A Burlington man whose daughter and son graduated from Williams High School announces this week that he is filing to run for the ABSS school board.
Avery Wagoner, a Burlington resident since 2001 and vice president of wholesale marketing with Cary Oil Company, plans to file today for one of three seats on the non-partisan school board. He is making his first run for public office.
His daughter Ingle graduated from Williams in 2017 and from UNC-Chapel Hill last year; son Ian is a current UNC student, having graduated from Williams in 2020.
Wagoner has been a youth coach in baseball, soccer, and basketball through the years, as well as a volunteer with Special Olympics of Alamance County.
Wagoner has served in various capacities at his church, First Presbyterian in Burlington: as a former youth advisor, deacon, and elder. He is also a board member for Positive Attitude Youth Center in Burlington.
Wagoner says he want to put a focus on families, as well as teachers and staff. “We must ensure that every school has a nurturing environment for learning,” Wagoner says. “We need to work alongside our teachers and administration to keep their passion for teaching alive and we need to ensure that the board is working for our teachers in providing resources in their classrooms while at the same time providing competitive salaries and benefits,” Wagoner says.
“We cannot outspend some of our neighboring counties so this board will need to work closely with the new superintendent and be creative in thinking outside the box in maximizing every budgeted dollar that we are provided,” says Wagoner.
Wagoner wants the county to put a priority on education, which he emphasizes would benefit both existing residents as well as families moving into the area.
Wagoner and his wife of 24 years, Becky, who is a Burlington native, live at 3015 Berwick Drive, Burlington.