Who will lead Wake schools? Democrats and GOP vie for the majority on board
.jpg "Wake County school board members discuss state legislation that would expand funding for private school vouchers during their meeting on Sept. 17, 2024 in Cary, N.C.")
North Carolina’s largest school system could continue to be led by a Democratic majority or flip this fall to a Republican majority for the first time in more than a decade.
Five of the nine Wake County school board seats are on the Nov. 5 ballot. If a slate of four conservative candidates wins it would shift the officially non-partisan board from a 7-2 Democratic majority to a 5-4 Republican majority.
The board held a 5-4 Republican majority for two years after the 2009 election. Since then, Wake has elected mostly Democratic candidates to state and county office.
The board sets policies for the district which has 160,000 students and is the 15th largest in the nation. Wake has an annual operating budget of $2.2 billion.
Whoever is in the majority after this fall’s election could exert even more influence. Vice chair Monika Johnson-Hostler is favored to win a General Assembly seat, which would mean the other board members would pick her successor.
Only residents in the five districts on the ballot can vote for the school board this year. The other four seats will be on the ballot in 2026.
School board endorsements
The Wake County Democratic Party is endorsing Jordyne Blaise in District 3 and incumbents Toshiba Rice in District 4, Lynn Edmonds in District 5, Sam Hershey in District 6 and Lindsay Mahaffey in District 8.
Those five candidates have also been endorsed by The Wake County chapter of the North Carolina Association of Educators and by Equality NC, which is the largest LGBTQ advocacy organization in the state.
The Wake County Republican Party is endorsing incumbent Wing Ng in District 3, Ted Hills in District 5, Josh Points in District 6 and Elizabeth McDuffie in District 8.
Robert Morales Vergara had also received GOP support in District 4 before he dropped out the race and announced he was endorsing Rice He missed the deadline to have his name removed from the ballot.
Ng, Hills, Points and McDuffie have also been endorsed by the Carolina Teachers Alliance, which is a conservative alternative to NCAE. The group also endorsed Mike Williams in District 4.
Moms for Liberty also lists its support for the four GOP-backed candidates. But McDuffie and Points said they did not seek endorsements from Moms for Liberty..
Academic performance
The candidates all agree on the need to improve academic performance and to raise teacher pay. But they split on some issues, as shown in their answers in a questionnaire sent by The News & Observer.
The GOP-backed candidates say the district isn’t doing enough to help students recover from the learning losses suffered during the pandemic.
“We have a crisis in our Wake County Public Schools with 1 out of 3 kids not proficient in reading and math that will require our entire community’s involvement to improve,” Points said. “Like our ongoing HVAC issues, this crisis has been a decade in the making. How will these results lead to be a better future society?”
But the Democratic-backed candidates say academic progress is happening.
“WCPSS has its highest ever graduation rate at 91.3% this past year, and we have more work to do in helping all students get across the stage,” Mahaffey said.
Private school vouchers
One of the sharpest divides is whether the state should increase funding for private school vouchers.
The GOP-backed candidates are all supporting the Republican-led General Assembly’s efforts to provide an additional $463.5 million this year to the Opportunity scholarship program.
“Parents understand that each child has a different set of learning needs,” Ng said. “The Opportunity Scholarship program provides a way for those who need an alternative to public schools but cannot afford that option.”
“Opportunity Scholarships give students alternatives to schools that may not be working for them, and the funding has taken nothing from public school budgets,” Hills added
The school board’s Democratic leadership held a press conference last month urging lawmakers to not override Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of the voucher expansion.
“The legislature should not fund private school vouchers and every candidate for a public school board should oppose them,” Hershey said. “Our job on the school board is to advocate for public schools, full stop.”
Mahaffey said lawmakers should first follow their constitutional obligations to adequately fund public schools.
“It’s estimated that WCPSS is owed over $170 million from the state to help fulfill this obligation,” Mahaffey said. “This could be going towards teacher pay, professional development, instructional materials like textbooks.”
Private school vouchers are diverting students and money from public schools and there is no accountability for how they spend the money or what student outcomes they produce, Blaise added.
“Private school may be a good option for some families, but they should not be paid for with public tax dollars,” Blaise said.
New Title IX LGBTQ+ rules
The two slates also differ over the board’s decision in July to update its policies to comply with the Biden Administration’s new Title IX rules. The new federal rules ban discrimination in schools based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
“WCPSS should have delayed the changes to the policy on discrimination, on the grounds that the new Title IX rules have been challenged in courts all across the country, and that a temporary injunction is in effect on a large portion of our schools,” said Ng, one of the two board members who voted against the policy changes.
The GOP-backed candidates also say the new Title IX rules are a backdoor way to allow transgender athletes to play on women’s teams.
“While all students should be cared for, treated with respect and made a part of the school community, biological males should not share private spaces such as locker rooms with biological females or participate in their sports,” McDuffie said.
Democrats deny the changes would overrule a new state law that requires athletes to play on the school team that matches their biological sex. The Democratic candidates also say the policy changes were needed to ensure the district didn’t lose federal funding.
“If further revisions are necessary in response to new court rulings, our staff and legal counsel will advise us to do so,” Edmonds said. “I will comply with federal law while simultaneously doing all I can to respect the dignity and rights of LGBTQ+ students and staff within WCPSS.”
Hershey said it’s only an issue because of Moms for Liberty. The group won a temporary injunction blocking enforcement of the new Title IX rules in schools across the nation.
“Moms For Liberty wants to demonize the LGBTQ+ community and have these culture wars, but I’m not having that and I’m proud NOT to have their support,” Hershey said.
Weapon detectors at schools
There’s a difference of opinion over whether Wake should install weapon detectors in schools. Some neighboring school districts such as Johnston County require students and visitors to walk through detectors installed at building entrances.
The Democratic-backed candidates are either opposed to installing weapons detectors or say they won’t consider it unless it’s recommended by the district’s security staff.
“I do not support weapons detection systems in schools,” Edmonds said. “I believe these give a false sense of security.”
There isn’t enough data to support the efficacy of weapon detectors, Blaise said.
“Besides the logistical challenges of getting students through them and managing multiple entry points, they can lure vulnerable parents into a false sense of security,” Blaise added.
The GOP-backed candidates either support installing weapon detectors or say they’re not opposed to having them.
“Every school from grade 6-12 should install these preventive assets, but they must be part of a much broader security plan,” Points said. “Strict rules and regulations go hand and hand with all safety additions..”
Weapon detectors are “an excellent common-sense measure,” according to Hills.
Weapon detectors are a critical component to creating school safety and security, according to McDuffie.
“School shootings and weapons at school are far too common not to be proactive at prevention,” McDuffie added.
This story was originally published October 22, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
