Candidate Profile: Marlon A. Pendergraft Sr. (Newport News School Board Special, South District)

Marlon A. Pendergraft Sr. is a candidate for the Newport News School Board Special, South District. His name will appear on the ballot on November 7, 2023.

Pendergraft Sr. is running against Maritsa A. Alger.

10 On Your Side reached out to all of the candidates running in this race with specific questions. The responses below came directly from the candidate and are unedited. If you do not see the candidate listed with a profile, we did not receive one.

Candidate Name: Marlon A. Pendergraft Sr.

Age: 38

Race: Newport News School Board Special, South District                                                                

Candidate Website: marlonforchange.com

Biography: I am a lifelong resident of Newport News. I graduated from Warwick High School in 2003. I met my wife at Warwick, and we have been happily married for 19 years with two children, 16 and 19 years old. My son recently graduated from Warwick High School, and my daughter is currently enrolled in the Newport News Public School system.

I joined the US Navy after high school serving as an Operation Specialist. I am currently a Fire Captain with the Newport News Fire department and a Substitute Teacher. 

Why are you running for this office?

My journey began in 2020 when my daughter was bullied relentlessly in school. Many attempts were made to rectify the situation, but I felt as if no one was listening or cared about my family’s situation. I quickly realized that my story wasn’t unique. Many families were and are experiencing these issues. I continued this journey in 2022, where my run for School Board came up a little short but my fight must continue.

Throughout each campaign, I’ve met some wonderful people. Talking with families opened my eyes to just how many issues there are in the school system. I want to focus on safety, reading, writing, and math skills. I want to expand trades and bring in a true financial literacy program to include lessons on credit, home ownership, entrepreneurship, investing,  retirement benefits, life insurance, etc. Mental health and special education have to be taken seriously and will be a priority for me.

I hope to provide as many opportunities as possible for our students who choose something other than college. I plan to partner with local businesses to provide apprenticeships for our students. The workforce has a shortage of employees, and this will be a great opportunity to help. To help with this, I plan to propose bringing shop class back to every high school.

In my last campaign, I promised to substitute once a month, and I am currently employed as a substitute teacher. I promise to work with each department in the school system, which means I will cut grass, serve lunch, and take a bus driver course. My goal is to help our staff in every way I can. When there are big decisions to be made, I will hold town hall meetings for the staff, parents, and students. It is important to listen and give a voice to everyone. I will do my best to eliminate the distractions of political and social issues in our schools. Parents will be ultimately in charge of their children’s lives.

Safety is a priority and can be improved with consistency throughout the school system. Discipline and structure is important for staff to accomplish their job. Parents will be held accountable for their child’s behavior. I have zero tolerance for bullying; each incident needs to be investigated, and parents or guardians will be part of the process.

If you want to hear more about my platform, please email me at: marlon4schoolboard@gmail.com

What is the most important issue facing the school system, and what is your position on it? 

Safety is ultimately the biggest issue we face in our school system. We can improve safety by ensuring there is proper security at each school and metal detectors are being used consistently throughout the school system. I believe it’s important that we hold our students accountable for their actions. Every incident our school system faced over the past few years has been an internal threat. We need to see the signs and help students and families before incidents happen. Discipline and structure will help prepare our students for adulthood and ensure our staff can do their job. If a child’s first experience of accountability is when they’re an adult, we have failed them. A cell phone policy that fits Newport News should be written and implemented.

A student’s moral and ethical values should start at home. A teacher/parent partnership will help improve student behaviors. Safety should be the top priority and be taken seriously. I’ve been professionally involved in public safety for 20 years, and it’s time we bring some of that experience to our school system.

What is your stance on school discipline, and should it be changed as a result of the shooting at Richneck Elementary?

I, unfortunately, had to respond to the Heritage and Richneck shooting as a public safety official. That feeling will never go away. The faces of the parents and students are engraved into my mind. The feeling of uncertainty was almost overwhelming. There were many things going through my mind while responding and I felt as if I couldn’t get there fast enough. There were many abandoned cars from parents because they were unsure if their child was alive or not. Watching students being escorted out of the school by law enforcement with semi-automatic rifles should never happen. The frustrating part of these situations is that both incidents could have been avoided. The student shooters should not have been in those schools. They should have had therapy and been placed on virtual learning until their behavior would allow them to return to the classroom.

I have run all my campaigns on discipline. I warned in my last campaign that if changes were not made, it was not a matter of if but a matter of when the next incident would happen. Students, staff, and families should not be subjected to this type of tragedy. If this is considered a worker’s compensation event, we can’t expect to retain quality staff. I will do my best to protect our schools. I am willing to have the difficult conversations with our families.

My heart goes out to all involved. We need to learn from these incidents to help eliminate future events.

How do you feel about the politicization of public education?

Politics have ruined our education system. We focus on personal comforts, not Math, Science, English, etc. We need to let children be children. Objective learning is a must. When we bring politics or social issues into our school system, we experience very passionate opinions. Lessons should be school and age appropriate. Staff are always welcome to have their opinions, but politics should be between parents and students.

Politics should be removed until we can get back to being able to agree to disagree. We have forgotten that we are all on the same team. We are united as Americans and should remember what that means. It’s okay to be a man, woman, Republican, Democrat, Black, White, etc. Our differences are what makes us special, and our similarities are how we connect. I refuse to allow our students to feel like they’re trapped in a zip code. I want to find what makes them happy and provide them with greater opportunities.

Will you still value constituents and or fellow politicians with whom you disagree?

I am the only candidate that makes an effort to go to all events. It doesn’t matter to me what your positions are so long as there is mutual respect. If a great idea is presented by a Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, or Independent, I will help to advance that idea. If we continue putting politics over our school system, we have failed. As a non-partisan elected member of the School Board, I represent all, and I am committed to working with everyone. It is my goal to connect everyone. It takes a community to ensure a student is successful. In my profession, I have little to no interest in people’s political opinions before I treat them. We can turn this school system around as soon as we can stop being selfish and become selfless.