As it does for each election where it sends candidates issues questions, The Alamance News attempted to include responses for all candidates who filed to run for school board this year.
Eight candidates filed for the non-partisan, four-year terms. The election on November 5 will be to fill four seats on the Alamance-Burlington school board. Incumbent school board members Sandy Ellington-Graves and Donna Westbrooks – who currently serve as the board’s chairman and vice chairman, respectively – were first elected in November 2020 and are seeking reelection this year.
Outgoing school board member Ryan Bowden, also elected in 2020, isn’t seeking another term on the board, opting instead to run this year for one of three open seats on Alamance County’s board of commissioners; he failed to win enough votes to make it past the Republican primary election in March.
Meanwhile, Seneca Rogers, who ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the school board in 2020 and 2022, was appointed last fall to serve out the remaining portion of four-term school board member Patsy Simpson, who resigned in April 2023 to move to Virginia.
Rogers is seeking election to a full, four-year term on the school board in the November general election.
Seven of the eight school board candidates responded to the newspaper’s issues questionnaire and request for biographical information. Their information is included in this week’s edition.
Raggett, however, chose not to respond.
Publisher Tom Boney, Jr. emailed Raggett, along with the seven other candidates, the issues questionnaire and request for biographical information on Thursday, September 26, with a deadline to respond by noon on Monday, September 29.
When Raggett had not responded by this week’s Monday deadline, the newspaper called to remind her that she had missed the deadline but offered to include her responses and to extend the deadline until late Tuesday morning.
Raggett did not respond to the initial email or the subsequent final reminder left on her voicemail Monday.
The newspaper called Raggett again on Wednesday afternoon and left a message, asking whether she wanted to comment about why she had chosen not to answer the issues questionnaire. She had not responded by press time Wednesday night.
Meanwhile, Dawn Hurdle, director of the Alamance County board of elections, confirmed for The Alamance News Wednesday afternoon that her office had not received a request to withdraw Raggett’s name from the school board race, and her name will appear on the county’s ballots for the general election. The deadline to withdraw from the race passed before the filing period ended on December 12, 2023, Hurdle said.
As of press time Wednesday night, the newspaper has not heard further from Raggett, neither with responses to the issues questionnaire nor any explanation for her decision not to participate.
All candidates had been told in the initial letter from the publisher that in the absence of a response, the newspaper would list a candidate’s answer to each question as “Refused to respond.”
“It’s always disappointing when a candidate decides not to reveal his or her positions on important issues on the newspaper’s election questionnaire,” Boney said. “It’s usually an indication of one or more of several factors: the candidate doesn’t know much about the issues (and doesn’t want to reveal that flaw), wants to conceal potentially unpopular views, or is not really serious about seeking the position in the first place.
“We don’t know which, or how many, of those factors might explain Raggett’s failure to respond, but she does a disservice to those who had intended to consider and evaluate her candidacy for this important position,” Boney said. “We go to great lengths to treat all candidates fairly, but there’s only so much we can do when one of them simply won’t respond.”
There is no indication – based on the absence of campaign signs, a campaign website, or a candidate page on social media – that Raggett is actively seeking election to one of the four seats that will be available on November 5.
Raggett also did not appear at a school board candidate forum on Monday night that Elon University hosted in collaboration with the Alamance County Area Chamber of Commerce, Impact Alamance, and the city of Burlington.
