Meet the candidates who want to fill the vacancy on the Wake County school board
Eight people have applied to fill the vacancy on the Wake County school board..
Several former teachers and principals are among the applicants who met Monday’s deadline for the District 2 seat which covers much of Garner and Fuquay-Varina and part of Southeast Raleigh.
The school board voted Tuesday not to interview one of the applicants because he didn’t include the required recommendations letters in his packet.
“We were very clear on the expectation of what was to be submitted,” said school board member Lynn Edmonds.
The seat became open when board member Monika Johnson-Hostler resigned after winning election to the General Assembly.
The new board member will finish Johnson-Hostler’s term, which expires in December 2026. She had held the seat since first being elected in 2013.
Meet the Wake school board applicants
▪ Alexandra Alcantara is the CEO and co-founder of a design agency. Alcantara’s priorities include expanding school-to-workforce programs to create pathways for high school students entering the workforce.
▪ Caroletta Daniels is a former Wake teacher and administrator who specialized in working with special-education students. Daniels’ priorities include increasing graduation rates by creating positive school climates.
▪ Delon Fletcher is program director of the Agarwal Scholarship Program. Fletcher’s priorities include expansion of truancy prevention interventions to reduce chronic student absenteeism.
▪ Kara Gensor is a former Wake teacher who is currently an instructional designer and learning management system administrator for the state court system. Gensor’s priorities include increasing student attendance and reducing chronic absenteeism.
▪ Christina Gordon is a former Wake teacher who is currently a professional learning specialist for the N.C. Association of Educators. Gordon’s priorities include building inclusive and affirming school communities
▪ Brady Kocher is a former Wake principal who is currently state success manager for the LETRS program that is training the state’s elementary school teachers in teaching the science of reading. Kocher’s priorities include strengthening early literacy instruction in Wake.
▪ Joshua McGee is deputy director of community engagement for NC Child. McGee’s priorities include increasing parent, family and community partnerships. The board will not interview McGee because he didn’t include recommendation letters.
▪ Thaddeus Sherman is a former Wake principal who is currently a director of school leader development for TNTP, an education non-profit group. Sherman’s priorities include a review of grading practices and policies that are creating inequitable experiences for students.
What’s next in school board member replacement?
The other eight school board members will pick the replacement for Johnson-Hostler. The board is officially non-partisan but has a 6-2 Democratic majority.
The board is tentatively scheduled to interview the applicants at a specially called public meeting on Jan. 14. The vote would likely happen that day.
If there are weather issues, the interviews will be rescheduled to Jan. 22 or Jan. 24.
The swearing-in ceremony would be on Feb. 4.
This story was originally published January 7, 2025 at 6:28 PM.
