Advocating For Our Children: Conversation with Natosha Tew

Reuel Sample:
Hello and welcome to the NHC GOP podcast. I’m Reuel Sample. I am happy to be joined by the daughter of two patriots, Natosha Tew. Thank you for joining us on our podcast tonight.

Natosha Tew:
Thank you for having me.

Reuel Sample:
You are running for New Hanover County Board of Education. This is your first foray into politics like this. Why are you running? Are you insane?

Why Natosha Tew Is Running

Natosha Tew:
I’m beginning to wonder that myself. No, I’m running because, um, I want to finish the job that we elected a conservative majority school board two years ago to do. I, I had high hopes that by being one of only 17 counties in the nation that flipped to a conservative majority that we would be able to accomplish. Um, just a few things that we had set out to do. One would be to fire Foust and rid ourselves of DEI. And although we’ve made a good start on getting rid of the DEI EDEI committee, thanks to Melissa mason putting it forth for vote and our conservative board passing that we still have. Doctor Foust. And I don’t think it’s a secret of how I feel about, um, his performance and the performance of his administration.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion – DEI

Reuel Sample:
What is DEI and why is it so contrary to good education?

Natosha Tew:
To put it in simple terms, the acronym stands for diversity, equity and inclusion. I think it actually is a the exact opposite. It teaches our youth that all whites are inherently racist and all non-whites are inherently victims. Mm. Simple, as I put it.

Reuel Sample:
It’s interesting. It’s interesting. They put it DEI because you could just switch to two of the letters around. It becomes DIE. And that’s exactly what happens to, uh, school boards that put this into place.

Natosha Tew:
Uh, they should make that a slogan.

Reuel Sample:
But we talk about diversity, equity and inclusion. Isn’t it a good thing to celebrate the differences that we have as, as as human beings?

Natosha Tew:
Absolutely. I think it’s also important to be able to remember and reflect on the mistakes we’ve made as a population, and as they systematically remove every reminder that we have of our history. How were we to to genuine reflect on on what has happened and how not to make those same mistakes in the future? Um, I think that they’re doing a great disservice to our children, and it shows in the the testing results in the behaviors that we’re seeing. Um, and the reports I’m getting from teachers and parents right on the front lines.

Moms For Liberty

Reuel Sample:
You have been active with parents, especially through Moms for Liberty. Tell us a little bit about what Moms for Liberty does and what that organization stands for.

Natosha Tew:
We are. We’re on a mission to educate, unify and empower parents to defend their rights at all levels of government. Um, I was two years I’ve been in. I’ve been attending these school board meetings for about four years now. It all started when I had to drop my child off. Um, every, every morning. And tears were going down our face because they made her wear a face mask. And my my child has ADHD. She we don’t like she doesn’t like the medicine. We elect to do the other options. And because she would mess with her mask, they made her sit in the hallway during that year. Um, my blood started to boil then and then and I was she was just glad to be around kids, the social aspect, they were isolated for so long that I was willing just to swallow any bitter pill at that point, and until I saw them making my child run up and down the court wearing a mask and I, the mama bear in me, I was just I could not withhold what I needed to express. So I started attending the school board meetings. I’m like, they’re going to hear what I have to say. And I recognize that I wasn’t alone, that I was there was other parents out there that were as frustrated as I was. And and that’s really how I got involved. Um, I just wasn’t going to let it go. A little bit of my history to reflect back. I wasn’t just a firefighter for Wilmington for ten years. I was also a North Carolina hazardous materials technician and specialist for eight of the. I was one of the folks that went in to the level A suits that looks the encapsulated suits with the air.

Natosha Tew:
I was one of those folks I knew for a fact when they’re saying these masks are going to keep us safe, that was a lie. Yeah. All these letters behind their name making a lot more money than me. We’re trying to go along with it. And they had the same training as I did, and I was furious because it was my kid, and I had to drop her off every morning with tears in her eyes, and I cried. I was like, um. Mm mm. No, no. Um. And so once engaged and activated, um, I was I mean, I think that’s probably their biggest mistake because I haven’t let it go. My dad will tell you anything. I’m very stubborn and persistent. I think it’s one of my finer qualities for the most part. But when it comes to your child as a parent, you know, you know certain things. I think I was explaining this to you the other night. Like I learned a big lesson about flying with her that I do know. I know in my heart, like I feel her. I know what’s best for her. Like I respect other parents, they know their child and they should be a part of the the plan for their education. Um, for any kind of discipline, any they should be a part of it. And as parents, for the past ten years, we’ve felt isolated and kept out of the picture. And I want to bring parents back into the picture. They deserve a seat at the table, and they deserve the right for us to hear their voice.

