
Ronald Johnson’s Vision for Johnston County Schools
Ronald Johnson: [00:00:00] I saw flawed candidates. I saw people there for the wrong reasons and they were there for political stepping stones. They were there for, what I thought was self-interest. And, I was there for the kids.
The corruption has got to run its course. They’ve made this into a He’s targeting kids.
No, I’m trying to protect kids.
You’re telling me that we’re graduating a significant portion of our students that are not proficient and that’s not the student’s fault. It’s not the teacher’s fault. These teachers are stretched so thin they are micromanaged by people with unrealistic expectations.
Narrator: Welcome to another episode of Best of Johnston County, brought to you by Breeden Law Office. Our host, Jonathan Breeden, an experienced family lawyer with a deep connection to the community, is ready to take you on a journey through the area that he has called home for over 20 years. Whether it’s a deep dive into the love locals have for the county or unraveling the complexities of family law, Best of Johnston County [00:01:00] presents an authentic slice of this unique community.
Jonathan Breeden: Hello. And welcome to another edition of the Best of Johnson County podcast.
I’m your host, Jonathan Breeden. And on today’s episode, We have Johnston County School Board member, Ronald Johnson. He is running for reelection on your November 5th, 2024 ballot to the school board seat that he has held since 2016. We’re going to talk to him a little bit about why he ran for the sort of his biographical background.
A lot of people don’t know, where he grew up, where he went to school, all that good stuff that he has an MBA. and we’re going to talk to him a little bit about what he did in his first term, what he did in his second term. The controversies that surround him as everybody’s aware of, and you’re going to get to hear him answer in his own words, some of the questions that I’ve been asking myself for the last few years since some of this blew up and why he wants you to reelect him to the school board and how he thinks it’ll be better if he’s given another four years.
But before we get to that, I would like to invite you to follow, or [00:02:00] subscribe to the best of Johnson County podcast, wherever you’re seeing it on YouTube, Spotify, LinkedIn, TikTok, any of our social media channels, Apple podcast, any of that. So that you’re aware of future episodes of The Best Johnson County Podcast.
The Best Johnson County Podcast comes out every single Monday. And we’ve had a lot of great guests over the last year since we started doing it. It’s been a true joy of mine to do this and bring you these great citizens, community leaders, on this podcast. And we’re going to continue doing it moving into the future.
We’ve got a lot of great people that we’ve already had come in that we haven’t run yet. So be listening in the future. I think you’re really going to enjoy it. And I also will mention. That this will be our last candidate for the 2024 year that the Best of Johnston County podcast invited every single candidate regardless of party affiliation or ballot what they were running for onto this podcast over the last year, we’ve had many candidates come.
Many candidates have not. So we’re not passing judgment on any particular candidate or endorsing anybody. I gave everybody that wanted to come in and meet with us [00:03:00] and talk to you, the people listening to this podcast, a chance to come in, and the ones that have been on are the ones that you’ve heard and the other ones chose not to, but don’t think that we were here picking one candidate over the other.
We’ve had Democrats, we have libertarians, we’ve had Republicans, we’ve had school board members. Brad not running for Congress. We’ve had all kinds of people, on this podcast and we really enjoyed it. So I wanted to make sure I pointed that out in case anybody was wondering, I really did invite everybody the chance to come on and tell what they wanted to do for the citizens of Johnson County.
So anyway, now onto this episode of Ronald Johnson, I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time. Glad we’re able to get this worked out. so anyway, tell the public. Who you are, where are you from?
Ronald Johnson: Ronald Johnson. I was a native of Smithfield most of my life. I’ve also lived in Princeton, Clayton, but Johnston County my entire life.
41 years old. I’ve got an MBA as you mentioned. I also have a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice Administration. Took some classes out at JCC. I was a police officer for 17 years with [00:04:00] the town of Smithfield, which I’m sure we’ll talk about a little more here shortly. I was also a community college business professor at Johnston Community College, right in Smithfield.
Also, currently, I work for Blue Line Aviation, where I am an academic advisor and training specialist for young men and young women who graduate high school and college who want to become airline pilots. Also work with placing them in airline mechanic positions, various positions in the aviation industry to help them have a chance to go from.
Little to no experience to a great career with the training needed to become again, a commercial airline pilot or something viable for their future. So I have the privilege of bringing people who would not have the opportunity to become a pilot or have a career in aviation right here in Holman, Johnston County, and Smithfield.
So that’s currently what I do.
Jonathan Breeden: I’m excited that we have Blue Line and I’m glad that the lawsuit between Blue Line and the airport authority got resolved and Blue Line is going to stay. We need more of the short-term training that [00:05:00] Blue Line offers in this county, 4-year degrees and stuff are not the thing that people need now.
And you can go there, and in short-term training, become a pilot. I think he does some, teaches some mechanic stuff too, like ground workers.
Ronald Johnson: He can do the ground schools. He can do the flight schools. And just one plug here for what they do at Blue Line Aviation. Every year, they give away a full scholarship, which is about 130, 000 plus for a Johnston County school student to become a commercial airline pilot.
And we had our second recipient just finished the program here recently and to hear his family, he’s a Smithfield guy. To hear his family come up and speak about how he got this opportunity and how thankful they were to Trey and Blue Line Aviation for doing this and how he’s going to start a job making twice what his parents make, that’s something that we need in Johnston County.
We need more things like that in Johnston County.
Jonathan Breeden: Absolutely. Absolutely. And, I hopefully we’ll be able to get Trey on here, [00:06:00] in the future. because I really am fascinated about what he’s done and the building there and it got, they got the restaurant and everything. And, we need that. I was on the board of Johnson Community College.
That you were teaching at the college when I was on the board there, and that was really. everything, the career in a-year type stuff, where you can quickly get a certificate, get something, and take that credential and go get a job and be able to pay your bills and help your family.
Ronald Johnson: That’s what it’s all about.
