Name: Jasmine Zavala
Age: 31
Party affiliation: Democrat
Campaign website: https://jasmineforwakeschools.com/
Occupation & employer: Small business owner Los Tres Magueyes
Years lived in the area: 31
1. What is your past or current involvement with Wake County Public Schools? What makes you qualified for this job?
I was a student in the district I’m hoping to serve, and I later became a NC public school teacher. My experience in the classroom, along with my background in public policy, nonprofit work, and small business management, gives me a broad perspective on how decisions affect students, educators, families, and our community.
2. What are the three main issues that you believe the Wake County Public Schools Board of Education needs to address in the upcoming years?
My three priorities are fully funding our schools, ensuring schools have the resources and opportunities they need to succeed, and supporting our teachers and staff. As Wake County continues to grow, we also have to make thoughtful decisions and communicate with all elected officials from local to state and work together.
3. In your opinion, how should the school board approach its mandate to pass a balanced budget when costs (teacher and staff pay, building maintenance, materials, transportation, etc.) are rising every year and the state continues to underfund Wake’s public schools? For example: Which types of funding cuts are you most or least comfortable approving? How aggressively should the school board lobby Wake County for more funding?
Budget decisions require balancing many important needs. I would approach those decisions carefully, with an emphasis on protecting students and classrooms while continuing to advocate for strong public-school funding at every level.
4. North Carolina recently passed a law barring teachers from instructing their students on “divisive concepts” related to racism, sexism, and inequality. The Trump administration says it has cut billions of dollars in spending for diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives nationwide. WCPSS still has an equity policy in place, but has eliminated its Office of Equity Affairs to come into compliance with the new state law. How do you think these changes will affect the WCPSS community? What should the school board be doing to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion districtwide?
Every student deserves to feel respected, supported, and able to succeed in school.
As laws and requirements change, the board must continue to ensure that students have fair access to opportunities and resources and that schools serve the diverse communities that make up Wake County just like in my district.
5. WCPSS, like other North Carolina school districts, is losing students (and dollars) to charter and private schools. Do you support North Carolina’s Opportunity Scholarship voucher program for private schools? What should WCPSS do to retain more students and families, and how should the district manage the funding loss from students moving to charters?
Families want strong schools where their children feel supported and have opportunities to succeed. My focus would be on continuing to strengthen WCPSS.
6. Wake County voters will have the option to support a $680 million school bond for new school construction and facility repairs. Do you support the bond? Why or why not?
I believe our students and staff need safe, functional, and well-maintained schools. The proposed 2026 Wake school bond is $680 million and would support much needed facility projects, so that our kids have some and comfortable school environments.
7. Last school year, a state investigation found that WCPSS failed to reliably transport two students with disabilities to and from school in violation of their legally-binding Individual Education Plans. WCPSS paid over $2 million in settlements to special education families since the start of 2025. And this spring, the school board unanimously rejected the superintendent’s proposal to cut $18 million in special education funding to plug a budget hole—but did not meaningfully increase the budget for special education, as the local chapter of the North Carolina Association of Educators implored them to do. What should WCPSS be doing to better support students with disabilities and their teachers?
Students with disabilities deserve appropriate support and access to the services they need. WCPSS can continue listening to families and educators and review where partnerships and opportunities exist to help support all students.
8, How should WCPSS address the ongoing challenge of school bus driver turnover as drivers leave the school system for better-paying positions in the private sector?
Continue listening to transportation employees and evaluating ways to improve working conditions. Reliable transportation is essential for students and families success.
9. How should WCPSS respond to efforts to ban books in schools?
Decisions about instructional materials should be thoughtful, transparent, and consistent with district policy and state law.
10. Recently, Durham Public Schools implemented a Universal Free Lunch program that provides nutritious free breakfasts and lunches to all of the system’s students. The Wake County school board, on the other hand, voted to charge more for meals this academic year (while also agreeing to form a task force to explore lowering prices and feeding more students) Was this the right move? Should WCPSS follow DPS’s lead and find a way to provide free meals to the district’s students? What strategies can the district employ to bring meal prices down?
I would continue advocating with our county and state leaders for stronger support and funding for child nutrition. I recently attended a presentation with the director of Child Nutrition Services and heard how strongly nutrition can impact student success. Teachers shared that students performed better in math and reading when they ate breakfast, while disciplinary issues also decreased significantly. Students cannot learn when they are hungry.
11. In 2023, the district set a goal for 90% of its students to meet or exceed grade-level proficiency in 2028, with no disparities based on race, ethnicity, gender, or socioeconomic status. Recent data show that two-thirds to three-quarters of WCPSS students are testing proficiently on their end-of-grade exams, an increase from 64.4% of students who, at the end of 2025, were meeting or exceeding proficiency. What factors do you believe are contributing to this progress, and what should the district continue to do to boost proficiency across the board and eliminate disparities?
Progress comes from the work happening every day in our classrooms and providing the right resources to our teachers. And we can be stronger if we give teachers the support they need with their students. We should continue supporting teachers, and programs that address individual needs for every student weather they are AIG, Special Needs, ESL, On grade level or just need specialized instruction.
12. Should WCPSS adopt a formal meet-and-confer policy with the Wake County Association of Educators as Durham Public Schools has done? Why or why not? How should the school board work with the group?
Educators should have meaningful opportunities to share their experiences and concern with the board. I support consistent communication in a process that allows educators to be heard and followed up with.
13. If there is anything else you would like to address, please do so here.
Education changed my life, and I believe every child deserves that same opportunity. As someone who has been both a student and a teacher in public schools I will always keep students at the center of my decisions and work to ensure that every student, regardless of where they live in the district, has access to the resources and opportunities they need to succeed.
