Name: Christina Gordon
Age: 43
Party affiliation: Democrat
Campaign website: www.christinagordonforschoolboard.com
Occupation & employer: Professional Learning Specialist, NCAE
Years lived in the area: 43
1. What is your past or current involvement with Wake County Public Schools? What makes you qualified for this job?
“I bring more than 20 years of experience as a North Carolina public school educator, National Board Certified Teacher, education policy advocate, and current member of the Wake County Board of Education. I am a product of Wake County Public Schools, a parent of three WCPSS students, and come from a family with generations of connections to public education in Wake County.
As an educator, I experienced firsthand how policy decisions affect students, families, and educators in the classroom. As a former NEA Professional Practice and Policy Teaching Fellow and current professional learning leader with the North Carolina Association of Educators, I have worked on education policy, educator advocacy, professional learning, and leadership development with educators and education stakeholders across North Carolina.
After being appointed to the Wake County Board of Education last year, I have spent the past year learning, serving, and leading on behalf of District 2. I currently serve as Chair of the Student Achievement Committee and Chair of the Board’s Ad Hoc Professional Development Committee. Through this work, I have engaged directly with student achievement and well-being, educator recruitment and retention, professional development, school facilities, budgets, rapid growth, and the impact of inadequate state and federal investment.
I bring a unique combination of classroom experience, policy expertise, parent perspective, and actual Board experience. I understand public education from the classroom to the Board table, and I am committed to serving Wake County with integrity, collaboration, and an unwavering focus on students.”
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 top 3 issues closely with WCPSS’s current strategic priorities around knowledge and skills, well-being, and operational effectiveness.
- Closing opportunity gaps and improving student achievement. We must look beyond test scores to understand the barriers that prevent students from reaching their potential and target resources where they are needed most.
- Student and educator well-being. Safe, affirming schools, strong mental health and behavioral supports, positive school climate, and meaningful relationships are foundational to learning.
- Sustainable investment in our schools. We need to address aging facilities, HVAC, overcrowding, technology, and staffing while advocating for the General Assembly to fully fund public education. Local taxpayers cannot continually be expected to make up for inadequate state funding.”
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?
“I approach our duty of developing a balanced budget with one clear question… What most directly impacts students and the educators who serve them? Resources continue to be limited because the GA consistently underfunds our public schools. However, I have promoted protection for classroom instruction, high-need student supports, educator positions, and school-based services as much as possible.
I am least comfortable cutting positions or programs that directly support student learning, mental health, special education, school safety, and educator retention. I look first for efficiencies in areas that have the least direct impact on students, while also examining vacancies, contracts, administrative spending, and opportunities to improve operations.
At the same time, I believe the School Board must be honest about what our schools actually need. We cannot balance a budget by simply shifting costs onto schools, educators, or families.
I will continue to advocate consistently with Wake County Commissioners for the resources WCPSS needs, while recognizing the strong partnership the County has already provided. I know it is also my duty to use my public platform to hold the General Assembly accountable for its responsibility to adequately fund public education. Local taxpayers should not continually have to compensate for state underfunding.
My goal would be a balanced budget that is student-centered, transparent, responsible, and sustainable—not simply balanced on paper.”
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?
“These changes create a real challenge for WCPSS because we must comply with state law while continuing our responsibility to ensure every student is seen, known, valued, and challenged. I was one of the community members who served on the feedback panel for WCPSS’s equity policy in 2024, and I believe deeply in the work our educators do every day to create inclusive learning environments.
I do not believe diversity, equity and inclusion is not about lowering standards or assigning blame. It is about making sure every student has access to opportunity, belonging, and a rigorous education. I believe educators should continue teaching our history honestly and completely.
The Board should protect WCPSS’s equity commitments within the law, support educators with clear guidance and professional learning, listen to families and students, and use data to identify and address opportunity gaps.
I am also concerned about the continued loss of federal education funding. When billions of dollars are removed from public schools, the impact ultimately reaches students. For example, WCPSS magnet programs are designed to promote school diversity while providing students with unique academic opportunities. WCPSS describes its magnet programs as promoting both academic excellence and school diversity.”
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?
“I strongly oppose private school vouchers. Public dollars should be invested in public schools. Our public schools have a constitutional responsibility to serve every student, and they should have the resources necessary to do that work well.
WCPSS must continue earning the trust of families by providing strong academics, safe and affirming schools, excellent educators, meaningful school choice within the public system, and programs that meet the diverse needs and interests of students. Families should see WCPSS as a place where their children can thrive.
We also need to address the funding consequences when students leave for charter schools. Under current state policy, charter schools receive public funding for students who enroll, and when students later return to WCPSS, the funding does not necessarily return with them in the same way. I believe public education dollars should follow the student. If a student returns to their local public school district, the funding associated with that student should return to the district responsible for educating them.
Rather than continually asking local taxpayers to make up funding gaps created by state policy, I would advocate with the General Assembly to change the funding structure so that public dollars remain aligned with the public schools serving students.”
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 fully support the $680 million school construction bond referendum on the November 3 ballot. Wake County continues to grow, and we need to invest in schools that can meet both current and future student needs. The bond would help us build at least three new schools, address critical HVAC needs and renovations at at least nine schools, upgrade school safety, modernize classrooms and technology, and improve aging athletic fields and turf at more than 10 sites.
