Alamance-Burlington Board of Education

Avery Wagoner

Burlington resident Avery Wagoner is making his second bid for public office as he campaigns for a seat on the Alamance-Burlington School Board. Currently serving as the vice president of wholesale marketing with Cary Oil Company, Wagoner is also a father of two, both of whom attended and graduated from Walter M. Williams High School in Burlington.  

Wagoner's decision to run is driven by a desire to ensure that all students receive the support they need.

“I saw children being left behind that I wanted to help and support,” Wagoner said. “My goal here is to make Alamance County better for all students in this county, not just a few.” 

Wagoner previously ran for the ABSS School Board in 2022 but did not secure a seat. He said he believes entering the race earlier this time gives him a better advantage.

When discussing the financial challenges facing ABSS after the mold crisis last year, Wagoner emphasizes his business background.

“I understand how to read a budget and be creative with the budget process,” Wagoner said. “Here in Alamance County, we have to fund our students. So it's not like you just cut the budget in half. You can't do that. You got to be creative.”

Through his candidacy, Wagoner said he seeks to leverage his financial expertise to develop innovative solutions that support both the district's budget and its students, reinforcing his commitment to improving education for all in Alamance County.

Seneca Rogers

Seneca Rogers is a current member of the Alamance-Burlington School System Board of Education, having previously run for a seat in both 2020 and 2022 without success. He was later appointed by the board to fill the vacancy left by retiring board member Patsy Simpson.

Rogers said he views his role on the board as more than just a title and emphasized the importance of the work involved.

“For me, it's about the work that comes along with it,” Rogers said. “That work of working for our next generation, working for our educators, working just for this community.”  

His commitment to public education is rooted in his own experiences growing up in Alamance County, where he feels that public education provided him with invaluable opportunities. 

“Public education gave me so much as a kid growing up here in Alamance County that I have so much to give back to them,” Rogers said. “In any way that I can always advocate for our next generation, advocate for our public education, advocate for our educators. I'm willing to do that. I'll step up seven days of the week.”

In discussing the financial challenges facing the district after mold was found in 32 of the 36 ABSS schools last year, Rogers acknowledged the complexity of the budget. He said funding issues are not solely local, but part of a broader challenge in North Carolina. 

He said the funding issues are not solely local but are part of a broader challenge in North Carolina. He said moving forward, he needs to engage in more advocacy at the state level to secure necessary funding resources.

“It’s not just an Alamance County issue,” Rogers said. “It’s a state of North Carolina issue, and so I feel like as a board member going forward, I need to do more advocacy work at our state level to make sure that we’re getting the funding resources that we need from them to not have to put so much of a burden on our county.”

Corrie Shepherd

Operations manager for the North Carolina Values Coalition Corrie Shepherd is making her first run for public office, running for one of the four open seats on the Alamance-Burlington Board of Education. 

Shepherd said she decided to run because she was becoming frustrated with the ABSS Board not addressing issues that she thought were important. 

“I was watching the school board meetings,” Shepherd said. “Our current school board members just weren't asking the questions that I want to hear about.”

Shepherd also said she decided to run for the ABSS Board because she is concerned about student’s learning development. 

“I'm just not seeing our schools produce kids that can have strong, critical thinking skills and writing skills, and that's concerning me,” Shepherd said.

According to Shepherd’s candidate profile on alamancevotes.org, Shepherd stated that current policies in ABSS are prohibiting teachers from doing their jobs and that diversity, equity and inclusion policies are harmful. 

“I feel strongly that teachers are called to serve and we are inhibiting their gifts and talents with too much time spent on other tasks besides teaching,” Shepherd stated. “I value equality over equity and think that DEI policies are harmful to all children.”

When it comes to the current financial state of ABSS, Shepherd said she thinks rather than cutting programs and staff the board should be looking at cutting administrative roles. 

“I understand that positions make up most of our budget,” Shepherd said. “School administration has climbed over the recent decade, way more than teachers per student. I would like to look at more administrative positions and see if some of those could be cut.” 

A mother of two, Shepherd said she hopes to be an advocate for students with disabilities in ABSS schools as well as an advocate for parents. 

“My oldest has special needs, he's autistic,” Shepherd said. “I am really familiar with the needs of special needs children, so I want to be an advocate for them because from what I'm hearing, things have gotten worse rather than better.”

Sandy Ellington-Graves

Sandy Ellington-Graves is running for reelection on the Alamance-Burlington School System Board of Education. According to her campaign website, Graves has been actively engaged in ABSS for 26 years, holding various leadership roles in parent organizations and participating in committees such as the Joint Facilities Task Force and the local parent advocate group, VOICE. 

In addition to education, she is a mother, real estate agent and also serves on multiple non-profit boards and committees such as the Salvation Army of Alamance County, Cone Health and the Denise Marie Flaherty Memorial Foundation. 