Reuel Sample:
How are we going to do that? Is that, uh, we have been we have been sounding the alarm on parents getting out of education or pushed out of education by the Republican. Well, let me say that again, is that the Republican Party has been sounding the alarm that parents are being pushed out of education one way or the other. Uh, for the last decade, how are we going to get parents back into a directional involvement in their kids lives.

Parents Getting Involved

Natosha Tew:
I think that’s a tougher question. Um, I will say in the recent legislative committee meeting for the North Carolina Moms for Liberty chapters, that’s something we actually discussed because a lot of parents have checked out, um, and they feel intimidated, I think, of getting back involved. Um, I’ll give you a personal example of when I was my daughter was in third grade, and I was trying to I was trying to help her with math at third grade. And I’m like, oh, I can handle that. Like a third grade math, maybe fifth grade. No. Um, it was a power struggle because that’s not how we do it at school, mom. So I was like, okay. Let me go to school and see how they’re doing it. And I did, and I was like, what are they?

Natosha Tew:
What are what’s actually going on here? Because I, I mean, they I used to bring home 20 pounds of school books and my book bag, like I had to get, you know, they don’t bring home school books anymore. And it’s hard for a parent to be able. I mean, it’s been a while since I’ve had to do some of these, the calculations or what I use, I would use the book to rely on. We don’t have that. And if I ask my daughter, like, okay, what what exactly are you studying? She’s like, well, it’s online, you have to be at school to access it. And I’m like, no, I know that you’re able to access it off of, you know, out of school. She’s like, well, this work I can only do while in class.

Reuel Sample:
More of all of that in just a second. Bidenomics is hurting everyone. The high cost of fuel, the high cost of groceries, even insurance rates are going up. So we are begging you, if you have to make a choice between taking care of your family and giving to the GOP, please take care of your family. However, if you can spare it, we ask that you join our 15 for Freedom program. That’s $15 a month for 15 months will help us get Republicans elected to the county Commission and the Board of Education here in New Hanover County. Put a Republican in the governor’s seat and take back that White House. That’s 15 for Freedom at New HanoverGOP.org/15. Please consider joining us today. We need you.

Reuel Sample:
Interesting interesting. It’s you’re cut out. You’re cut out from even just.

Natosha Tew:
Yeah she may not want to engage in too much, but honestly I don’t think all the work should be just solely online. I feel like there should be a portion of it that like, parents want to help their kids. I know that we’re in the age of like technology and maybe it’s going to it’s going to be a painful lesson, I think, for some parents. Um, that’s kind of why. As for parents rights, I want to make everything opt in, and I want the parents. They have to be there to opt in, I want them. It’s a little painful. They’re like, I’d have to take time out of my schedule. Well, yes you do. These are your children. You have to take time out of your schedule and engage with their teacher. Come join us and let’s learn. Let you have to choose what you want your child to be a part of. And by the nature of that choice, they will have been involved more probably than they’ve been in the past four years.

Reuel Sample:
When I was a kid – an increasingly a long time ago – Is that it was. It was the kids against, in my view at that time, the unholy partnership of parents and teachers and as I have grown up, is that that is the best partnership that we can have. But how can we get that back? Because right now it just seems like it’s everybody’s playing off of each other. How can we get that back?

Working With Teachers

Natosha Tew:
I think there’s a fear of discipline, actually, in our schools and and from our parents. I was I grew up in the era where I, I it’s not something I’m suggesting or supporting, but I grew up like with a note from my dad to my teacher, like, you have the permission to spank my child if she misbehaved. I did not misbehave. My but my miss Carol, who she went to, she went to Sunday school with my dad. She knew my dad had a direct line to my father. There was a lot more accountability in our schools than the parents weren’t scared to reach out to. The teachers weren’t scared to to contact and reach out to the parents because they knew the parents would be receptive, receptive to what they had to say and that they were all doing this to to better the child. Now teachers are scared to reach out to the parents because that’s not my child. My child would never behave that way. Now let me tell you.

