Board of County Commissioners, At-Large

Longtime advocate and Public School Strong leader Toby Hedgepeth is a mother of public school students, a community ally who has stood with GCAE for years, and a leader in our community. Ms. Hedgepeth has been working for several months with the Carolina Federation People’s Bench program and has committed to monthly People’s Bench gatherings, meeting quarterly if elected, and making key decisions together with working people’s organizations. Our fellow union member and Commission ally, Mary Beth Murphy, has endorsed Toby for this seat.

Canvass for Toby & Ebony

Early Voting poll greeting for Toby

Board of Education, District 4

A strong community ally for public schools, Ebony Burnett has a history of working to ensure student access to services and materials through her work with Shift_ed. She has a strong working knowledge of our school system, experience bringing the community together to advocate for public schools at the state level, and a career in which she has centered working with students – including having given thousands of fistbumps and hugs to those students. Ms. Burnett’s passion for the children, families, and public school workers of Guilford County is evident in her communication and, most importantly, in her action.

Canvass for Toby & Ebony

Early Voting poll greeting for Ebony:

• Craft Recreation Center

• Ag Center

• Lewis Recreation Center

Election Day poll greeting for Ebony

Board of County Commissioners, District 7

Walter Johnson is a business teacher in Chatham County Public Schools and a lifelong resident of Guilford County with many family and community connections to Guilford County Schools. Mr. Johnson is fully aligned with GCAE policy priorities and is a staunch advocate for collective bargaining in the public sector. He believes that cogovernance (working with base-building organizations to draft and move policies) is necessary in order for public school workers – the experts in our field – to have a say about what happens in our schools and in our district. Mr. Johnson is a fellow union member.

Board of Education, District 6

Incumbent Board Member Khem Irby has a history on the Board of Education of voting with public school workers a majority of the time. Ms. Irby stands in strong opposition to the state private school voucher program and recognizes the need for a cap on charter schools. She has experience working with the state-level delegation from Guilford on legislative priorities. Ms. Irby is a community ally member of NCAE and was an active union member when she worked in public schools.