Dear Friend --

Did you know that in the average school board election, only 2% of adult voters choose the winning candidate?

That’s right! Just a few votes can determine the outcome of important elections that affect our everyday lives. That’s why it is crucial to be involved in local elections. And now more than ever, we are reminded of the importance of electing good candidates to local school boards across the state.

As you prepare to vote in the May primaries, we have rounded up a list of school board candidates that have been involved in our efforts to protect parental rights. All of these candidates have either attended our Schoolboard Bootcamp Training in February, our Mama Bear Workshop in April, or have been connected with our training about harmful school indoctrination in some way.

If you live in one of the following districts, please vote for these candidates and look for ways to volunteer and lend your support!

Brunswick: Steve Gainey
Durham: Joetta MacMiller
Durham: Curtis Hrischuk
Durham: Valarie Jarvis
Forsyth: Sarah Absher
Franklin: Joseph Balazsi
Granville: Danielle Hayes
Granville: Taylor Frederick
Iredell: Brian Sloan
Iredell: Anita Kurn
Johnston: Kevin Donovan
Johnston: Michelle Antoine
Moore: Pauline Bruno
Moore: Kenneth Benway
New Hanover: Pete Wildeboer
New Hanover: Pat Bradford
New Hanover: Chris Sutton
New Hanover: Josie Barnhart
New Hanover: Melissa Mason
Onslow: Louis Rogers
Rutherford: Ramona Smith
Surry: Jessica George
Union: Jessica Cook
Union: Kathy Heintel
Watauga: Jennie Hanifan
Watauga: Ronald Cutlip
Watauga: Chad Cole

In addition, we have several other initiatives that are keeping us busy this election cycle. Here are just a few more of our initiatives to help inform voters and equip candidates:

School Board Bootcamps:
In February, we partnered with FRC Action to host two School Board Bootcamp events. We had over 200 attendees between both our Raleigh and Mooresville events, and over 70 state and local candidates in attendance. The event was open to school board candidates and concerned citizens alike, and focused on a wide range of school board election topics. Speakers shared their experiences serving on school boards; addressed challenges like CRT facing schools today; spoke about running an elections campaign; and more.

(Session: The Challenges Facing Public Schools)

(Session: How to Run a Campaign)

(Session: The Impact of Worldview)

(Session: Parents and PACS: Other Ways to Engage in Education)

(Session: Real Stories from School Board Members)

Mama Bear Workshops:
In April, we hosted three Mama Bear Workshop events in Charlotte, Kernersville, and Raleigh. Our keynote speaker was Katie Gorka, who is the Director of the Feulner Institute’s Center for Civil Society and the American Dialogue at the Heritage Foundation. Katie discussed different methods parents can utilize to combat classroom indoctrination and utilize the rights and resources at their disposal. We also learned about radical gender theory, alternatives to the public school system, and the status of parental rights litigation. Our Executive Director, Tami Fitzgerald, discussed our Mama Bear Manual, which is a comprehensive resource we created to identify 12 steps parents can take to combat classroom indoctrination.

iVoterGuide is out!:
As in years past, we have partnered with iVoterGuide, which produces a digital tool assessing over 12,000 candidates, and reaching 8 million voters in 35 states. With the goal of educating voters, NC Values Coalition’s voter guide covers the U.S. Senate race, all Congressional races, General Assembly and appellate judicial races for the upcoming primary election. This year, iVoterGuide is also evaluating several school board primary elections in the following key counties:

• Charlotte-Mecklenburg
• Durham
• Greene
• Guilford
• New Hanover
• Sampson