Sandy Ellington-Graves

Sandy Ellington-Graves

• Candidate Biography

  Sandy Ellington-Graves is lifelong resident of Alamance County. She graduated from Southern Alamance High School in 1989 and has been a local real estate broker with Allen Tate Realtors® for more than 20 years. Elected to the Alamance-Burlington Board of Education in 2020, she has served as Board Chair for the past three years.

  Sandy is a member of the Burlington-Alamance County Association of Realtors®, serves as a State Director with the Alamance-Caswell Builders Association, and is a member of the Leadership Alamance Class of 2025. She was selected as a NC Institute of Political Leadership Fellow in 2020 and was appointed to the Alamance

  County Planning Board in 2021. She is involved with the Juvenile Crime Prevention Council and the Justice Advisory Council.

  As an ABSS parent for more than 26 years, she became actively engaged in PTA for many years, served on the ABSS Joint Facilities Task Force, and graduated from the very first Parent Engagement Cohort. She is an avid business partner of ABSS schools and athletic programs. She has a passion for serving the community raising both money and awareness for local non-profits over many years includes the Salvation Army of Alamance County, Cone Health, the DMF Foundation, Little Pink Houses of Hope and Meals on Wheels.

  She and her husband, Justin, have three children: Jynsen (30), Ashley (28), and Katie (18).

• What motivated you to run for ABSS Board of Education?

  Since 1998, I have been a proud ABSS parent. For almost 26 years, I often heard others speak poorly of ABSS yet so many students - including my own - were thriving. My involvement in PTA allowed me to build relationships with teachers, meet other parents, and see firsthand the needs of our district.
  
  As a local REALTOR® since 2002, I quickly recognized the important link between public schools and housing. Homebuyers chose to live in communities where they believed strong schools existed.
  
  In 2018, my middle child became an elementary school teacher in Wake County. Sadly, she left the profession after just three years.
  
  As a parent, a local business owner, and a lifelong Alamance County citizen, I felt my experience and knowledge, both personally and professionally, would bring a unique perspective to the Board. These factors motivated me to seek a seat on the school board. I was the first to admit I was not a politician but instead just a passionate parent determined to make a difference.
  
  After almost four challenging (yet rewarding) years in elected office, I am proud of the same motivation to make a difference in Alamance County’s educational landscape for another term.

• What are your three highest priorities for the county school system?

  My three highest priorities include academic success, safe and healthy schools, and teacher pay.
  
  Academically, we saw growth at many of our schools. Kudos to our teachers who worked tirelessly to improve outcomes amidst a pandemic, the mold crisis, a financial mess and a trending exit of teachers year after year.
  
  Safe and healthy learning environments are vital to academic success. With help from our commissioners, in 2022, we added a school resource officer for every school, we tackled mold remediation in more than 30 schools, and we prioritized HVAC and roof projects. Beyond facilities, we worked hard to provide access to social workers, nurses, and counselors for students struggling with mental health. We also added athletic trainers as a safety measure for our athletes.
  
  Teacher pay remains a priority. While our legislation periodically increases base pay, it is simply not enough. Locally, salary supplements help yet we now rank 20th in the state while nearby competing districts are consistently paying more than ABSS. While I recognize money is not the only factor, it is certainly an important factor. With more teachers leaving the profession, we must find ways to attract and retain talented educators.
  

• What strategies would you implement to ensure that all Alamance County students have access to a high-quality education that prepares them for their future?

  I want to see more students take advantage of our CTE programs, our advanced placement classes and our partnerships with Elon University and Alamance Community College.

  For example, Family University is an excellent resource for our community to learn about high school registration, advanced placement opportunities, reading and math strategies, and our CTE program. Currentl offered once per semester, I want to expand it to each of the seven attendance zones, twice a year.

  I want to increase the number of ABSS students taking classes at Elon and ACC. These classes are available at deeply discounted or waived tuition allowing students to get a jump start on their college education. We had almost 50 ABSS seniors earn their associate degree at ACC last year!

  I want to “spotlight” one program at our board meeting and across social media platforms each month. I want to grow opportunities for students to take advantage of offerings at another campus if it is not offered at their own.

  FLO (Family Led Organizations) was created last year to support parent engagement. I would like to grow this initiative to include district-wide, zonal and grade level meetings for idea sharing, collaboration, and general support.

• How would you approach issues of budget, prioritization, and resource allocation?

  It is important to create a preliminary budget, seek public input, and allow for adequate board conversation in open meetings to identify budget priorities and eliminate wasteful spending to maximize our allocated resources. Feedback from teachers, parents and citizens is imperative. Review of current year expenses to determine the impact of programs and resources is a must.
  
