Dr. Maria Teresa Unger Palmer is a distinguished North Carolina educational leader, known for founding the state’s first Spanish immersion preschool, Mi Escuelita, in 1996, and becoming the first Latina appointed to the NC State Board of Education in 1999. She is a longtime advocate for bilingual education, a former Chapel Hill town council member, and holds a doctorate in educational leadership from UNC-Chapel Hill.
As a former teacher, principal, and member of the State Board of Education, María has ample experience in education leadership. She has published several articles on the experiences of students in our schools.
As our current school board considers closings schools, María has argued against this course of action and has proposed alternatives. Listen to what she had to say recently at a meeting of the Chapel Hill-Carborro Board of Education.
Here are some highlights from her presentation:
- She is committed to the schools systems in Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Orange County.
- She will help keep schools open, avoiding the need for closures.
- She helped bring Dual Language education to Chapel Hill and Carrboro and is committed to seeing those programs grow.
- She has a vision for universal preschool.
- She understands funding sources.
- Selling school buildings, as proposed by the school board, is unnecessary and dangerous for our future.
- She has a positive vision for the future of education in all of Orange County.
María is a committed and outspoken advocate for educational equity and strong public education.