Jonathan Breeden: And that’s it. And everybody’s not set to go to four degrees and four degrees are getting to be crazy expensive now. And anyway, and now you can go to Johnson Community College. If you’re a johnson county high school graduate for free for the first two years. Through the Johnson County Commissioner’s Promise.
So anybody doesn’t know about that, look that up. Johnson County Commissioner’s Promise. That is a tremendous program as well. Johnson Community College is having record enrollment right now and I think that’s great. They got a new president, Dr. Lundquist, I think he’s doing a great job. They got a new leadership team there and that’s a real positive for Johnson County.
Absolutely. Do you still teach the driving school out there?
Ronald Johnson: Once I [00:07:00] became elected, there’s only so many hours in a day, right? There’s only so many hours in a day. So between my workload as a detective between trying to teach and being an elected official, and then, some other things I did, I did a lot with underprivileged kids involved with gangs and stuff like that, that program was up and running, doing well and successful.
And part of life is letting things go and letting other people handle it. So I had to move away just to not do things sparingly. I want to do it full in.
Jonathan Breeden: Okay. Cool, cool. That’s great. All so you went to NC State, right?
Ronald Johnson: No, I went to UNCG in Mount Olive College. Okay. All right.
Jonathan Breeden: I didn’t know where you went.
I knew you had an MBA, but I wasn’t sure where it was from. So where’d you get the MBA from?
Ronald Johnson: Northcentral University. So it was when I was working at the police department trying to balance those shifts, I transferred the credit in so I could earn the MBA.
Jonathan Breeden: Oh, cool. Cool. Yeah. All right. So yeah, so you and I meet when you, I’m doing criminal defense work.
You’re a detective. We have cases together. That was always an adventure. It seemed like my clients seemed to always be guilty of something. But that’s how it went. [00:08:00] But we were able to get the stuff worked out. And you were with them, I guess until all of this stuff happens.
So we’ll give it, we’ll do this in a timeline. So 2016, you get elected, right?
Ronald Johnson: Yes, sir.
Jonathan Breeden: Why did you run for the school board?
Ronald Johnson: Honestly, I was a school resource officer for about four and a half to five years. And I had a teacher when I was in middle school and, not a lot of people know this, but I had a lot of trouble reading.
And for someone who now has an MBA, you wouldn’t think struggling at elementary middle school, you’re having trouble reading. But that teacher came in, and made the difference in my life. She spent time with me, helping me learn how to read. She went above and beyond. And I just remember the struggles going through elementary and middle school with the reading.
And she made a difference in my life. Fast forward, I became a police officer, got the MBA and she became the principal at the school I was a school resource officer at and working with her to help those kids is one of the most memorable [00:09:00] moments and times in my life where we were able to make a difference together I was able to make a difference with someone who made a difference in my life and you just can’t put a price tag on that.
But eventually, I got moved to the detectives division at Smithfield Police Department and This teacher is now a principal and now she’s working in an administrative position.
And she called me and she said, have you ever thought about running for the board of education? And I said, maybe no. And she’s, I said, what do you do? And she said, there’s meetings and we need someone like you there. And I was like, sure, I can do this. And then I stepped into the political scene and I saw the candidates.
And just to be honest, in my opinion, I saw flawed candidates. I saw people there for the wrong reasons and they were there for political stepping stones. They were there for, what I thought was self-interest. And, I was there for the kids. What I wanted to do was implement after-school programs for those kids.
Like I implemented when I was a middle school resource officer. And what I wanted to do is implement literacy programs that I had in my mind for years, [00:10:00] because I learned how to read through comic books, Star Wars stuff of a nerd genre, right? That was of interest to me. That met me at a level I was comfortable with.
And I flourished when it come to reading public speaking, just based on that. So I had ideas I wanted to implement. And that’s why I ran. And fortunately, I was blessed to run in 2016 and win and started working on the stuff. But when you get somewhere you see what in your mind is broken. I remember the first meeting I was at the board of education meeting and they wanted to raise the salaries of the central office.
And I, embarrassed to say this, I didn’t feel right. I just didn’t want to do it. So I had to text. A mentor of mine who was a politician and I texted him and I said, how do you vote? No, because I didn’t know, everything that I had seen in government for years had always been yes.
Everybody just yes and rubber stamp. I said, how do you vote? No, just vote. No. He’s I guess so you vote. No. And so I remember that meeting and I voted no. [00:11:00] And you would have thought a bomb went off. You would have thought me standing for what I believe in and what the people in Johnston County believe in.
Was something catastrophic, but I felt like that was the voice of a teacher. And I remember the feedback I got from that, from teachers saying, thank you. And how the central office is always taken care of, but the people on the ground are not taken care of. So I maintained that throughout my entire career so far on the, and even in local government, I was at the police department.
I never asked for a raise, never really wanted a raise. I just wanted to do the job. When you’re out there doing the job. You hate for people who are so far removed from a classroom, who are sitting in an office all day, to get the big 10, 000, 20, 000 raises. I was never that person, so I just can’t identify with that.
I can identify with being on the ground and working. That’s what carried me through my first term, is just learning the lay of the land. Learning what I thought was wrong with the system advocating for what I thought was wasteful spending. I hate to go back to, we had a [00:12:00] poor performing school in Johnston County.
And the answer to that was to change mascots. And I thought that was the most atrocious thing ever. I’m like, just because you put a fresh paint, a fresh coat of paint on a wall, that’s not going to change that child’s living condition. So I thought that was frivolous. I voted no against that. And again, that actually still comes up to this day.
There’s people with hurt feelings about that. Okay. To this day.
Jonathan Breeden: That was Selma Middle School.
Ronald Johnson: Yeah. I think it was like seven years ago. Yeah.
Jonathan Breeden: And they changed it to the railroaders.
Ronald Johnson: Railblazers.
Jonathan Breeden: Railblazers or something. I remember that. I remember that.
Ronald Johnson: And then one more thing that just stood out. I voted no to change West Smithfield and South Smithfield from what they call the year-round calendar. And that was something that parents reached out to me. Teachers reached out to me and said, look, we do not need this break of instruction. So I listened to them. I’m not an expert on elementary education, but I know who are, it’s the ladies and gentlemen who are in the classroom.