Natosha Tew:
We as parents have to be more. We have to accept our responsibility as well. We need to do a little more discipline at the house and holding ourselves accountable to our kids. And that way our teachers are not forced to discipline our children. They’re there to teach our kids. They’re they’re there to educate them.

Reuel Sample:
At the meeting that we had, the form that we had on Monday night with all the the candidates and you all did very, very well. I asked a question to the other, another candidate about transgender boys playing against girls. And afterwards you had said that that, uh, you had actually known about an incident up in Murphy, North Carolina. I didn’t know that your your daughter was very active in sports. Uh, how are you going to protect our girls from boys who want to play in girls sports?

Protecting Girls In Sports

Natosha Tew:
It’s simple. I’m going to enforce the policy that’s already in place. Mm. It’s there. But let me tell you, I’ve learned over the past week and I know from experience my my daughter’s firsthand experience of getting a phone call about a six week, well, about four weeks before Christmas of, hey, mom, I’m in the bathroom and there’s a boy in here, I was go tell your principal. Did anything come from it? No, I never got notified of it, and I didn’t really expect it. And I probably would have followed up on it more. Had everything about the Mosley Career Readiness Academy not kind of come out. And it was so explosive, it that took my attention. And then when I had the I heard about the recent incident at the middle school of this occurring. This is we have rules in place, we have policies in place and there needs to be enforcement of them. And if teachers and administrators is not willing to enforce those policies, they need to be relieved of their duties.

Reuel Sample:
Can boys be girls and can girls be boys?

Natosha Tew:
No, this is a biological fact. And if we’re trying to, I’ve actually had a conversation with one of our teachers that teach in elementary school, and I don’t want to give too much information, but she’s a little bit younger. Well, more than a little bit younger than I am. And, um, she’s convinced that you can actually change an XX to an XY. And and I’m, it’s it blows my mind that we have teachers, our children. This is not possible. Um, this is a mental health issue that is being not only ignored, but exacerbated. When I was growing up, Reuel, it was like the cutting and or the the anorexia or the bulimia. You didn’t encourage the girl to keep throwing up to, to get herself thin enough. Like that’s not how you encourage that. That’s not how you remedied that behavior that needs to be seriously addressed. And it’s not being handled properly. And it’s a billion industry that people are buying into at the cost of our children. It’s horrific and unforgivable.

Reuel Sample:
It’s it’s it’s literally killing kids. It is maiming them for life. It is sterilizing them is this is the and it’s the school districts where we see that the most is that they are oftentimes they are transgendered without their, their, their parents knowing about it.

Natosha Tew:
If I’m thinking I’m correct in the stats and I could be wrong, I try to be really good about it. But, um, I believe and we’re at a right now, it’s like 1 in 7 kids are a are identifying with gender dysphoria right now. And if I’m wrong, please forgive me. It’s way more than it should be. Um, the increase in just the past few years is almost double. And that is that’s a social contagion. And I didn’t know what that was until I heard it one time. And it kind of I was like, hold on a second. So I did my research. That’s a social contagion. It was so explosive. It was so quickly, and it spread so fast that that’s not a natural organic spreading of that. And it’s almost like a cult. And I don’t mean it. It is negatively. I don’t mean it derogatory. It’s probably what I’m saying. It’s a true mental health issue that needs to be addressed. Um, and instead they’re just they’re making money off these folks. And it’s sad.

Reuel Sample:
And our teachers, the ones that buy into that aren’t helping it. And they are they’re they’re foisting that on our kids. So if you find out – if you’re school board member – and if you find out that that a teacher is pushing this, or in the case of your daughter that the principal doesn’t do anything, what are you going to do?

