During North Carolina’s March 15 primary election, the race for three spots on New Hanover County’s Board of Education was narrowed to three Republicans — incumbent Jeannette Nichols, incumbent Lisa Estep and David Wortman — and three Democrats — Emma Saunders, Sandra Leigh and Kevin Spears.
The three spots up for grabs are currently held by Republicans, but the Democrats say teamwork will help them break through in November. And their goal is to take all three seats.
Only getting one Democrat elected to the school board in November is meaningless, Leigh said. That person will be “somebody standing up and hollering and everybody telling them to sit down.”
Left-leaning groups in the community have coalesced around issues like the environment and certain presidential candidates, she said, but she wants them to also throw their collective support behind the Democratic hopefuls for school board.
She and Saunders, who watched election results roll in at the New Hanover County Government Center March 15, both said getting community support from principals, students, parents, organizations and community centers will be key to winning in November.
Their message, Leigh said, is “if you want to see change in New Hanover County, vote for these three people.”
Meanwhile, Republican incumbent Lisa Estep sees her decisive victory Tuesday night with 30 percent of the vote as a sign voters are satisfied with how the school board is run currently.
She hasn’t really been campaigning, she said, so voters must approve of the work she has done during the past three years on the board.
She has been visiting schools, talking to parents, teachers and students, but not as a politician seeking votes but rather as a member of the school board fulfilling her role.
“I think it’s important to get into the schools and let everybody know that I’m listening, and I’m not going to try to set policy without hearing what they’re saying.”
The school board is currently undertaking many significant projects, like creating a career technical high school and monitoring the relocation of a popular language immersion program, and Estep said she wants to stay on the board so she can see those projects, and others, through to completion.
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