Charles Parker
Charles Parker
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I am a native of North Carolina. I attended high school at the North Carolina School of Science and Math (NCSSM), where I met my wife, Mary. We have been married for 27 years and have three children. I graduated from NC State in 2002 with a Ph.D. and an M.B.A. then settled in Mebane in 2003. My focus on local schools has grown since 2010 when my son, Andrew, entered kindergarten. Andrew and Catherine attended ABSS schools through 10th grade, then went to NCSSM. Margaret is a sophomore at Southeast Alamance. I am an Eagle Scout and have been a Cubmaster and Assistant Scoutmaster.
I have worked at Duke University since 2003 and am a member of the undergraduate lab staff in Electrical and Computer Engineering. I am also a research scientist on projects funded by Federal agencies, such as the National Science Foundation.
My family has focused on giving back to the community, especially through volunteering at our children’s schools, for over 16 years. As a member of the Board of Education I have focused on academic excellence, transparent governance, and ensuring that teachers and staff have the tools to serve students well. My website is https://charlesparkernc.com/.
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I am running for re-election because I helped lead ABSS out of a series of crises that threatened our schools. While ABSS has made progress, there is more work to do, and I think that I have more to contribute. I would be honored by the opportunity to continue to work for the students, educators, and people of Alamance County.
As a parent with a child in ABSS, I understand the importance of making sure every student has a learning environment where they can achieve their full potential. I also bring a STEM background, experience as an educator, and management training through my MBA. Together, these experiences help me approach complex challenges thoughtfully and focus on practical solutions.
In my first term, ABSS faced a financial crisis, a mold problem in the schools, and the need for new leadership. These challenges required immediate attention. ABSS has made progress in academic outcomes, financial accountability, and facility and safety improvements. I believe the next step is to move beyond crisis management and concentrate on long-term needs of ABSS: improving academic performance, supporting educators and staff, and ensuring our schools are prepared to serve students well for years to come.
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My priorities support my goal of improving academic outcomes for every ABSS student. Academic success depends on having excellent teachers and staff, schools that meet the needs of a growing community, and the support systems students and educators need to be successful.
First, I will advocate for raising local supplements so ABSS can compete more effectively with surrounding districts for the best employees. Second, I will work to manage the impact of Alamance County’s rapid growth, including building new schools when needed, so students have a safe learning environment and educators can focus on instruction rather than facility issues. Finally, I will advocate for increased school funding to restore certified staff positions, such as instructional coaches, that directly support instruction.
While pursuing these priorities, I will maintain the progress ABSS has made in financial management, academic performance, and operational efficiency. Families, employees, and taxpayers deserve clear information about how district resources are managed, responsible long-term planning, and schools that are safe, well maintained, and ready to support learning.
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My approach begins with stability across the district so schools can focus their energy on students rather than constantly responding to operational uncertainty. This means responsible financial management, efficient operations, well-supported teachers and staff, and clear, consistent district priorities and expectations.
Next, I will continue developing district-wide systems that support instruction. This year ABSS rolled out a “data warehouse” that provides a comprehensive view of student progress and needs. Now ABSS is piloting software that provides detailed, real-time insights into individual students’ mastery of the subject matter.
District-wide curricula are another important tool for ensuring all students have access to rigorous and engaging standards-aligned instruction. Last year, ABSS implemented a new K-5 ELA curriculum and this year will roll out a new middle school ELA and math curriculum.
Finally, at the school level it is important to implement the best practices that gave Hawfields Middle School the highest growth in the state twice: strong core instruction, targeted academic and behavioral support for students, and structured teams of teachers who work together regularly to improve instruction and monitor student progress.
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Much of a school system’s budget is constrained by state and federal requirements, employee compensation, transportation, safety obligations, and essential operational costs, such as utilities. Those commitments must be met first. That makes it even more important that the remaining discretionary resources are allocated deliberately, transparently, and in direct support of students and classrooms.