It’s no one in the central office. It’s the people in the classroom. So I listened to them. And I voted [00:13:00] against ending that year-round school. And the logic that was given to me is look, they’re seeing little upticks, but not a lot, right? And so we need to stop this. As soon as they stop it, scores plummeted.
And that’s what the teachers warned us about. So if we’d listened to them, maybe they would be in a better situation.
Jonathan Breeden: And what I couldn’t understand about that was, Wake County was trying to take everything they could to year-round and Johnston County was going against it. And I’m like, wait a minute, Wake County has arguably one of the best school systems in the country and they’re going more to year-round and Johnston had two schools that were doing, and we weren’t doing it exactly like Wake.
It was a shorter summer. It was more like two weeks in the fall and two weeks of remediation in the spring. It wasn’t the nine-and-three thing that Wake County has. I just didn’t, I thought that was a bad idea. I thought you were right about that. Because you didn’t need that. You need that 11 or 12 weeks in the summer under that year-round calendar.
We did it, it was more like seven or eight weeks. And then they got the extended breaks in the fall and the spring, which is where they could do remediation. And, I thought it was strange. They [00:14:00] wanted to go away from it.
Ronald Johnson: Jonathan, you probably represented clients where you were like, you know what, if this kid had a, just a little bit better chance, they wouldn’t be in this situation.
And, a lot of success for students is based on early intervention, getting in there early and putting a stop to it. And then, intense and frequent education. And when you give people those three months off, that is what kind of gets them into quote trouble and idle time. I don’t hands devil playground.
And these kids face so much that, normal Joe’s in this County don’t see, they see the poverty, they see the drug addiction. Bed bugs. I hate to just throw things out there. I’m just telling you what I’ve seen and what you’ve seen in your line of work. So early intervention, Intense and frequent instruction is what they needed.
And, back then the board of education took it away from them. And now they’re slowly trying to bring some of that back, in a different way.
Jonathan Breeden: So come 2020 COVID happens, you run for reelection. What were you looking to do in the second term that you didn’t get done [00:15:00] in the first term?
You end up being the top vote-getter by mile in 2020, but what were you looking to do?
Ronald Johnson: At that time I was looking to keep the schools open. I was looking to keep the schools open and get the mask off. And however, people feel about that is how they feel about that. And I think looking back in hindsight, a lot of people may think that we should have kept the schools open.
We should have took the mask off. And we actually had a group, going for mandatory vaccination of these kids based on a very limited amount of information in a short span of time. So that was my battle, that was my fight in 2020. Everything pivots away to Hey, we need this and this, but now we just need to keep the doors open.
And, I’ll never forget some of the emails and some of the calls you would get from parents to whose kids were struggling, who they were worried about their mental health. And we’ve seen what happened post-COVID with the mental health crisis. We’ve seen these, suicides that I can only correlate to what happened in those years.
We’ve seen the learning loss that these kids will never catch up from. We saw the deficiencies they faced when [00:16:00] they got to a four-year school because we closed schools for two years. And, I’ll give you a little behind-the-scenes. Everybody was they were in admiration of the ones, it was three, four votes, four people voted to close the schools and three people voted to open them.
So obviously we closed the schools, but behind the scenes, it’s so disgusting. And I had to go out there with a look on my face. Knowing what was going to happen because they would get together behind the scenes like all You’re gonna vote this way. You’re gonna vote this way I remember one guy saying I’m gonna fall on the sword for everybody And vote to keep the schools closed and I was so disgusted because he’s falling on the sword for the board of education What the hell are you doing for the kids?
You’re what are you doing? You’re throwing them under the bus. Why in your mind, you’re falling on the sword for the bureaucrats at the central office? So that right there is something I’ll never forget. And it was just a defining moment of how much of a work this is.
Jonathan Breeden: I remember how hard you, back then I was watching those meetings.
And you really were the one sort of [00:17:00] leading the charge to try to get these schools back open and as open as they could be. And then Governor Cooper with his A Day and his B Days and all of that, and Harnett County reopened their schools. That was a different school board, we’re in a different way.
And people were like, what is Harnett County doing? County didn’t quite have the loss we had either because they got their schools back open and it worked out just it worked out just fine. They also opened the schools in Georgia and in Florida and they didn’t have the loss we had here in North Carolina and one more vote and the Johnson County schools could have been open a lot quicker a lot sooner than they were.
But that’s how it goes sometimes so hindsight’s always 20-20 on these things so anyway, so eventually the schools get going back open, and then in 2022 you’re helping Michelle Antoine and Kevin Donovan their election is they’re going to run for the school board and had the same ideas as you and they come out with an Audio tape that you had made of what I guess was a closed door budget meeting.
Is that right? So why did you make the tape? What was going on?
Ronald Johnson: So just to give [00:18:00] you a full point of reference of what happened. So December 21st, 2021. And I would encourage anybody watching this to do a public information request and watch how they make you go down the yellow brick road.
But on December 21st, 2021, we have an unscheduled meeting at facility services. For those of you who do not know where facility services is, it is on Highway 70 and 210 in Smithfield. So that’s an obscure place to have a meeting at seven o’clock at night. And the meeting was organized by Kay Carol and an administrative official who wasn’t Dr. Bracey and we get a call and it was me and Lynn Andrews. We’re supposed to show up right around seven o’clock to meet with Kay Carol and this administrator. And I’m like, that’s a little weird. What is this? I asked Lynn, I was like, what’s going on? I got things to do. This is, what is going on?
It’s not scheduled. And when we get there, I see Terry Sessoms and Al Byrd walking out of the meeting and which is a red flag to me because there’s something called the open meetings laws. And you’re trying to circumvent them by [00:19:00] meeting with three people instead of four people and rotating them out.
