‘Historic’ and ‘diverse’ Wake school board takes office with four members of color
The most racially and ethnically diverse Wake County school board in history took office on Tuesday.
Five new members and four returning members were sworn into office. There are now a record three Black members on the nine-person board. The board also has its first Asian member.
“I’m honored to see that for the first time on this board that four of the nine seats are held by people of color,” said new board member Tyler Swanson, who is also its youngest member at age 29. “That is just historic. I hope the students can see themselves beyond the classroom to the board table and even beyond because truly from here anything is possible.”
As Dr. Wing Ng was sworn in, he talked about how joining the school board was the culmination of the American Dream. He moved to the U.S. from Hong Kong when he was age 7.
School board member Monika Johnson-Hostler says the diversity of the board shows that representation matters.
“This board is indeed historic,” Johnson-Hostler said. “It is diverse, and it is truly what I hope we’re showing our kids and our community what representation looks like.”
On Nov. 8, voters reelected school board members Johnson-Hostler, Chris Heagarty and Lindsay Mahaffey and elected Tara Waters, who had joined the board in March to fill a vacancy. The other five board members didn’t run for reelection.
Voters elected Ng, Swanson, Cheryl Caulfield, Lynn Edmonds and Sam Hershey to replace five incumbents who didn’t run for releection.
The board reelected Mahaffey to another one-year term as board chairwoman. Heagarty was reelected to another one-year term as vice chairman.
‘Coarse’ election campaign
Conservative candidates won two of the nine board seats in an unsuccessful attempt to gain the board majority. The board is officially non-partisan but Democratic-backed candidates won seven of the nine seats.
The heated school board campaign was reflected at the swearing-in ceremony. The two Republican school board members were sworn in by N.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul Newby.
In a short speech, Newby mentioned how oaths of office date back to Biblical times. He also said the state Constitution talks about how religion, morality and knowledge are necessary for good government and the happiness of mankind.
“The means of education are forever to be encouraged,” Newby said. “Certainly that is what this board is about: to ensure that this right to the privilege of education is met but also that all the right values, all that goes into a proper education for good governance and the happiness of mankind is met as well.”
N.C. Court of Appeals Judge Lucy Inman, who lost her bid to help Democrats retain the majority on the state Supreme Court, swore in Edmonds.
“When I think about selfless public service, I think about our school board members,” Inman said. “You work so hard, the issues that come before you are so emotionally charged and we’re entrusting you with our very most important natural resource: our children.”
State Sen. Wiley Nickel, who was recently elected to a seat in Congress, said campaigns have become so “coarse.”
“But I’m hopeful that this election can be an inflection point for our state, for our country and for Wake County,” said Nickel, who swore in Swanson.