I will prioritize the core work of our schools: excellent teachers and staff, strong academic supports, safe and well-maintained facilities, and the services students need to succeed. Every dollar spent should be based on clear data, documented needs, measurable results, and community input, not past spending patterns. For example, ABSS recently completed a comprehensive facility needs survey. I will use this assessment to distinguish urgent repairs and preventive maintenance from projects that can be scheduled over time.
I will continue to evaluate the budget line by line for redundancies, unnecessary administrative costs, and programs that are not delivering results, continually asking if each investment is necessary, if it is working, and if there is a more effective way to achieve the same goal.
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The most important requirement for an effective relationship between the two Boards is that the Board of Education is completely transparent about how funds are being spent and ensures that each budget item is well justified and clearly tied to the educational mission of ABSS.
In my time on the board, the Board of Education has significantly improved financial transparency and accountability, including the financial dashboard on the ABSS website. The recent mediation with the Board of Commissioners produced an agreement that will reduce the time and expense spent on mediation, likely eliminating it entirely, and established shared definitions for key metrics, such as the number of students enrolled, that had caused friction in the past.
I will continue my efforts to ensure that the Board of Education is transparent and accountable for how the funds are spent and I will work with my Board colleagues and the superintendent to advocate for the legitimate needs of the school system.
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It is important to make sure all voices are heard before major decisions are made. I will continue to advocate for using multiple channels, such as surveys, town halls, and advisory committees, to gather public input. A single method, such as public comment at a Board meeting, can exclude important voices.
Next, it is important to partner with organizations across Alamance County. The Board has active lines of communication with many local organizations, including the Alamance Burlington Association of Educators, Impact Alamance, and the Alamance County Area Chamber of Commerce. Finally, Board meetings should include a summary of the inputs so the public can see how their input was used in the discussion.
This is how I govern as a Board member. Last year the Board considered starting the school year earlier to improve student performance on end-of-course tests by moving the test to before Winter Break. Approximately one third of Boards in North Carolina have done this. We surveyed the community and heard concerns from parents and teachers about summer vacations that were already planned and difficulties with childcare arrangements. We took that feedback into account and the final calendar was not changed to an earlier date.
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The process I will use is collecting high-quality data about the long-term needs of the district, consulting with ABSS staff and the public for input, and working together with the Board of Commissioners to make a plan for the district.
I believe in using outside consultants where appropriate. Before the 2026 redistricting, ABSS contracted with SchoolCAMP to conduct an enrollment and school capacity study, including a 5-year plan for the district. Next, ABSS contracted with BAISCA to conduct a comprehensive facility needs survey that covered maintenance and future facility needs.
These two studies were used to make the redistricting maps and develop this year's Capital Improvement Plan. Going forward, I will work with the Board to develop clear priorities the public can understand and provide input on. Next, I will use this and other data to make the case to the Board of Commissioners for the capital and maintenance funding the data shows we need, so together the two Boards can develop a long-term plan to address the needs of the school system, rather than waiting for the next crisis caused by deferred maintenance and a rushed response to growth in Alamance County.
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I believe that the most important duty of the school board is to hire, support, and hold accountable the superintendent. I was deeply involved in the process of interviewing and selecting the current superintendent, Dr. Fleming. When he applied, I was convinced that he was who the district needed. He had done a great job in his previous district, which was similar in size and complexity to ABSS. He proposed a 90-day plan that showed that he was willing to move quickly to make the changes that were necessary in ABSS in finance, operations, and instruction.
When he started, ABSS was $3 million in debt and now has a $3.7 million "rainy day" fund. Importantly, ABSS had their first clean financial audit in years. The district has been working through the backlog of maintenance and facility needs, including safety upgrades. Finally, he restructured academic services so that teachers and principals receive the support they need to help students succeed. For this past school year, 15 schools improved their school performance grade, no schools dropped a grade, and the number of low-performing schools went from 20 to 12, taking the district out of low performing status.