Board of Education, District 1: Heather Scott
We like both candidates for this open seat—Don Mial and Heather Scott—and we think either could do a terrific job, but we’re endorsing Scott, who’s spent the last two decades teaching music education. Mial’s background is impressive; he’s a former teacher and soldier, with a master’s degree in public administration, and he’s spent decades serving in social, political, and civic organizations. We also agree with him that it’s time to consider whether the Board of Education, rather than the Board of Commissioners, is the right body to levy school property taxes. But Scott, who has two kids in public schools, including one involved in the 504 program that accommodates students with disabilities, impressed us with her deep knowledge of issues like racial disparities in suspensions and the problems associated with the school assignment process. We’d be happy either way, but Scott has our vote.
Board of Education, District 3: Shaun Pollenz
Here again, Wake residents will be well-served by either candidate, challenger Shaun Pollenz or incumbent Roxie Cash. Cash is certainly more experienced, having served on the board from 1991–99 and again to from 2016 to the present, including two years as chairwoman. She argues that she has credibility with current school board members and county commissioners—and given the recent tensions between the two bodies over funding, that’s important.
But we were taken with Pollenz’s thoughtful and thorough answers to our questions about school policies. As he points out, he would be the only board member who went to Wake public schools in the modern era, and his mother is a middle school teacher in this district. He says his top priority, and the reason he ran, is to restore the year-round academic intervention and school support services that Cash voted to eliminate during her first stint on the board. But he also wants to end the school-to-prison pipeline, end the achievement gap, and recoup money the state owes Wake’s school system. We endorse Pollenz.
Board of Education, District 5: Jim Martin
Challenger Logan Martin, a former adviser to Republican state representative Nelson Dollar, says he wants to increase transparency and accountability and be a voice for students, teachers, and parents. Those are good goals, but we don’t see any reason to unseat incumbent Jim Martin, a chemistry professor at N.C. State who has served on the school board since 2011. Martin is versed in the challenges facing the district—some of which don’t come with black and white solutions—including the problems of charters and resegregation, which, as he notes, is often more rooted in housing patterns than school board decisions. Martin deserves reelection.
Board of Education, District 8: Lindsay Mahaffey
Incumbent Lindsay Mahaffey faces two challengers this year: John Crowe, about whom we know little; and Bob Melone, who is endorsed by the county Republican Party. But we think Mahaffey has done a good job and should be reelected. An educator who has three young daughters—two of whom are in Wake elementary schools—Mahaffey has pushed the school system to enact a gender-neutral dress code and address implicit bias. She’s an asset to Wake County students and has earned another term in office.
