Incumbents Will Atherton, Anne Purcell, and Sarah Smylie will each retain their seats on the Orange County Schools Board of Education, while newcomer Lori Russell gained a seat on the board in the 2026 race. The race consisted of six candidates running for four seats, with challengers Saru Salvi and Brian D. Edwards failing to secure a seat.
First elected in 2018, Will Atherton’s reelection campaign focused on four main priorities: student support and inclusivity, teacher support and retention, safety and security, and fiscal responsibility. He said he also aims to continue using both data and anecdotal feedback to strengthen academic performances, enhance extracurricular programs, and ensure a safe, welcoming environment for everyone.
Anne Purcell was first elected to the board in 2022. She spent ten years as the principal of C.W. Stanford Middle School, now called Orange Middle, which followed roles as a teaching assistant, teacher, and assistant principal. She comes from a line of teachers, and has used that and her own experience as an educator and administrator to inform her decisions on the board.
Sarah Smylie is another winning incumbent, who won her 2018 election alongside Atherton. The former vice chair and a parent of two children in the school district, she said her decision to campaign again wasn’t easy. However, she said her desire to see the education system through its current development as a strong enough motivation to run.
An Orange County-based lawyer working in biotechnology, Lori Russell joined the race in hopes of improving the district’s communication to foster more stability and clarity for students, families, and educators. Her previous work as the Public and Government Affairs & Chief Compliance Officer for bioMérieux — a French company specializing in tools for medical diagnosis — largely focused on governance. With that experience, she told Chapelboro how her ability to ask good questions, strengthen transparency, and ensure decisions made at the leadership level translate into real-world impact would make her an asset to the board.
Saru Salvi is a retired pharmaceutical professional and substitute teacher. Her 2026 campaign was her first time running for public office. She has a long history of volunteer work in the county, but said she never considered running for office until being called upon by County Commissioner Phyllis Portie-Ascott and Renée Price to so. She focused her campaign on the betterment of the educational experience for students.
Orange County resident and former detention corporal with the Orange County Sheriff’s office, Brian Edwards said he hoped to improve mental health resources for both students and staff, including trained staff, counseling services, and early intervention programs. His campaign also focused on supporting and retaining educators, bolstering school safety through prevention, and to establish a teachers’ “bill of rights.”
Additional results from around Orange and Chatham counties on Tuesday night can be found on Chapelboro’s 2026 Primary Election Results page.
Featured image via Matherly Collins/The Daily Tar Heel.
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