So I get in there and it’s sketchy anyway, we’re talking about budget and diverting money. And so I asked the question, I was like, does Dr. Bracey know we’re here? And they say, no. And I’m okay. Does Steven Britt, the finance officer know we’re here? They say no. And I’m like, eh, this is sketchy to me.
And I realized at that point we’re violating the open meetings law again, December 21st, 2021. While we’re in the meeting. Me and Lynn and Kay. Kay says that we need to hide One million dollars in a line item and I say I’m not doing that Kay and you know to her defense at the time Lynn said Yeah, I’m not doing that Kay.
I’ll never forget he slammed his hand on the table and said That’s the only way we’re gonna get money from these county officials if we do it this way And I said I’m not doing it and then I leave there I remember going to the Clayton Draft House, or the Cleveland Draft House in Clayton. The whole way I’m trying to get up with Dr. Bracey, did you know about this meeting? No, I didn’t know anything about it, but I’m [00:20:00] gonna handle it tomorrow with the administrator who’s there.
And then I call Lynn, and I’m like, hey, I’m not hiding money. And she said, yeah, I’m not either. Again, December 21st, 2021. Fast forward. Someone recorded me on February 15th, 2022 saying I’m going to pull the breaks on this, which means stop it.
I’m not going to let them hide money. And I’m saying, I’m not letting them hide money in my mind. It was a million dollars at the time. That’s February 15th, 2022. And that person recording me did me the biggest favor ever by recording me at that time. Fast forward, to March 28th. 2022 we have a meeting and someone says what do you want the fund balance to look like and that’s not right to me.
And I feel it coming on. I feel something coming on based on the dialogue happening around me. And so I press record and then I get the recording of hiding 8 million. I get the [00:21:00] recording of putting in a line item and not spending it again. So people say, Oh, that was just a joke. It was an edit. It was, AI, I’ve heard all this crazy stuff now, but let me ask you this.
If I tell you it happened on December 21st, 2021, and you do a public information request, you’re going to see 8. 1 million dollars lined out for COVID expenditures in an agenda meeting for a meeting that was illegal on December 21st, 2021. I go to public members of the public saying they’re going to do this.
I got to stop them. That’s February 15th, 45 days later, I get that recording. So unless I’m psychic and know they’re going to do it, it’s impossible. And then I go to my chief of police. I go to my supervisor. I play it for them. And say I have to stop this and they had asked me before they said before you do if you do anything with the school [00:22:00] board let us know because the department has to brace for impact when you stand up against them So I had the information I reached out to people in the public.
There’s a couple of Law enforcement officers who put it out there in writing that I lied and I held it, but they’re just Incompetent to the fact that I knew they were doing it. I was trying to stop them. I told my supervisors I was trying to stop when I was gonna stop. So where’s the investigation at into that number one in the legal meeting number two
Jonathan Breeden: The Tweet as long as there’s not four members there it’s not a violation of open meetings. You can do three on threes. I understand it. It’s affiliate services. It’s a random place to have a meeting, but it was still just three of you. Albert and Terry Sessoms already left when you got there. So those are other school board members, but if they were still there and there were five, yes.
But if it was just the three of you, then I don’t know that’s a violation.
Ronald Johnson: So open meetings law has a specific [00:23:00] thing. You do stuff like that. You’re trying to break the spirit of the law. You And so organizing meetings like that is trying to break the spirit of what the law is trying to accomplish.
Either way, whether it’s open means all violations or not, it’s something the public would want to know about.
Jonathan Breeden: But the recording is not made on December 21st. It’s made in March of 22.
Ronald Johnson: March 28 of 2022.
Jonathan Breeden: But the conversation on this sort of hiding this money started on December 21st.\
Ronald Johnson: Four months. And I was telling people they’re going to do it.
Jonathan Breeden: And you and I both remember when there was a bank account back in the mid two thousand that the school board had that the County commissioners knew nothing about. That had millions of dollars in it that had been hidden from the county commissioners.
And I know that. So when you hear somebody saying we need to hide money from the commissioners, and you remember that and what a controversy that was, and the county commissioners and the school board didn’t trust each other for [00:24:00] many years after that, which I think put us back some, I can get that.
Ronald Johnson: And then if people will look, I believe it was October 17th of 2022. After that recording was made, you’re talking maybe seven months. They actually gave the money back to the County commissioners. They actually had a special meeting to give the 8 million back or to revert the funding. They can say what they want.
And I would just challenge anyone who’s watching this, who doesn’t like me, which is fine. I get that calling Andrews and ask her, did that meet and happen? Did They talk about hiding money four months before I recorded them? Call Lynn, call Kay. I mean that I don’t know to what extent they may dodge that question.
Jonathan Breeden: But ultimately that recording leads to the first censure. I think you’ve been censured two or three times by your fellow members. I, they all start to run together cause there’s this other stuff that’s going on involved that we’re not going to talk about today because of ongoing lawsuits and mess like that.
But, you end up getting censored, I think three [00:25:00] times and one of those was over this recording that was supposed to be a, you made it in a closed meeting of the school board, which I guess you’re not supposed to record, so did you know you’re not supposed to record those?
Ronald Johnson: There’s a policy that says you’re not supposed to record. I’m of the opinion that federal law, And, state law will override a school board policy. I got to believe that, especially when there’s nefarious things happening when there’s violations of law, I would think that you would give precedence and prominence to the federal law, not the school policy.
Jonathan Breeden: So I’m not familiar with all the censures cause all the stars are running together. I know there’s one over that recording cause the other school board members are not happy that you made that. What were the other two?
I don’t even know.
Ronald Johnson: There was one about moving students from the way they depicted it was moving students out of a retaliatory nature to another school. That [00:26:00] was one thing. And then another one was about text messaging.
Jonathan Breeden: Okay.
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Jonathan Breeden: Now the one about the school, the allegation was that you tried to use your petition on the school board to get back at somebody you didn’t like by having their disabled children moved from one school to the other.
Ronald Johnson: Yeah.
Jonathan Breeden: That was the allegation. What is, what actually happened?
