Wake County school board member Lindsay Mahaffey is resigning
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- Lindsay Mahaffey will resign from the Wake County school board in August 2025.
- Mahaffey, a former chair and teacher, has served on the board since 2016.
- Wake County school board will appoint a replacement through November 2028.
Longtime Wake County school board member Lindsay Mahaffey announced her resignation Tuesday as one of the leaders of North Carolina’s largest school districts.
Mahaffey announced at Tuesday’s school board meeting that she will step down, effective Aug. 31. The former board chair has represented southwestern Wake since 2016 and was board chair when Superintendent Robert Taylor was hired in 2023.
“While I may be moving from this seat, my love and support of this district will continue,” said Mahaffey, a former teacher. “I am looking forward to spending more time with my family.”
Brought teacher’s perspective to board
Mahaffey represents District 8, which includes parts of Apex, Holly Springs and Fuquay-Varina. She lives in Apex with her husband, Apex Councilman Terry Mahaffey, and their children.
Mahaffey never taught in Wake. But she often provided her perspective of having been a teacher for eight years.
She’s been a strong proponent of raising school employee pay and increasing school funding. She also has been a critic of efforts to expand the state’s support of funding for private school vouchers.
“It is with this immense gratitude that I thank the community of District 8 that has selected me to represent them over the last five election cycles and thank you to the board members I’ve had the pleasure to serve alongside,” Mahaffey said Tuesday. “I’ve grown into this role and enjoyed serving my community for almost nine years.”
The school board is officially non-partisan, but Mahaffey has run with the endorsement of the Wake County Democratic Party. She handily won her elections, including picking up 59% when she was re-elected in 2024.
She ran last year on a platform that included raising academic excellence in Wake.
What’s next for replacing her
The board will appoint a replacement to complete her term, which expires in November 2028.
The board has had plenty of experience in recent years filling vacant seats due to resignations. Earlier this year, the board appointed Christina Gordon to replace Monika Johnson-Hostler after she was elected to the state legislature.
When the process begins, the board will set a deadline for accepting applications. The board will interview the candidates at a public meeting before making their choice.
This story was originally published August 19, 2025 at 7:10 PM.
