CHAPEL HILL – Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board candidate, Ignacio Tzoumas (pronounced JEW-mas), says equity will be his biggest focus if elected. He says the district has to adapt to serve the ever-changing landscape.
“About 20 years ago, our school system (had) about 4,000 students, and now we’re at 12,” Tzoumas says. “Soon we’ll be at 20. The prerogative now is to restructure and modernize our school system so that we can give the best education to all our students that’s a very diverse population.”
WCHL’s Ran Northam spoke with Tzoumas about his seeking election to the School Board and how he believes he’ll best serve the students and parents of the district.
***Listen to the Interview***
Four candidates are contending for three seats on the school board.
Tzoumas and Andrew Davidson are the newcomers in the election as Shell Brownstein and James Barrett are seeking re-electoin. The newcomers agree that—while they agree with a lot of what Superintendent Tom Forcella is doing—they want to be a voice coming from someone other than who helped in his hiring.
“I think everybody is behind a lot of his strategies,” Tzoumas says “But, as a board member, we’re expected to make sure that he is hitting all the points that he has put out as his roadmap.”
Between now and Election Day, we’ll be previewing each of the candidates one-on-one.
For more on Tzoumas, click here.
Related Stories
‹
![]()
Hear The Candidates Debate The Issues LiveEarly voting begins Thursday, and we’re kicking off the week by bringing the candidates to you with two forums.
![]()
2013 CHCCS Candidate Profile: James BarrettChapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board member, James Barrett, says closing the achievement gap will continue to be his top priority if re-elected to the board.
![]()
2013 CHCCS Candidate Profile: Shell BrownsteinChapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board chair, Shell Brownstein, says closing the achievement gap will continue to be her top priority if re-elected to the board.

CHCCS Candidates Debate Achievement GapFour Chapel Hill-Carrboro school board candidates debated one of the district’s most persistent problems- how to close the achievement gap for all students.
![]()
CHCCS Chair Fears Coming Budget CutsCHCCS's board chair says the state budget is only going to make things tougher, but that's she's ready to work alongside Superintendent Tom Forcella to implement similar ideas for the future.
![]()
Speaking of Schools: CHCCS Board Chair Riza JenkinsChair of the Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools Board of Education Riza Jenkins spoke with 97.9 The Hill's Andrew Stuckey on Tuesday, January 20. She discussed latest meeting of the board, which outlined the process for closing a school within a district, and a presentation on the enrollment and budget data that led to that discussion. She also discussed a couple of recent policy changes that have feedback coming in: the cellphone policy and the change to a block schedule at the secondary level. Andy Jenks also joined to talk about inclement weather procedures and more.

UNC Men's Basketball Collaborates With Hargraves Students to Design Warm-Up ShirtsThe UNC men’s basketball team took another road trip Wednesday afternoon, though this one was closer to home than most.

Top Stories Of 2025: Triangle Residents Dazzle Across Television AppearancesFrom lovely islands to pretty summers and all the way to the Upside Down, the Triangle made its way onto the small screen in a big way this year.

Top Stories of 2025: In Orange County, An Anticlimactic ElectionThe municipal election was always going to be one of the top stories of 2025 in Chapel Hill - though this year's race was unusually quiet.

Top Stories of 2025: A Year of Change for Chapel Hill-Carrboro City SchoolsWhile the academic calendar goes from July to June, this calendar year for Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools was filled with major stories.
›