Natosha Tew:
Well, I can’t do anything individually. This is where I would put policy forth to where I think a lot of the problems right now is there’s no enforce. There’s no consequences for breaking the rule. Mm. There needs to be a consequence. Either you heard him with a demotion. You heard him with a financial penalty. Um, they lose their depending on the severity, like the severity of the offense. And that’s beyond me, because when it comes to my kid, you don’t want me. But there needs to be. That’s something that we need to put in place as a board, and we need to handle it appropriately. Um, we there is no our children are their most precious thing. There’s the most innocent and precious of it. We need to protect them. And we need to recognize that, um, when there are transgressions, transgressions against them, that those penalties need to be reflective of those transgressions.

Financial Shortfall On The Board of Education

Reuel Sample:
Okay, let’s move on to another issue that we’re facing right now is that we talked about this a little bit on Monday, that we’re facing a 10 to $11 million shortfall in our, in our, in our school district. A lot of that’s coming from single or one time source. How are we going to make sure that we never have that never happens again. And how are we going to get out of this issue?

Natosha Tew:
Um, well, I will say that there’s quite a bit of money available for us in the endowment fund. I’d like to know when that’s gone. Those funds are going to be released, and what it’s going to take for those funds to be released. If we’re ever in an emergency, we’re in it right now. Um, I don’t feel like we need to. No teacher should get their pay cut. Their salary doesn’t need to be cut. If anything, it needs to be increased. I’d like to see a little less, uh, salary at the administration level. Um. That what that looks like? It would take, again, a board decision. I feel like our superintendent and I don’t feel bad for picking on because his. I don’t feel like our return on investment on him is impressive, as he likes to, like, turn our children, our children with special needs. Um, at at his salary, he needs to be giving a lot more for his, um, his investment. But if we were to take that, his salary and perhaps his, uh, Doctor Fasion’s salary and better use that, I mean, that would be a good start.

Natosha Tew:
I do have a question. And that grants are a new thing to me. I was a little familiar with it in the fire service, but I never was actively involved with writing it. I’d like to know why there was no one that was put that was assigned to to like, go to, um, what is the word I’m looking for to try out or go out for the grant to continue on with the Mosley School? Why didn’t someone put together a grant for that? I feel like that was a ball kind of dropped. Maybe our school needs to hire someone. That that’s their job is to find these grants, these pockets of money out there that do not come with strings attached. Let me be very clear. I don’t want. Um, but I know that there are pockets of money that would be good to to help enrich certain programs. If we had someone on salary that might be better use of our money than spending $250,000 on a superintendent that actually doesn’t really do much to improve our schools.

Reuel Sample:
Let’s talk about improving our schools, and we’ll get to Doctor Foust a little bit later. Uh. Uh, Ben Carson, uh, who is, uh, I think just fantastic. Is that, uh, our he he said back in April of 2013. This was back then is that our public schools used to be the envy of the world in the pre 1930s. Why aren’t we there now? Is that you talk a lot about that we are very mediocre here in New Hanover County. What got us here? And what’s going to get us back to being the envy of the world?

Natosha Tew:
I’ll be honest, I think it’s the, uh, the federal takeover.

Reuel Sample:
Mm. Go ahead. Keep keep going on that.

Improving Our Schools

Natosha Tew:
I say that because, um, I don’t think really the federal government does any on a grand scale does anything. Well, except the military force, like, although they’re not doing a great job of it at our border right now. That was their intention was to protect us. I don’t believe they need to be involved with education. I think it should be more of a local issue.

Reuel Sample:
You know, and that’s very interesting because I was just thinking about this the other day, is that if you think about the Board of Education in the terms of government, you folks are at the lowest level, really, but you actually have the biggest impact because you’re training the next generation of Americans.

Natosha Tew:
I think we would have a much bigger impact role if we could have more control over the curriculums that we’re able to choose from. Unfortunately, we don’t have that right now. I do recognize that although the there is the authority lies within the board. However, what the choices that are presented to them are limited. And that’s why it’s that’s why it’s really important to make sure that we have a strong state board of education.

Reuel Sample:
As people look at these items that are going on not only in New Hanover, but across the country here in North Carolina, the Republican legislature just passed, uh, school vouchers and making school choice easier. What would you say to a parent who is saying, I’m not really sure about sending my kids to public school?

