2 Wake school board members not running for reelection. Here’s who is leaving.
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- Cheryl Caulfield and Chris Heagarty did not file to run for the Wake school board.
- Caulfield said she needed to focus on her family and health and listed her initiatives.
- Heagarty cited professional travel, family and health and endorsed Maddie Segal.
The Wake County school board will lose its longest serving member and its most conservative member — paving the way for newcomers to take their seats.
Board members Cheryl Caulfield and Chris Heagarty were not among the candidates who filed before the school board candidate filing period ended Friday. Board members Christina Gordon and board chair Tyler Swanson will try to hold on to their seats in this fall’s election.
The school board is officially nonpartisan. Caulfield, a Republican, and Heagarty, a Democrat, disagreed on some issues, such as funding for DEI grants and whether Wake should oppose the expansion of private school vouchers.
Their terms will expire in December.
Caulfield a voice for conservatives on board
Caulfield was elected in 2022 to represent District 1, which includes much of Wake Forest and eastern Wake and part of North Raleigh. She unsuccessfully ran in the March Republican Primary for the state Senate District 18 seat.
“After much thought and prayer, I have decided that at this time I need to focus on my family and health,” Caulfield said in a Tuesday post on Facebook. “Because of that, I will not be filing to run for re-election for Wake County Board of Education this coming election.”
In her post, Caulfield talked about how she’s championed initiatives such as the Parents’ Bill of Rights law, higher teacher pay, removing cellphones during class time, strengthening discipline policies and keeping vape shops away from schools.
Caulfield publicly clashed with the board’s Democratic majority on issues such as her support for President Donald Trump’s call to eliminate “discriminatory gender ideology” in schools. She’s often voted no on allowing schools to apply for grants, such as for LGBTQ projects or to purchase diverse books.
“Cheryl worked to protect children from inappropriate materials, to fund necessities such as HVAC systems over administrative bloat and to stop bullying in schools,” the Wake County Republican Party said in a Facebook post on Tuesday. “She’s done too much to mention.”
Caulfield has not yet announced if she’s endorsing any of the candidates for the District 1 seat.
Heagarty will depart as board’s most senior member
Heagarty joined the board in 2018 after being appointed following the death of board member Kathy Hartenstine. Heagarty went on to win election in 2020 and 2022 for the District 7 seat, which includes northwest Raleigh, Morrisville and parts of Cary.
Heagarty cited increased professional demands requiring frequent out-of-state travel, a desire to spend more time with his family and managing personal health concerns for not seeking another term. Heagarty is a practicing attorney and CEO of the Ray Corollary Initiative, which encourages people to pursue options such as arbitration or mediation to resolve disputes.
“I want to thank the voters, the WCPSS staff, and my fellow board members for their confidence in me and their support,” Heagarty said in a statement to The News & Observer.
Heagarty has served as the school board’s vice chair and chair, lobbying for efforts such as increased school funding while dealing with federal education changes from the Trump administration. Heagarty has also been willing to publicly challenge school administrators when he doesn’t feel the board has gotten enough information.
Heagarty has endorsed Maddie Segal to be his successor. Jacob Arthur and Amita Gupta are also running for the District 7 seat.
“Chris Heagarty has spent the last eight years serving District 7 with a deep commitment to our public schools,” Segal said in a July 5th Facebook post. “For anyone who knows him, you know how thoughtful he is. As his constituent, Chris has always been generous with his time, patiently helping me understand how to channel my passion into tangible impact.”
