Curry Wants to Challenge Students and Board Members

Nita Curry said she couldn’t hold a candle to one candidate when it came to academic degrees and accomplishments -- two of her opponents are former principals in the Hazelwood School District (HSD).

But Curry, 48, said she does bring something the Hazelwood School District Board of Education needs the most.

“I walk the halls, I know the teachers, I see things that students are dealing with,” said Curry, a past PTA president for  and current substitute teacher in several HSD schools. She is also on the district’s technology advisory and scholarship committees.

“I feel like what I’m bringing to the table is a totally new, fresh perspective,” she said.

Curry is one of four candidates running for three seats on the HSD Board of Education in the April 5 election. The others are , Charles “Chuck” Woods and . Gibbons and Woods are incumbents.

, another incumbent, decided not to seek re-election.

Curry said that most board members don’t have the everyday experience that she has in the schools.

“I was subbing the other day, and a girl in seventh grade came up to me and said she needed to lose six pounds, and she wasn’t heavy at all,” Curry said.

Teachers talk to her about things, both good and bad, she said. “That’s what I bring to the school board.”

She also wants to increase the rigor of classes, especially at the middle school level.

“My son was challenged in elementary school, but in middle school he wasn’t challenged as much,” Curry said. “I’m not saying the curriculum is horrible -- I’d just like to see students challenged more.”

She said in elementary school, her son’s teacher gave him extra assignments, and there were gifted programs. The high schools have Advanced Placement Program classes, she said.

Curry acknowledged that middle schools also have gifted classes, but she said that is for one class only. She said middle schools need to increase the rigor of classes.

Curry did say she now sends her son to a private school, but said her family made that decision for several reasons. The main one was they believed he would be challenged more at the private school, which is why she wants to increase the rigor in the Hazelwood schools. He also receives religious instruction and was awarded a scholarship to the school, she said.

“If you would have asked me a year ago, I never would have thought I’d send my son to a private school because we believe in public schools and in Hazelwood schools,” Curry said.

Curry said she and her husband chose to stay in the district after Lambert-St. Louis International Airport bought their home to build its new runway.

“We feel like this is a good school district,” Curry said.

She added it frustrates her when others put down North County.

“I want to see our image improve,” Curry said. “We have a great thing going here in North County, and I’d like to let other people know about it.”