Natosha Tew:
Well, I would encourage them, um, to ask for a tour. I would encourage them not just for a tour of a public school, but of a charter school, of a private school, and of a home school of what it’s like. I had the unique experience of home schooling my child, and I will say I’m very impressed with our local community. And if you’ve never, um, been a part of that, it’s something I would recommend. They are they are truly in touch of with our community more that the there’s a joke within the home school community. The only thing home school kids don’t do are line up in a straight line. Well, because. That other than that, it was the most amazing experience to be a part of that to because parents are so engaged, we I mean, I actually had to participate and help teach some of the classes. I wasn’t the lead, I was, I was new, and I’m not a teacher. Um, but I was I was actively involved in helping with the class. I got to know that the parents of the kids that were in the class, and I got to know the kids that were in the class with my daughter as well. And it’s experience that vaguely, I look back to my childhood and it is reminiscent of that time. And to be honest, it’s why it’s so special to me. And I don’t think our youth has that today.

Reuel Sample:
Real quickly we talked about Foust, and you have talked about Doctor Foust and Doctor Faison numerous times at the school board. He has to go real quickly. Why?

Future of Dr. Foust

Natosha Tew:
Let’s start with his Covid 19 response. He’s got poor decision making skills and lack of leadership with Covid 19 seclusion rooms. Sophic solution survey, the Mosley closure, the Career Readiness Academy, Newcomer Center um, I mean the the blatant disregard he has demonstrated for the school board’s authority should that should be enough to warrant his termination. Not only that, he doesn’t want to take any responsibility for it. And the more and more I am involved in involved in my campaign, I’m actually getting more and more teachers reaching out to me of how they are in fear of retribution. And that’s not any way that our teachers should work. Um, that’s not how we’re going to get the best results from them, and that’s not how we’re going to get the best for our children.

Reuel Sample:
You know, if our teachers are walking on eggshells every time they come into classrooms, they’re not going to be bold enough to teach. I mean, it’s you have to have a backstop from the administration to teach. So. All right, so you’ve been out on the campaign. You’ve been talking to teachers, you’ve been talking to parents. What have they been what have you been hearing from them out there?

Natosha Tew:
They’re ready for Foust and Faison to be gone. And I’m honestly, that’s the first thing all of them tell me. Every single one of them. They’re ready. Not just the teachers, but the parents. They’re they’re exhausted from this. It’s. It seems like almost every school board meeting, there’s something to be torn up about. We’re ready to to get focused on rebuilding our schools to to bring in American first, to bring excellence back to our classrooms. Right now, we have 60% of our children that are not proficient at math one. But they’re graduating. They’re still graduating. So explain to me how this is happening. And I wonder, and then I’ve had these folks reach out to me saying, you know, well, what do you feel about, you know, teachers being able to fail a student? Well, my thing is like, if you don’t make the grade, you don’t get like, you don’t pass. Yeah. But apparently there’s still that, um, the whole perception, like, you have to pass the kid no matter what.

Reuel Sample:
Natosha, how can people get in touch with you to learn more about you and to support your campaign, or to get involved with your campaign?

Natosha Tew:
Well, they can go to my website. It’s Natoshaforschools.com. I’ll spell it because like I said earlier, my dad thought I was extra special and spells mine differently. So it’s an n-a-t-o-s-h-a f o r s c h o o l s.com.

Reuel Sample:
And there they can find out more about your platform. They can they can donate, and they can also volunteer to become part of your campaign.

Natosha Tew:
This is this is truly a community, grassroots movement. I am I’m just here because I know that I can. I’ve had a lot of people come up to me and they’re for one reason or the other job, or they’re busy with their kids. They just want someone to represent them. And I mean, obviously I don’t have a problem talking, and I’ve been involved with them, the school board, for the past four years. I might as well make it an official relationship and join up there on that diocese.

Reuel Sample:
I’ll give you the final word. Why should Republicans vote for you in this upcoming primary?

Natosha Tew:
Oh, I was hoping you were going to ask that, because I’m the most conservative America First candidate running for the New Hanover County School Board.

Reuel Sample:
That’s Natosha Tew, and that’s Natosha Tew for New Hanover County Board of Education. Thank you so very much for joining us. Primary start February 15th. Enjoy Valentine’s Day because on the February 15th it all starts. March 5th is the final day for the primaries. Natosha, thanks for joining us.

Natosha Tew:
Thank you for having me.

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