Former School Improvement Team Parent Chair Melinda Manning Runs for CHCCS School Board

Melinda Manning, the former parent chair of Carrboro High School’s school improvement team, announced her candidacy for the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education in July.

“As a leader, I try to actively listen to varied viewpoints and facilitate consensus,” she told Chapelboro this summer. “I am a firm believer that effective leadership requires both accountability for outcomes, positive or negative, and the humility to apologize and adapt as circumstances demand.”

Manning has worked in various educational roles, such as a social studies teacher in Mississippi, assistant dean of students at UNC, and adjunct faculty for the Public Policy Department and School of Social Work at UNC. Now, she is looking to utilize that education experience to further serve the public school district.

“I’m truly excited to connect with CHCCS teachers and families,” she said of starting to campaign. “My goal is to have many one-on-one conversations to understand their concerns and hear directly about what they’re passionate about regarding our district.”

Manning’s website features a lengthy platform for her candidacy, which is split into four primary sections: transparency, trust, teachers and community engagement.

“We commit to fostering an environment of radical transparency, ensuring that all members of our community have clear, accessible information about our schools’ performance and decision-making processes,” reads the transparency section. It features points such as improving accessibility to school system data, conducting exit interviews with families who leave the district, and clearly communicating any financial changes.

“Building strong trust between the Board, administration, staff, and families is paramount. We are dedicated to creating an environment where concerns are heard and decisions are made collaboratively and fairly,” reads the trust section. According to the platform, Manning aims to bolster trust via increased office hours, rules against retaliation when teachers or students raise concerns, and conducting a comprehensive review of the new high school block schedule.

“Our teachers are the heart and soul of our district,” reads the teachers section. “We must listen to, support, and empower our educators to ensure they can provide the best possible learning experience for our students. As we are limited by the state budget to increase salaries, we need to find other ways to retain our best educators.” Manning says this can be accomplished with affordable housing, dedicated planning time, and a dedication to listen to teacher input.

Manning is running for one of three open seats on the Board of Education. She is up against incumbents George Griffin and Riza Jenkins as well as fellow first-time candidate Lynnee Argabright, who has shared few details about her own campaign.

Voter registration for the 2025 cycle will close at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 14 — but one-stop early voting that includes registration will last from Thursday, October 16 through Saturday, Nov. 1. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 4.

Featured image via Manning for CHCCS.

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Former School Improvement Team Parent Chair Melinda Manning Runs for CHCCS School Board

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