These investments are ultimately about students and their learning environments. Students should not have to learn in overcrowded classrooms, buildings with failing heating and cooling systems, or facilities that are not equipped for today’s learning and safety needs. This bond allows us to address those needs while Wake County continues planning for long-term growth.”
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?
“WCPSS has an obligation to meet every student’s learning needs, whether those needs are academic, behavioral, social-emotional, or related to disability. We must also rebuild trust with families and special education educators by ensuring that IEPs are implemented consistently and that students receive the services to which they are legally entitled.
WCPSS is currently restructuring its special education department. While I strongly believe students with disabilities should have full access to core, general education instruction and meaningful inclusion with their peers, I do not believe that fewer adults will produce better outcomes. Inclusion requires investment and support.
We must provide general education teachers with the training and resources to effectively serve students with disabilities while also ensuring special education teachers have manageable caseloads and sufficient time to provide instruction, collaborate, communicate with families, and complete the significant amount of paperwork their roles require.
I would prioritize funding and staffing based on student need, strengthen accountability for IEP implementation, and meaningfully engage special education families and educators in decisions that affect them. We also need to examine the systems that contributed to transportation failures and settlements and ensure those failures are not repeated.
Our goal cannot simply be compliance. Our goal must be meaningful access, belonging, and success for every student. We have work to do, and rebuilding trust with families and special education educators must be part of that work.”
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?
“WCPSS has made meaningful investments in recruiting and retaining transportation employees, including covering the costs of CDL permits and licenses, Department of Transportation physicals, and TB testing for new employees. The district has also invested up to $1.6 million in bonuses. I recognize there is still a real need for more transportation employees, and competition from higher-paying private-sector positions is a significant challenge.
We need to build on these investments by examining compensation, benefits, schedules, working conditions, and opportunities for advancement. I would also advocate for stronger state funding for transportation so WCPSS can offer competitive wages and retain experienced drivers. Our bus drivers are essential to getting students to school safely and reliably, and retaining them is an investment in student success.”
9. How should WCPSS respond to efforts to ban books in schools?
“I do not support banning books. WCPSS should continue providing students access to diverse, age-appropriate literature while following state requirements and established district processes. WCPSS currently complies with state regulations by providing classroom and library book lists on school websites and has a process for parents who do not want their child to read a particular title.
I believe parents should have the ability to make decisions about what their own children read, but one adult should not have the power to remove a book from access for everyone else’s children. Teachers, librarians, and curriculum professionals should be trusted to select materials that support learning, literacy, and meaningful exposure to diverse perspectives. Our responsibility is to provide families with information and choices, but not to limit access for everyone.”
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 believe every student should have access to a nutritious breakfast and lunch without cost being a barrier. I also think it is important to recognize that WCPSS and Durham Public Schools are very different in size, and Durham has a higher proportion of schools eligible for the federal programs that allow universal meals.
WCPSS is making progress. Through the federally funded Community Eligibility Program, we increased the number of schools providing free breakfast and lunch from 44 in 2025-26 to 53 this school year. I support continuing to expand access while exploring a sustainable path toward universal meals.
We should maximize federal and state reimbursements, expand CEP eligibility, negotiate bulk purchasing, reduce administrative costs, and pursue partnerships that help lower meal costs. I also support eliminating the stigma and barriers associated with meal assistance.
Ultimately, school meals are an investment in student learning. A hungry student cannot fully focus, participate, or thrive. We should continue to advocate for the General Assembly to identify sustainable funding so that no child’s ability to eat a healthy meal depends on their family’s income.”
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?
“The recent growth in proficiency is encouraging, but we have to look beyond the numbers to understand what is driving that progress. As a Board, we recently heard from four schools about the “story behind the data.” Their success reflected strong instructional leadership, teachers learning from and supporting one another, professional learning, early intervention, intentional use of data, and a school culture focused on student success.
We should continue investing in the educators closest to students and sharing successful practices across schools. We also need to identify opportunity gaps—not simply achievement gaps—and ask what barriers are preventing students from reaching their potential. That means targeted tutoring and intervention, strong family engagement, student well-being supports, and resources directed where needs are greatest.
Most importantly, we cannot define success solely by proficiency rates or a school’s letter grade. We need to understand the whole child and the conditions that allow students to thrive. Our goal should be sustained academic growth for every student, while eliminating disparities in opportunity and outcomes. And the General Assembly must take responsibility for fully funding public education so districts have the resources necessary to do this work.”
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?
“I believe educators deserve meaningful opportunities to have their voices heard, and I also believe district leaders and board members have a responsibility to engage those voices with openness and honesty. Likewise, productive collaboration requires all parties to approach difficult conversations with professionalism, respect, and a focus on shared goals rather than positions.
I also believe no Meet & Confer policy will be successful based on language alone. It requires a genuine commitment from everyone involved. Mutual respect, trust, transparency, and a willingness to listen must exist among educators, district leadership, the Superintendent, and the Board of Education. Every participant must come to the table in good faith, recognizing that each has a shared responsibility to improve outcomes for students and strengthen our public schools.
At the same time, Durham Public Schools and WCPSS are very different districts in size, structure, and context, so I do not believe we should simply replicate another district’s model without considering what works best for Wake.”
13. If there is anything else you would like to address, please do so here.
