Rosa Gill, the soon-to-be newest member of the General Assembly, says she'll be a strong advocate for education.
Gill doesn't expect she'll be seated in time for next week's budget discussions in the state House. But she plans to make her voice heard when the final votes are taken later this session on the budget.
"Maybe I can persuade them not to cut as much from schools," said Gill, who is currently chairwoman of the Wake County school board. "I'm going to be an advocate for education when I get there."
Gill said she also wants to minimize cuts in human services because they have a direct impact on education.
Gill was appointed Thursday night by the leadership of the Wake County Demcratic Party to fill the state House District 33 seat vacated by Dan Blue. He's now in the seat held by the late state Sen. Vernon Malone.
Gill, 65, brings a lifetime interest in education issues. She's a retired Wake County teacher who has been on the school board since 1999.
School board member Ron Margiotta praised Gill's leadership as board chairwoman over the last two years. Even though they've disagreed on many issues, such as her support for Wake's busing of students for diversity, Margiotta said he'll miss Gill.
"I'm sad to see her go," Margiotta said. "I respect her. I think she's tried to be fair."
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Re: Gill to be an advocate for education
Rosa Gill caused such a divisive and anti-parent atmosphere that she has caused the creation of various pro-parent groups. One is the Wake Schools Community Alliance. This group is a non-partisan group that has more registered Democrats than Republicans or unaffiliateds. And the group includes many ethnic backgrounds if that information is important to any that read this.
They are tired of the Wake County School Board circumventing the US Supreme Court by disguising their across town busing policy as economic diversity. We need to make the schools EQUAL by giving them all the same resources and addressing any failings by teacher and principal retention policies.
Under Rosa Gill the School Board wasted millions to include numerous tranfers of land between angencies that cost us millions when not completed in a timely fashion. And graduations rates that have lagged far below 75% for all demographic groups. Her policies on the School Board have failed the parents of North Carolina. She is a poor choice for the NC State House 33 seat.