  I would also like to strengthen relationships with our community partners, local businesses, churches, and non-profits who often support our schools. Grants and giving platforms like Donors Choose are also excellent opportunities to pursue as well to supplement local, state and federal funding.
  
  Consistent reporting and dialogue with our commissioners is important. Regular reporting eliminates surprises and should add a layer of ease to the budget process each spring. Ideally, regular financial reporting should be done at both school board and commissioner meetings. Monthly financial reports posted on our website for easy viewing is also an easy way to promote transparency with the public to maintain trust and ensure fiscal responsibility for dollars spent.
  

• What is required for an effective relationship between the ABSS Board of Education and Alamance County Commissioners, and how will you work toward that as an elected official?

  Effective leadership is recognizing what strengths you - and what strengths others - bring to the table and using these strengths collaboratively to create opportunities to benefit all of us. Our work with the Commissioners is most effective when we focus on advocating for ABSS rather than arguing about our differences. As twelve individual leaders, we often have twelve different perspectives about the role of public education yet we all share a common vision for Alamance County.

  Over the last four years, particularly the last two, I have learned a great deal about leadership, respect and accountability. If re-elected, I will work to build on the current momentum between the two boards using my experience and knowledge to show respect, earn trust, and foster genuine partnerships to work effectively with county leaders to strengthen a commitment to support our schools and, in turn, support our county. When we work well together as leaders, we set examples for others to emulate!

• How will you ensure that the voice of students, families, and the broader community are heard in the decision-making related to the county school system?

  People will support what they help build. Engaging and listening to others are important steps in creating trust and rapport with our community. Though we already welcome public comments at our monthly evening board meetings, we also need to create more opportunities such as community forums, small groups, and zonal town halls. Partnering with our non-profits and our faith-based organizations also offer unique ways to reach folks. In the past, online surveys have provided valuable insight as well but we must recognize that not all citizens prefer online communication. Thus, it is important to develop ways to reach a variety of people in a variety of ways.

  I was told that public schools are only as strong as their people. We can position ABSS to build strong relationships when we ask and listen to people, especially those who would be potentially impacted the most. Giving each group a voice opens the door for collaboration, builds trust and creates value. Ultimately, as a result, there is understanding and ownership...regardless of the outcome.

• How do you plan to address the long-term needs of the district, such as facilities maintenance, growth management, and future planning?

  I often say great challenge brings great opportunity. Tackling the mold challenges last year eventually led to a county-wide facilities study. This study created an opportunity for the school board and the commissioners to support a much-needed partnership to prioritize and tackle the HVAC, roofing, and maintenance needs across our district.

  Mr. Hook and Mr. Baker have set a powerful example of what can be accomplished when we focus on a common goal. I believe this partnership will lead the way for meaningful and intentional dialogue about long-term preventive maintenance efforts in our buildings to ensure safe and healthy learning environments and fiscal responsibility to our taxpayers. As a result, we will be more inclined to work together to manage growth in enrollment as more families choose to public education and we can proactively plan for maximizing current space, expanding facilities where needed or building new ones if necessary.

  As a board member, I will support the facility priorities as agreed upon between the two boards. Monthly Oversight Committee meetings, quarterly reports to the BOC, and continued transparency at https://alamancecapitalprojects.com/ are three ways to reinforce this important work to address the long-term needs of the district.

• Please share a specific leadership experience that illustrates how you will be effective as a leader for Alamance County.

  My most rewarding AND most difficult leadership experience is serving on the school board. I was elected during an unprecedented pandemic where learning loss and mental health topped a growing priority list of teacher shortages, facility needs and funding requests.

  As Board Chair for three years, I facilitated more than 100 meetings and served as the spokesperson through challenging times as we wrestled with redistricting, opened a new school, tackled a $26M mold crisis, navigated a turbulent commissioner relationship, filled the vacant seat, and faced a financial crisis impacting positions and programs across the district. We addressed many unexpected (and unfortunate) confidential matters involving students and personnel, read thousands of emails and fielded hundreds of calls. I admit it was more responsibility than I expected!

  Being effective means being self-aware, respectful and compassionate. It means having the courage to make difficult decisions regardless of popularity, politics or the potential impact on re-election. It means leading with a willingness to listen and a desire to learn. It means embracing change to lead with three different superintendents, four interim superintendents, and nine different board members despite your differences. It means leading with grace and determination despite your own battle with breast cancer.