Ronald Johnson: So that’s a stretch, right? If you want to put it in those terms, number one, it’s inaccurate. Okay. That’s it’s wrong. In April and May of 2022, I began receiving information about an individual who I was told was physically, mentally, and emotionally abusive.
I was told this individual cuts their wrist, [00:27:00] barricades the doors. I was also told that this individual was involved in the use, manufacturing, distributing, and selling of steroids. I was told that. That gave me pause. So what the public knows, and what they’ve been told, is that I called the principal out of a retaliation thing to have these kids moved.
That’s inaccurate. I did call the principal. The children were out of district to my knowledge, and I believe when the truth comes out, they were out of district. But it had nothing really to do with what school they went to. There is a protocol that if there is a child out of the district, and anyone who’s been a guidance counselor or school social worker will co-sign on this, that if you are believed to be out of the district.
You will have a school social worker, verify the residents, and school social workers are trained to look for any signs that may be detrimental to students. That was one thing I did, but what the public doesn’t know I did is based on the manufacturing distribution, selling [00:28:00] of steroids, those allegations, I called someone in a law enforcement task force and had them check on it had them starting to work on this.
And then, I’ve read in a couple of different places where I didn’t notify DSS. It’s also inaccurate. I did. I made several calls to DSS regarding this and I was told, to verify the address and we’ll get something in place. Now, that’s what I can tell you. I can tell you that because I cultivated that on my own.
And currently, I’m under a gag order by the court not to talk about what’s in discovery. for listening. I am under a gag order not to discuss the specific information that they were able to glean using search warrants. So I’ll tell you this. If they were able to verify any of that if they were able to verify anything that I just said, what would they do?
They’d put me under a gag order. So with [00:29:00] that being said, those were the three things that I was majorly concerned with. I was concerned about what I was being told. I was concerned about steroid use because I hate to bring it down to this level, but the familiarization I have with steroids is what I’ve seen on TV.
Chris Benoit. Just that erratic behavior. Anything that poses a safety, it messes with your mind. I know that. And I was getting information from three different sources about that. So whenever you have those kinds of things coming up, the one piece the public knows about is the reassignment issue.
But there are two very large pieces to this and there’s a law enforcement piece and I guarantee you the law enforcement people that I spoke with, there’s records of it and they’ll come forward at the right time. But the corruption has got to run its course. They’ve made this into a he’s targeting kids.
No, I’m trying to protect kids. I’m trying to protect people and I’ve also read in documents where they said that those comments about [00:30:00] physical mental and emotional abuse Never were said, and I bet they couldn’t say the same thing now. I would dare say that they can’t say the same thing now. It’s not that I hold any ill will.
It’s not that I was in the business of protecting people. And on the school board, I will stay in the business of protecting these kids from anything, any kind of abuse like that.
Jonathan Breeden: What I don’t understand is, okay, I didn’t know the whole thing about the steroids thing, but what does that get to do with the kids being out of district or not?
Whether somebody who might be a parent is selling steroids.
Ronald Johnson: Yeah it’s a way to check for the student’s welfare. So you want to check for any type of things that would impede their ability to learn anything as a school official, you have that responsibility to report it, right? You have that responsibility.
And me knowing that someone is out of the district, me knowing that someone is not going to the right school, it’s a way in. And this is the way I’ve equated it to many people, and maybe you can understand, because being in [00:31:00] your profession. It’s like thinking that there’s drugs in a car, thinking that there’s drugs in a car, and receiving information that there’s drugs in a car.
And the driver’s not wearing a seatbelt. What are you going to do? You receive information that these things are happening. You can’t verify that, but what you can verify is the assignment. And you have reasonable grounds to do that. So that was the goal. That was what I was aiming to do. And there, again, there’s no ill will.
And I would dare say that, everything I said was corroborated. I would think.
Jonathan Breeden: All right. So then we move forward and WRAL was at a meeting and you and Terry Tippett have a disagreement and he gets up out of his chair. And he physically is coming towards you and he is then physically stopped by I believe Lynn Andrews, the chairman of the school board, from getting to you.
What happened? Because it was really embarrassing for [00:32:00] the county at that point because WRAL is there. I don’t know why they’re there. Maybe it was something involving you. Maybe it was something else. And all of a sudden, all on the news is Tippett getting up to come after you and beat you up. What’s going on?
Ronald Johnson: That’s a couple of things about that. Let me, as.
Jonathan Breeden: There’s no excuse to get up and go, that’s ridiculous.
Ronald Johnson: So it took me a minute to realize it was standing up. I really had, it just, when stuff like that happens, you’re like, is this really happening in a meeting?
So yeah, just to give you the reasoning behind that, when you call a special session, you can only discuss what you put on the posted notice to the public, that’s the only thing you can discuss, right? So they said, they being the school board, said we’re gonna just receive a report about Michelle Antoine.
That’s all they were there to do, is to receive a report. That’s it. They should have received the report and adjourned the meeting. Instead, it turned into, just giving you the facts. I’m not sitting here trying to throw off on, any other board member, but giving you the facts. It got way out of [00:33:00] line there.
They actually had to cut the mics because of the beratement. I think I heard you’re the most disgusting, unprofessional, egotistical. It was all kinds of insults being thrown at Michelle. And I don’t care who you are, even if I don’t like you, I’m not in the business of sitting there and berating someone, especially in public, especially when we’re trying to run a school district.
That’s not what we’re about. If a kid would have acted like that, they would have been disciplined. If a staff member would have acted like that, they could have been terminated, so a board member shouldn’t act like that, but my whole point was, and you can go back and watch it, they cut the mic because he is just going off on her.
And he’s calling her, all these terms. And I look at Lynn and you can see Lynn look at me and I say, Lynn, he can’t do this. Lynn, you need to stop this. And he says, don’t interrupt me right now. And I say, don’t tell me not to interrupt you right now. He said, no, I’m telling you, don’t interrupt me right now.
