrett Smith and I am running for the Pitt County Board of Education for District 5. My husband Van and I moved to Greenville from the Outer Banks in late 2010. We have three children; Sadler, a junior at JH Rose High School, Dory, an eighth grader at CM Eppes Middle School, and Clara Pierce, a fifth grader at Eastern Elementary School.
I was voted onto the Board of Education in November 2016, and I am currently serving as the Vice Chair. I initially ran for the BOE out of gratitude for the way that PCS had provided appropriately challenging learning opportunities for my three children, who represent a broad range of abilities. I wanted to offer support for the teachers and administrators who worked tirelessly to make sure that each of their needs were met, along with those of their classmates.
My time on the board has afforded me a new perspective. I still see the amazing efforts by teachers and staff, but I also see where we have significant room to grow and improve. I want to make sure that we are expanding our learning opportunities, so that they address the unique needs and talents of all of our students. I want to expand our career and technical course offerings, and to ensure that they align with the needs of local business and industry. I want to build on the existing partnerships with Pitt Community College and East Carolina University. I seek to increase parent and community engagement and involvement.
My heart continues to be with the men and women who are working on the front line, our wonderful educators. I want to ensure that our system is positioned to recruit high quality teachers, and that we support and retain the high-quality teachers who have already dedicated themselves to the work of Pitt County Schools.
