What in the World is Happening with School Boards?
Mary Renault Society members have almost certainly heard of issues and behavior at school boards across the country, many of them quite unfortunate. At our February 27 meeting, Wake County School board member Chris Heagarty will be speaking to us about much that affects the Wake County school system.
He will update us on school board issues locally and around the country. These issues include not just the traditional ones such as school assignments and budgeting, but also COVID-related ones such as mask mandates and in-person versus online and what books to allow in school libraries.
Chris Heagarty grew up in Raleigh, attended Wake County public schools and graduated from NC State and NC Central Law School. He has a background in public policy and advocacy and has led several public interest nonprofits, and currently serves as executive director of the City of Oaks Foundation.
Chris helped to create the NC Center for Voter Education in 2000 with former US Senator Robert Morgan, an organization advocating for campaign finance and election law reform and led the organization until being selected to serve in the NC House Representatives, where, perhaps ironically, perhaps not, he was defeated in 2010 in a wave of campaign ads from special interest groups and ideological donors using “dark money” tactics. Chris has also worked in the judicial branch of state government as the general counsel and as the executive director of the NC Judicial Standards Commission.
Chris has been on the Wake County Board of Education since 2018 and was elected Vice Chair in 2020.
He and his wife have two children in the Wake County schools.
The February 3 book burning organized by Pastor Greg Locke of the Global Vision Bible Church outside of Nashville