
Meredith Ballew, a Chapel Hill native and graduate of Chapel Hill High School, is running for the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education. Ballew helped lead several non-profits in New York City before moving back to Chapel Hill in 2020. More recently, she has served as a school liaison to CHCCS’ Special Needs Advisory Council.
“Through these roles, I gained valuable insight into the school budgeting process, HR matters, enrichment programming, and safety/wellness protocols,” Ballew told Chapelboro.
If elected, Ballew said she intends to uplift students from historically marginalized groups. In addition, Ballew listed recruitment and retention of staff, science-based curricula, social-emotional support and individualized support for students with disabilities as several of her goals.
“Given my background and relevant experience, my lifelong roots in Chapel Hill and the CHCCS School District, and my role as a parent of two school-aged children, I feel called to serve this community and school district,” Ballew said. “I believe I have the knowledge and level of commitment necessary to stay abreast of the many complex issues facing our district and look forward to contributing to progress in issues of equity, academic excellence for all and mental health.”
Four seats on the Board of Education are up for grabs in this election cycle. Ballew is one of 19 candidates who have filed to run in the race.
Early voting for the fall local government elections begins on Thursday, October 19, while Election Day is Tuesday, November 7.
For a full list of races Chapelboro is covering this 2023 local election cycle, click here. Additional coverage on candidates can be found on the Local Elections page, as well as other updates in the races as the election cycle continues this fall.
Featured image via Meredith Ballew
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“recruitment and retention of staff” — everything else is contingent on this one thing. Without teachers, nothing else is possible and we’ve been short staffed in many areas for a long time. Teacher shortages are a national problem. Since NC pays so poorly it is unlikely we will become the destination we used to be for teachers – in spite of the district’s bump. What we can do is ensure our current teachers are supported by the community, their administrators and Lincoln Center and that the CHCCS HR team moves quickly to hire and support the staff.