Four candidates — Sandy Ellington-Graves, Avery Wagoner, Seneca Rogers and Tameka Harvey — were elected to the Alamance County Board of Education. Ellington-Graves received 15.35% of the votes, Wagoner received 14.71%, Rogers received 14.65% and Harvey received 13.67%. Eight candidates ran, but did not receive enough votes to be on the board.
Last fall, mold was found in 32 of the 36 ABSS schools, leading to a late start for the school year and an estimated recovery plan totaling $225 million over five years. The board chair declared the school district was in financial crisis in November 2023 and since then, the chief financial officer, deputy superintendent, superintendent and public information officer all resigned or were fired. This year, candidates running focused on ways to rebuild financially and academically from this crisis.
Wagoner has not previously been on the board but has run before. He previously told Elon News Network that he was running to ensure students wouldn’t be left behind.
“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.”
Rogers currently serves on the board after being appointed in 2023 and previously told Elon News Network he ran to give back to the public school system he has benefitted from.
“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,” Rogers said. “I'll step up seven days of the week.”
Ellington-Graves, the current board chair, previously told Elon News Network she ran for reelection to help address both financial and academic challenges of the school system.
“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.”
Harvey ran for the first time this election cycle and previously told Elon News Network she ran to try and prioritize both students and parents — from all parts of the county.
“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.”