Democrat-endorsed Buncombe School Board candidates win 3 seats

ASHEVILLE - Three unaffiliated candidates for Buncombe County School Board who were backed by the Buncombe County Democratic party won their races Nov. 8, one with a tight margin.

Judy S. Lewis, Kim Plemmons and Rob Elliot each won races for the Enka, Erwin and Reynolds districts, respectively. All three were endorsed by Buncombe’s Democratic party and their opponents by the Buncombe County GOP.

Plemmons and Elliot will be new to their jobs while Lewis has been serving on the board since 2022, according to her biography on Buncombe County Schools website.

Lewis won the Enka district her race over Kim Poteat with 56.1% of the vote to 43.5% or 41,524 ballot count votes to 32,178.

Plemmons won the Erwin district race against opponent Greg Parks 64.4% to 35.3% or 47,878 votes to 26,210.

Elliot won the Reynolds district race against Sara Ratliff 51.6% to 48.1% or 38,259 votes to 35,629.

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Election results are not yet official and are set to be certified Nov. 18.

“Please know that your vote for me is reflective of a vote for your child,” Lewis said in a Facebook post Nov. 9, thanking her supporters and promising ongoing service on the board that would be student-centric.

“I do not take this responsibility lightly. My goal is to continue to follow the path that has brought me through more than (40) years in education. That is a path which includes the careful consideration of policies, procedures and people who may impact the lives of our children in Buncombe County Schools. Knowing that our children are our most precious treasures, it is imperative that we give of our best to provide the resources and tools necessary for their success.”

Elliot, a Fairview resident and registered forester who works in the supply chain industry, ran on a threefold platform, promising quality safety practices, engaged and collaborating family and community partnerships and increased support for teachers and staff.

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“Though many decisions regarding teacher pay, benefits and incentives are made in the NC General Assembly, we need to make sure our local school board policies are aligned toward optimal support for our teachers and staff,” Elliot said on his campaign website.

Plemmons, a retired Wells Fargo employee, tied her campaign to Elliot's and all three winners showed a kind of solidarity during the campaign, posting pictures of themselves on the trail.

“Rob Elliot and I have managed our campaigns to be clear examples of this approach at work in our communities and across the county,” Plemmons posted on her own campaign website.

Plemmons, Elliot and Lewis will start board member terms in a time of significant change for Buncombe County Schools.

The board on Sept. 22 voted Rob Jackson as a superintendent to replace outgoing Tony Baldwin, who served in the position since 2009 and officially retired Nov. 1.

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Jackson comes to the role with the burden of addressing staff pay and personnel issues that plagued the system, especially early on in the year.

“Unfortunately, we have seen incredible shortages in educators and not just teachers, but in our classified positions as well, teacher assistants and bus drivers," Jackson told the Citizen Times after the board voted him superintendent. "That is ... universal across the state. One of the things we have to do as educators is a much better job of telling our story, to talk about how important it is to be able to serve our community, to make a difference in a child's life, to look for opportunities to incentivize and encourage our students to consider a career in teaching."

There is confidence from some teachers inside the organization the new slate of candidates represent a progressive path to supporting teachers and a diverse approach to student services.

"Western North Carolina voters showed up in support of the issues they care most about," said Shanna Peele, a mother of three, a special education teacher and Buncombe County Association of Educators president in a Nov. 9 statement she provided to the Citizen Times. "In Buncombe County and across our state, public education was on the ballot. For those of us who care so deeply about the state of our schools, yesterday’s victories give us hope for a future where every child, regardless of their background or zip code, will be able to receive a quality education that prepares them for the future."

Peele praised community members who showed support for public education by voting for candidates endorsed by not only BCAE but Asheville City Association of Educators and Asheville-Buncombe Retired School Personnel. Those included both state and local candidates.

"We extend our congratulations to these advocates for our public schools," Peele said in the statement.

BCAE threw support behind the three now victorious school board candidates early in the race and continued supporting them through Nov. 8. In October, Peele outlined what her organization believes Buncombe County Schools needs most in education leadership right now.

"(Buncombe County Association of Educators) is committed to electing candidates who share our belief that Buncombe County’s children should have the freedom to pursue their dreams and are committed to equipping every teacher with the resources and professional development needed to deliver the quality education that prepares every child with the skills needed to succeed in the future, no matter their color, background or zip code," Peele said in October. "Kim Plemmons, Rob Elliot and Judy Lewis have proven that they fully support public education by demonstrating their commitment to our students, staff, and schools."

Andrew Jones is an investigative reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at @arjonesreports on Facebook and Twitter, 828-226-6203 or arjones@citizentimes.com. Please help support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Buncombe school board: Democrat-backed candidates win three seats