This year promises to be a busy one for the Wake County school board.
The Trump administration’s plan to dismantle the Department of Education could seriously harm North Carolina public school students, including the 160,000 in Wake County Public Schools (WCPSS), the state’s largest district. Wake public schools reportedly received $217 million in federal funding last year, including Title I funds for high-poverty schools and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) funds for students with disabilities. Additionally, Wake public schools remain chronically underfunded by the state legislature and in need of hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of building repairs.
Amid the chaos, Christina Gordon joined the Wake school board this month as its newest member in the District 2 seat. Gordon is a professional learning specialist with the NC Association of Educators (NCAE) and a former teacher in Wake and Durham public schools. She’s also a parent of three kids in Wake public schools.
Gordon replaces longtime school board member Monika Johnson-Hostler, who left to join the NC House of Representatives. Gordon’s colleagues elected her from an applicant pool of educators, administrators and education policy advocates. Her selection preserves the board’s 7-2 Democratic majority.
INDY asked Gordon about her work for the NCAE and her predictions for the new administration’s impact on K-12 public education.
INDY: Why did you want to join the school board?
GORDON: Having grown up in the Southeast Raleigh community, and now raising my family here, I have a deep appreciation for the rich history, diversity, and potential of our district. As a former student of WCPSS, there were many amazing educators who poured into me as a student and were a heavy influence on why I wanted to be a teacher. My late grandmother, Mrs. Annie King-Street, was a long-time educational leader in WCPSS and always encouraged me to utilize my unique leadership skills in education.
Ironically, like many classroom teachers, for a long time I viewed “leadership” as only meaning going into school administration. It wasn’t until my opportunity with the National Education Association as a Professional Practice and Policy Teaching Fellow for NCAE that I discovered my own pathway into leadership. The fellowship taught me the importance of continuous improvement and the critical role educators play in policy making and professional practices in public education.
Finally, my own children have been the heaviest influence on me joining the board. As a parent, I want my own children—and all children in our community—to have access to the best possible education. I believe that every student deserves a learning environment that nurtures curiosity, supports their well-being, and prepares them for success. Being an involved parent in my children’s experiences in our schools has given me a firsthand understanding of what’s working and where we can do better. I’m committed to making sure our district prioritizes student needs, values educators, and engages families in meaningful ways. Decisions about education should be made by those who know students best—parents, educators, and the students themselves.
In your current job, you work closely with public school teachers to support their professional development. What kinds of support are NC teachers asking for right now?
As a Professional Learning Specialist, I get to do what I love most for the profession that I have a profound amount of respect for. When I was first hired for this position, I helped develop our WELL Center at NCAE, an initiative designed to center wellness, excellence, learning and leadership in professional development for all career families. This work has uncovered how much educators are asking for professional learning that directly supports their well-being and their ability to create thriving, inclusive classrooms.
Mental well-being is a top priority: educators want strategies to manage stress, prevent burnout, better deal with student trauma, and foster resilience, both for themselves and their students. Inclusive classroom practices are another key focus, with educators seeking practical tools to ensure all students, regardless of their background or ability to feel seen, valued, and supported in their learning. One area of continued high demand is support for educators pursuing National Board Certification. Classroom teachers are seeking structured guidance, mentorship, and resources to achieve this important milestone of teaching excellence, which not only enhances their professional growth but also improves outcomes for students.
Wake’s school board members and county commissioners continually find themselves “standing in the gap” when federal and state funding for public schools falls short. How do you predict Trump’s second term (and Mo Green taking over as state superintendent) will impact the size of that gap, and the school board’s ability to implement policy?
I am deeply concerned about the threats that have been posed by the current administration to public education. It is hard to predict the impact until we know what exactly will happen. I do know that the federal government supports many essential programs for our public schools like Title I, McKinney-Vento, and IDEA, among many others. Eliminating or severely cutting these programs doesn’t center the needs of students at all.
I am grateful, however, for the tireless effort of our county commissioners and remain hopeful in the leadership and guidance of our state superintendent. Superintendent Green’s forward thinking and his commitment to ensuring that the democracy of public education are protected are important for us to support.
You wrote in your application that you have three sons in Wake County public schools. How does being a WCPSS parent inform your priorities for serving on the school board?
Being a WCPSS parent gives me a deeply personal stake in the decisions we make for our schools. I see firsthand the impact of policies on students, families and educators—not just in theory, but in my own children’s daily experiences. It informs my priorities by ensuring that every decision I make centers STUDENTS first. I don’t view my role as a parent as separate from my role as a school board member; it’s what grounds my work in the realities of the community I represent and fuels my passion for making schools better for all students.
Do you have a favorite teacher from your school days, someone who inspired you or shaped your life in an important way? What made them special?
It’s so hard to just mention one teacher that has shaped the educational leader I am continuously growing into. My kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Elizabeth Chappel, who helped me navigate trauma at an early age, and my fifth grade teacher, Dr. Annice (Hood) Williams, who showed me the value of seeing myself in a Black educator that expected the very best from me, are just some of the teachers who influenced me in my early school days. But the biggest influence that left an undeniable imprint on my dream of becoming an educator was my late grandmother, Mrs. Annie King-Street. From a very young age, I saw how much education, specifically in Wake County, was an important value in her roles as a teacher and an administrator. She instilled in me the power of educational leadership that helped support and transform other educators, that helped parents navigate difficult situations, and that centered the curiosity and needs of children.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Chloe Courtney Bohl is a corps member for Report for America. Reach her at chloe@indyweek.com. Comment on this story at backtalk@indyweek.com.