I said, what are you going to do? You’re breaking the law. What are you trying to accomplish? And then he stands up and he says, [00:34:00] what are you going to do? And then It’s like a commercial break, and I think I was just thinking, where am I at right now? And, you just, you hate for that to go public, but it shows, I want the public to think about this.
If this is the open session. What do you think happens in the closed session? There’s sometimes that we have to get up and walk out. I just, I won’t be a part of it. My personal life is attacked in closed sessions over and over. If I make a valid point, they’ll say, Oh, okay, you got this going on in your personal life.
It’s that’s not what we’re here for, but that’s what happened that day. I’m just trying to point out a violation of the open meetings law. Whenever you say you posted a public, we’re going to meet about a, you can’t go in there with B, C, and D. And then I guess that got taken to me, interrupting him and then him standing up.
And then it’s just like a, what in the world’s happening moment.
Jonathan Breeden: So how do we move forward? You’re running for reelection. So you were the top vote-getter in the primary. You may be reelected. I have no idea. If the public puts you [00:35:00] back on, are these fences going to be mended? How is this school board going to be able to be a functioning school board if you’re there and you’re you and Michelle is still going to be there, she’s got two more years, are the lightning rods to everybody.
Is this going to be good for the children?
Ronald Johnson: Okay. So give me a chance to get all of that one more time. When you talk about the dysfunction I go in there every meeting and if I would challenge anyone, go in there in a meeting where I’m off kilter, I go in there, I don’t bother anyone.
I say my piece. I’m not out here in these social media streets, throwing insults at anybody. I’m not out here on social media, trashing anybody attacking staff, or anything like that. I just vote the way I vote. Some people like it. Some people don’t. But when you talk about mending fences, I go in there, treat these people with respect every time you hear me talk to Ms. Andrews, it’s yes, ma’am. Every time you hear me talk to, Dr. Bracey, it’s Dr. Bracey, I just respect everyone. So that’s how I go in every time. And [00:36:00] unfortunately you mentioned I was a top vote-getter and I’m grateful for people for voting for me in that magnitude, but they have taken me off all committees.
They have taken me off all schools. They will not allow me to have a school assigned to me. They have, I’ve even I was asked not to go to any graduation ceremonies and this is not by people. This is by the board of education, right? And so they will make Imagine if I did show up to a committee meeting or school. And then an incident happened like what happened with the board member getting up and trying to fight me I don’t want to be anywhere near that and i’m not egotistical to the point where I want to walk into school and say, I have a right to be here and then get challenged by another board member.
And then you have kids seeing stuff like that because it’s embarrassing enough as it is to be on TV, but we don’t need to emulate this for kids. So every time I walk into a school, every time I walk into a room, I’m smiling, I’m friendly, I’m trying my best to, and [00:37:00] honestly, these people have done a lot to me, but I go in there.
Do my thing and try to vote the way the people in Johnston County want me to vote. When we talk about lightning rods, and I feel like a lot of the ways me and Michelle Vogue are reflective of how people in Johnston County feel. Like for example, and I don’t know how far we go down this road, but there was a gender identity policy that they wanted to get in through an advertisement thing.
Gender identity Has nothing to do with advertisement. So why are we introducing something like that to the school system through an advertisement policy? And we go back and forth and we argue about it. Me and Michelle with the other board, I say we’re classy about it. we debate them. I’m trying to get logic.
I encourage people to go back and look at it. And Michelle and I advocate for what we believe is right. And the central office positions that has been just something I have stood against from the beginning. When you don’t have the classrooms filled, [00:38:00] you don’t fill the palace or the bureaucracy.
You don’t do that. So every single central office position, I’m voting against until we get that classroom filled. And if that makes me a lightning rod or somebody that’s controversial, then I would dare say our teachers would appreciate that. I would dare say that the majority of Johnston County, understands that the central office is over-flooded.
And I look at these different political candidates running for office. And I saw a fundraiser the other day, and I swear to you, it was central office donor, central office, donor, central office, donor, boyfriend, or, side chick of a central office donor or something like that. I have seen, I just saw the central office.
I’ve seen people on the donor list who have cost the school district millions of dollars for improperly handling IEPs. Let me say that one more time. I have seen people on donor lists for candidates who have cost this district millions, exactly 2 million for mishandling IEPs. [00:39:00] These are the people who have a vested interest.
People on the donors’ lists who have written contracts and agreements that put the school system at risk for millions and then leaving And going to work for the company they wrote the contract for. These are the donors of some of these other political candidates out there, Jonathan. And you got to wonder what they’re trying to protect.
The school system’s budget is somewhere between four and 500 million, right? Don’t believe there’s not local hands or state hands. They’re in that pot that are benefiting from that. So they’re trying to protect something. I don’t know what it is. But if we do mend these fences, as you say, and there’s some changes in the board where we can actually get some meaningful information, because me and Michelle might as well be members of the public with the information they give us nothing.
They just have no information. We have to show up on the day of half time, half the time, and like. Scramble to find out what we’re voting for because they’ll try to slide it in last minute. It is all an ego trip I would encourage people to go back if you really [00:40:00] care and watch the last two years There’s board members who when they feel like they have something they need to say the attorney will write them a little speech They will hold court right there and say it to feel self vindicated which doesn’t help the kids so, I’ll go in there and work with anybody I’ll give my ideas to anyone And mending fences is something I’m okay with, but you understand what people have done.
And I give credit to where credit is due. I won my board of education seat by a large majority, but so did they. So I don’t sit there and think they don’t belong, but they definitely treat me like I don’t belong when the people have told them different election after election.
Jonathan Breeden: And so the budget, the County budget has now gone to over a hundred million dollars. From the county to the school system. It went from, it was in the 60s and then it went to 79 and then it went from 79 to 104. 5 million. The enrollment [00:41:00] is flat.
Ronald Johnson: That’s right.
Jonathan Breeden: Has been flat for three or four years. ALA has come here. Homeschooling is on the rise. We got other charter schools. We got Thales at Flowers Plantation now.