Ellington-Graves currently serves as board chair and was elected in 2020.

Ellington-Graves said effective financial management is important, particularly with the issues the district is currently facing after the mold issue at schools throughout the Alamance-Burlington School System. Last summer, mold was found in 32 of the 36 ABSS schools, causing spending of $225 million total to repair.

In reflecting on the challenges faced by the district, Ellington-Graves acknowledges the impact on staff and students.

“We put our people through a lot last year, and I want to make sure that we don't repeat that again,” Ellington-Graves said. 

In addition to financial management, Ellington-Graves identifies academic performance as a key priority. 

“We've really got to focus on academic performance,” Ellington-Graves said. “Really get back to the basics, which is teaching and learning and that's what's really gonna drive the success for our students.” 

Through her candidacy, Ellington-Graves said she aims to address both financial issues and academic performance and advocates for strategies that enhance the educational experience for students while ensuring the prudent use of resources.

Tameka Harvey

Mother and leader of the academic boosters club at Cummings High School Tameka Harvey is making her first run for public office, running for one of the four open seats on the Alamance-Burlington Board of Education. 

In spite of the issues facing ABSS schools such as the mold crisis and the current budget deficit, Harvey said she wants to prioritize the children and parents of Alamance County. 

“We need a lot more advocating for our children, a lot more advocating for our parents, and that's where I come in,” Harvey said. “A lot of people base their running around the mold issue that Alamance County had, but we still must remember what the real reason is, and that's our kids.”

In addition to prioritizing children and parents, Harvey also said that she wants ABSS schools to be more united across the district. 

“There are 38 schools within our district but it seems like on one side they might get more than the other,” Harvey said. “I don't want that, I want us to feel like one as one family, one ABSS.”

Harvey said she believes that her experience as a parent makes her qualified to be on the ABSS board of education. 

“I feel that on every board there should be a parent,” Harvey said. “The school board makes decisions, it affects parents, it affects kids and sometimes you need to have the input of a parent because it just makes more sense.”

While Harvey said she wants to prioritize children and families, she also has a plan to improve the current $2 million deficit that ABSS is facing.

“We always have to go back to our county commissioners,” Harvey said. “Teachers were cut, social workers were cut, I hate that. I'm hoping that at some point we can find our way back out of that and stand on good ground and I hope that we can create a good relationship with our county commissioners.”

Tara Raggett

Orange County English teacher Tara Raggett is making her first run for public office, running for one of the four open seats on the Alamance-Burlington Board of Education. 

Raggett was not present at the ABSS candidate forum, and according to the event organizers, Raggett did not RSVP for the event. 

Raggett did not respond to Elon News Network’s request for a comment.

Peter Morcombe

Charter school developer Peter Morcombe is making his first run for public office, running for one of the four open seats on the Alamance-Burlington Board of Education. 

Morcombe, who has developed six charter schools in North Carolina including River Mill Academy and Clover Garden School, said during the ABSS Board of Education candidate forum that his main complaint with the school board is that they are more focused on getting more money rather than how to best work with the money they currently have. 

“I want to change that to getting better results and having safer schools,” Morcombe said during the event. “With regard to the amount of money that they get, last year they spent $310 million to educate 21,932 students. That works out at about $14,600 per student, per year. That is more than enough. The charter schools can do it with about two and a half thousand less, and they get better results.”

During the forum Morcombe said he wanted ABSS to function more like charter schools. 

“I will be challenging, if elected, the ABSS board to switch its priorities and work more like charter schools,” Morcombe said. “Where they can get much better effectiveness from the money that is allocated.”

Morcombe said he believes that implementing a charter school model will help increase community involvement in the ABSS board. 

“This is where charter schools are strongest,” Morcombe said. “They have local boards selected by the parents that have great influence on the way the school is run. You need to have much more site based management, and then the parents will really be involved.”

Morcombe did not respond to Elon News Network’s request for a comment. 

Donna Westbrooks

Donna Westbrooks is for reelection for the Alamance-Burlington School System Board of Education, focusing on both financial management and educational quality. Westbrooks currently serves as vice chair and was elected in 2020.

In light of the district's current financial challenges after mold was found in 32 of the 36 ABSS schools, Westbrooks said she is optimistic with the new hiring of an executive director and director of finance for the county, both roles are set to begin this month. 

“We have to make sure that we are good stewards of the money that we do have so that we don't find ourselves going back into what we've had to experience last year,” Westbrooks said. 

She also said she will ensure quality education for students. 

“My top priority is always to make sure that our kids have the best education possible,” Westbrooks said. “Whatever we have to do to make sure that they feel safe, that they have all of the tools and resources that they need to be successful.”