MECKLENBURG COUNTY, N.C. — It’s been a little over a week since school board positions for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools opened.
During the first week of filing, incumbent members Thelma Byers-Bailey (District 2), Carol Sawyer (District 4) and Sean Strain (District 6) all filed for reelection.
Districts 1,3 and 5 are currently filled by Rhonda Cheek, Ruby Jones, and Margaret Marshall, respectively. None of the incumbents have filed for reelection as of Aug. 1.
Elections for school boards in the Charlotte area are nonpartisan, but the past few years have made it more difficult to separate school board business from political culture wars.
“More people are paying attention to school board than ever before, especially during COVID," said Elyse Dashew, the CMS Board Chair, who is not up for reelection. "I mean, we had meetings where thousands of people were tuning in."
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School board meetings prior to COVID-19 were relatively mundane, lowly attended, and procedural.
"I mean, usually, school board meetings are pretty sleepy occasions as far as the public," Dashew said.
The CMS Board of Education has faced criticism for several issues like the choice to continue masking and virtual learning.
“Remember the seven board members who repeatedly voted to keep us close? I do," one parent said at a school board meeting back in May during public comments.
Those who have filed for seats so far include outspoken critics of the board.
The pressure and personal attacks from being a board member have forced some incumbents out of the race.
“The last two years have been filled with chaos and stress and they have taken a toll on my physical and mental health," Rhonda Cheek, a current CMS board member, said. "Coming from other elected members of this board and individuals and groups from every political persuasion.”
Cheek, who served for 13 years, took back her initial decision to run for reelection.
The next school board will have a critical job of picking the next superintendent and delegating where millions of dollars go for upgrades and building new schools.
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To help candidates interested in running for the school board, Dashew led an interest meeting in June.
“I want the strongest people to be in the race and I want them to know what they're running for," Dashew said. "And there are still some misconceptions as to what school board is and what it isn't, and what you can do and what you can't do.”
The race for the school board at CMS this year will arguably be one of the most consequential and watched.
Contact Shamarria Morrison at smorrison@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.