Susie Lee Scott, candidate for NC House District 70
Name: Susie Lee Scott
Political party: Democrat
Age as of Nov. 8, 2022: 63
Campaign website: SusieScottForNC.com
Occupation: None — I volunteer.
Education: B.S. History, North Carolina State University | High School Diploma, Asheboro High School
Have you run for elected office before? Yes. In 2020, I ran for NC House District 70. In 2005, I ran for a seat on the Asheboro City Schools Board of Education.
Please list highlights of your civic involvement: Chair of the Randolph County Democratic Party from 2017 to 2021, precinct official with Randolph County Office of Elections from 2008 to 2016, volunteered with Asheboro City Schools and parent organizations from 2000 to 2013.
What are the three issues that you see as most important to your district and what will you do to address them?
The three most important issues in my district are education, healthcare and making ends meet. I will work to retain teachers by raising salaries and bringing back longevity and Masters pay. I support fully funding our public schools. Expanding Medicaid would help the people in my district get the healthcare they need and help hospitals avoid bankruptcy. We need to help our families by recruiting higher paying jobs, and we should protect benefits and lower prescription costs for our seniors.
At a time when costs are rising, state government has a surplus. How should it be used?
Our public schools started this year with an unusual number of teacher vacancies. We need to do more to attract and retain qualified teachers. Good uses would be to raise teacher salaries and benefits and reestablish longevity and Masters pay. We must also ensure our schools are fully funded by implementing the Leandro Plan, and make sure they have an adequate number of teacher assistants, school nurses, social workers and counselors to provide a quality education for all students.
Will you vote for Medicaid expansion in North Carolina?
Yes.
What has the legislature gotten right, and what has it gotten wrong, about public education in North Carolina?
The legislature’s decision to raise teacher salaries in the 2022 budget was good, but not enough to retain experienced teachers. Their salaries stagnate with no additional raises between 15 and 24 years of experience and only one raise after that for teachers who have worked for 25 years. On the good side, teachers with National Board Certification continue to receive a 12% salary increase, but there is still no Master’s pay. They also didn’t budget the Leandro funding needed by our schools.
Should North Carolina change its abortion laws? How?
There should be no restrictions on abortion.
Please add anything else voters should know about your position on the legality or availability of abortion in North Carolina.
I believe a person’s health, not politicians, should guide important medical decisions at all stages of pregnancy. I will fight to overturn any legislation that takes away your power and control over your own body or forces you to go out of state for medical care.
Should medical marijuana be legalized in North Carolina?
Yes.
What, if anything, should the legislature do to shape curriculum dealing with topics of race, sexuality and gender?
Most legislative politicians do not have the educational or psychological expertise to design curriculum, and these sensitive subjects should be approached by our schools and the Department of Public Instruction in a way that respects, recognizes and supports the diversity of the students in our schools. I would oppose any law that sought to ban teaching certain events in our history or to prevent students from accessing age-appropriate books that helped them feel connected and seen.
Do you accept the results of the 2020 presidential election?
Yes.