There’s a lot of alternatives to the public schools. News Charter is still growing and busting out the scenes. we don’t need to get into why that is or whatever, but the enrollment for Johnson County Schools is flat, but yet the commissioners give another 25 million and it didn’t really go to teachers.
It largely went to the central office. So why?
Ronald Johnson: It’s where you put value at and unfortunately, the majority of the board of education puts value in things other than the classroom and they can say what they want and get mad about what they want. There was some expenditure made out of that excess money that went to teacher supplements that with the bus drivers and stuff, but I think the bus driver incentives totaled.
I don’t want to say only 600, 000, but because. 600, 000 is a lot of money. But when you look at, like you said, going to 104. 5 [00:42:00] million, 600, 000 is a drop in the bucket for bus drivers when they do so much. And for our blue-collar workers, they deserve more. But some of it went to, some construction needs.
Some of it is just basically because of inflation. I’m saying some of it, I’m not going to say all of it, you have, I don’t want to make it too political, even though it’s very political. You have this Biden economy that’s inflated beyond belief and people are having to pay the costs. And that’s extended to us through utilities, insurance premiums, and things like that.
But we’ve also, added some instructional stuff. And like you said, we’ve also added some central office positions. Now define central office positions to me. And I want to define it very clearly is someone who sits in an office who does not work directly with kids, If you’re not working with kids and you’re working with development and the other staff members and make your own schedule and that’s not frontline to me.
So those positions. Whenever we’re in this inflated economy, whenever we’re losing ESSER funds, we need to really take a look at what needs to happen in that central office. And [00:43:00] I’m noticing some of the people come out of the shadows of central office and they’re starting to pour money in to try to protect the system that they’ve created.
So that’s where that extra money comes from. And there is some wasteful stuff. I’ll give you an example. And I hate to do this, had a program called Zoo Alive and it was for pre-K. And this is a gripe for me. This is something that has really burned me. Pre-K was cut and they just went on about, we can’t afford it.
It’s a 2. 5 million expenditure. We have to cut it. Let me go ahead and break this down for you. 2. 5 million is 20 central office positions. 2. 5 million is a lot of wasteful stuff that could be cut before pre-K K. Pre-K is something, like I said before, early intervention, getting to these kids early and helping them get ready for what is formalized education is huge, right?
So you have cut the pre-k program at 2. 5 million dollars. That’s what they chose to cut. In the same meeting, they approved 300, 000 worth of central office [00:44:00] positions and they adopted this program called Zoo Alive. And then I had teachers show up to where I work in disbelief that they cut pre-k And adopted Zoo Alive, and they said that curriculum went in the closet.
That curriculum was not used, it was 200, 000 that was wasted, and no answers from me on that. When I asked what happened to that Zoo Alive program, no answers. 200, 000, teachers say it went into a closet, it was never used, it was wasted money. I believe them and there has to be something that should have been cut before Pre K. And we’re asking these county commissioners for 111 million dollars and They ended up giving us 104. 5 I know the behind-the-scenes work.
I know for a fact that They never truly intended to get that 111 million dollars you’re waving and dangling Raises in front of teachers and bus drivers that you [00:45:00] know, they’re not going to get but you dangle it in front of them, knowing you’re not going to get it.
And then when you don’t get it, you blame the commissioners. I don’t like that kind of politics. if you’re going to ask for an expenditure increase, you better be ready to show some results. And unfortunately, we haven’t, and that’s not on our teachers. That’s on the wasted and just misallocated resources that we push everywhere in this district, but the classroom, sorry, I went long there.
Jonathan Breeden: It’s fine. So if you win this election, what do you want to do in the next four years? You’ve been on there for eight. You’ve seen a little bit of everything. Maybe they let you be on a committee. Maybe they assign you to a school. I don’t know. Maybe you become chairman. Who knows what’s going to happen, but what do you, what do you want to do?
Ronald Johnson: So if I do become chairman, the first thing I’m going to do. Is looking at the evaluation of all the positions that are not in the classroom that are not working with students directly. If you’re a TA, if you’re a school social worker, if you’re a classroom teacher, and I want you there, if you’re a bureaucrat, if you’re up there collecting a [00:46:00] check at your leisure and you’re up there hanging out with your friends.
Because you don’t have anything better to do. That’s going to be a problem for me. So I’m gonna look at the bureaucracy about five years ago I came in there with 25 central office positions that were supposed to be cut And they lost their minds. They scrambled, right? They lost their minds because some of these people have positions, their spouse is somebody, and you ruffle those feathers, you end up in jail, but literally, you end up in jail.
But what I’m going to do is I’m going to trim that bureaucracy down. I’m going to look for leadership that reflects the values of Johnston County and the values of a classroom teacher who’s there to educate kids on the basic principles of math, science, English, social studies, geography, and the stuff that matters.
We’ve got to get all of this extra stuff out of the classroom and focus on giving these kids a chance to succeed because Jonathan, [00:47:00] we are at a 56 percent proficiency rating with a 90 percent graduation rate. That bird does not fly. You’re telling me that we’re graduating a significant portion of our students that are not proficient and that’s not the student’s fault. It’s not the teacher’s fault. These teachers are stretched so thin they are micromanaged by people with unrealistic expectations.
They are they don’t have the adequate facilities to do their job. Right now we have something and they try to market it as a cool thing, but we have something called art on a cart That means you don’t have enough classroom space for an art classroom So they put it on a cart and they push it around the elementary and middle schools. So they can actually have an art class you have fine arts teachers who were worried about their jobs getting cut I remember one I believe was Swift Creek Wilson Mills area where they were worried about [00:48:00] losing their job and they are classroom teachers. You will never find me in a leadership position where I’m hiring someone for central office And moving someone out of a classroom because oh, we just ain’t got it That’s nonsense.
It’s so many other words more explicit than nonsense, but its poor leadership is an accurate depiction of it. And that starts with the chairman that starts with the majority of the school board. We have so many things we need to accomplish. And number one is to support our teachers. Our teachers, They don’t have administrative time.
Every workday, they’re cramming the next gimmick down their throat. Every workday, they have this training that we’re going to see if this flies and they’re going to push it down their throat all the while they’re paying somebody a hundred, 150, 000 to just throw darts at a board and sees what sticks and then jam it down the blue-collar worker, the teacher’s throat to try to help them.
They need to give teachers their space. They need to give them adequate training, but they need to let them do their job and quit bombarding them, micromanaging [00:49:00] them. That’s a problem. And, some people may disagree with me on that, but I think everyone would agree that the bureaucracy is strong.
So the first thing I’m going to do is trim it down.
Jonathan Breeden: That is, if you look at the school funding in North Carolina has gone up exponentially over the last 15 years, but the number of school teachers has not, which is because there’s so many more people that are not in the classroom.
I think your focus on teachers in the classroom is probably a good one, as far as that’s concerned. So the last question we ask everybody on this podcast is what do you love most about Johnston County?
Ronald Johnson: The people, hands down the people, you can put anything. In this county, the people in this county are going to make it better.
I remember, we’ve been here a long time and the little country stores that you used to go to, there was one on Wilson Mills, Rosen Smithfield, Joe Bernie Dupree’s. You could walk in that store, and feel like you’re right at home just by the people that are in there. To this day, I can still walk into sheets and some of the people in there, I feel right at home.
People move here for a reason. The growth [00:50:00] here is phenomenal. It’s crazy out of control. It is out of control. The growth here is like Hulkamania running wild, but the people who are in this County who love this County, that’s what makes this count. That’s what makes this County. You take the people out of this County and you replace them with a different group of people.
It’d be pointless. It’d be meaningless. It wouldn’t be home. So Johnston County, the people is what makes this place what it is.
Jonathan Breeden: And that’s what almost everybody that answers the question we asked that, and we’ve been doing this for, over 40 some odd episodes now. So anyway, we’d like to thank Ronald Johnson for being our guest on the Best of Johnson County podcast.
he is on the ballot, on November the 5th, early voting starts, I believe, on October the 17th. and, he’s running against the governor. Jeff Sullivan for a school board for a school board seat. If you like what you heard today, vote for him, do more research. How can they find out more about you and what you’re trying to do?
Ronald Johnson: Yeah, ElectRonJohnson. com. It’ll link you right to my Facebook page and definitely for, Jonathan Breeden, you definitely want to click that slap that subscribe button for this guy. He’s out here doing [00:51:00] Johnston County’s work by getting the people who make the decisions in front of you, right from the comfort of your home on that telephone.
Jonathan Breeden: All right. And yeah, so just look for that on the ballot. Keep listening back every Monday. We’ve got new episodes coming out. it’s been a ton of fun. We’re going to have a lot of great guests coming up. We’ve had a lot of great guests in the past and go back, listen to the county commissioner, chairman Bush Lauder, county economic development director, Chris Johnson, and county parks director, Adrian O’Neill.
we’ve had, several other kind of commissioners, representative Donald White’s been on, as well. So it’s been a lot of fun. We’ll keep doing it until next time. I’m your host, Jonathan Breeden.
Narrator: That’s the end of today’s episode of Best of Johnston County, a show brought to you by the trusted team at Breeden Law Office. We thank you for joining us today and we look forward to sharing more interesting facets of this community next week. Every story, and every viewpoint adds another thread to the rich tapestry of Johnston County.
If the legal aspects highlighted raised some questions, help is just around the [00:52:00] corner at www. breedenfirm. com.
In this episode of The Best of Johnston County Podcast, we dive deep into the world of local education with our special guest, Ronald Johnson. A Johnston County School Board member since 2016, Ronald is no stranger to controversy and candid discussions. As he gears up for his re-election campaign on November 5th, 2024, he joins us to share his journey, challenges, and vision for the future of Johnston County schools.
A Journey Rooted in Education and Community
Ronald Johnson’s story begins in Smithfield, Johnston County, where he grew up and later served as a police officer. His passion for education and community service led him to run for the school board in 2016. Motivated by a desire to implement programs that support students and teachers, Ronald was determined to bring change to the local education system. With a background in criminal justice and business, he brings a unique perspective to the board, focusing on accountability and transparency.
Tackling Controversies Head-On
Throughout his tenure, Ronald has been involved in several high-profile controversies, from budget discussions to school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this episode, he opens up about the challenges he faced, including accusations of misconduct and the infamous recording incident. Ronald explains his actions and motivations, shedding light on the complexities of school board politics and the importance of standing up for what he believes is right.
A Vision for the Future
As Ronald seeks re-election, he outlines his goals for the next four years. His primary focus is on supporting teachers and reducing bureaucracy within the school system. He emphasizes the need for early intervention and effective resource allocation to improve student outcomes. Ronald is committed to advocating for the classroom and ensuring that every child in Johnston County has access to a quality education.
Why Listen to This Episode?
This episode offers a rare glimpse into the inner workings of the Johnston County School Board and the challenges faced by its members. Ronald Johnson’s candidness and dedication to his community make for a compelling listen. Whether you’re a parent, educator, or simply interested in local politics, this conversation provides valuable insights into the issues affecting our schools and the potential solutions on the horizon.
Join us for this enlightening episode and gain a deeper understanding of the dynamics at play in Johnston County’s education system. Listen now to hear Ronald Johnson’s story and his plans for the future of our schools. Don’t forget to subscribe to The Best of Johnston County Podcast for more engaging conversations with local leaders and community members.
AND MORE TOPICS COVERED IN THE FULL INTERVIEW!!! You can check that out and subscribe to YouTube.
If you want to know more about Ronald Johnson, you may reach out to him at:
- Facebook: ElectRonaldJohnson.com
Connect with Jonathan Breeden:
- Website: https://www.breedenfirm.com/
- Phone Number: Call (919) 726-0578
- Podcast: https://breedenlawpodcast.com/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@BestofJoCoPodcast
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