The WIZS News team strives to bring the community important information through fair, objective and balanced reporting. We sent a list of questions to candidates in contested seats for Vance County Board of Commissioners and the Vance County Board of Education. Early voting in Vance County begins Thursday, Oct. 15 and continues through Saturday, Oct. 31 at 3 p.m. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026.

Below are questions sent to Angela Cooper Lyons and Hailey Breeze Macklin, candidates for the District 7 seat on the Vance County Board of Education:

• What prompted you to run for local office?
• What’s your platform?
• State the three most important issues you see that are facing the school district and explain how you plan to address these issues if you’re elected. Please put them in order of importance.
• Identify and elaborate on your beliefs, ideas and passions for ways to make Vance Co. Schools the best it can be.
• Explain how your personal and professional experience will contribute to the work of the board of education.
• If elected, what are your short-term goals? Long-term goals?
• Please share any additional information that you want voters to know about you.

Here are their unedited responses to those questions, which appear in alphabetical order.

Responses from Candidate Angela Cooper Lyons:

• What prompted you to run for local office?

God helped guide my decision to run for the Vance County Board of Education.  My decision was shaped by the recurring concerns surrounding our children and the future of Vance County Public Schools. With my lifelong connection to this community and my passion for serving children and families I felt led to step forward and be a voice for our students, parents, and the community. I believe every child deserves the opportunity to succeed and I want to be part of making a positive difference in their educational journey.

• What’s your platform?

My platform is “Stronger Schools.” Brighter Futures.”

*Our Children. Our Schools. Our Future”

• State the three most important issues you see that are facing the school district and explain how you plan to address these issues if you’re elected. Please put them in order of importance.

(1) Put Students First.

Every student deserves access to a quality education, a safe and supportive learning environment, and the opportunity to succeed. Student achievement, individual learning needs, and the overall well-being of our children must remain the school district’s highest priorities.

If elected, I will advocate for policies and decisions that put students first. I  will support efforts to improve academic achievement, address barriers to learning, promote safe schools, and ensure students have access to the resources and opportunities they need to reach their full potential. I will listen to parents, students, teachers, and school staff to better understand their concerns and work collaboratively toward solutions that improve educational outcomes.

(2) Support Teachers and Strengthen Our Schools

Teachers and School staff are essential to student success. They need the support, resources, and working conditions necessary to educations are supported, our schools and students benefit.

I will advocate for providing teachers with the resources and classroom support they need, listening to their concerns, and recognizing their important role in our children’s education. I will support responsible efforts to recruit and retain qualified educators, strengthen professional development, and address challenges that affect teacher morale and retention. I believe teachers should have a meaningful voice in discussions about the needs of our schools.

(3) Demand Transparency and Fiscal Accountability

Taxpayers deserve transparency and accountability in how public education funds are managed and spent. our community should have confidence that financial decisions are responsible. clearly explained, and focused on the educational needs of our students.

If elected, I will ask thoughtful questions, carefully review budgets and expenditure, and advocate for clear communication about how education funds are allocated and used. I believe public education dollars should be invested in strengthening our public schools and supporting students, teacher, and classrooms. I will promote open decision-making, responsible financial oversight, and accountability to the families and taxpayers we serve.

• Identify and elaborate on your beliefs, ideas and passions for ways to make Vance County Schools the best it can be.

My beliefs are rooted in my faith, my lifelong connection to this community, and my passion for serving children and families. I believe every child deserves the opportunity to succeed, and that starts with putting students first, supporting our teacher, and strengthening our schools.

I am passionate about making sure public education funds are used responsibly with transparency and accountability. I believe we must listen to our parents, teachers, and community and work together to make decisions that are in the best interest of our children.

• Explain how your personal and professional experience will contribute to the work of the board of education.

As a graduate of Vance County public schools, former student bus driver, and a substitute teacher, I have firsthand experience with our school system.

I bring more than 12 years of service as a Guardian ad Litem advocate, community leadership experience, and over 33 years of service with the State of North Carolina in health and human services.

These experiences have taught me the importance of advocating for children, listening to families, documentation, accountability, and working with people from different backgrounds.  I will bring that knowledge, along with my lifelong connection to this community, to the Board of Education, keeping students first , supporting teachers, and promoting transparency  and responsible decision-making.

• If elected, what are your short-term goals? Long-term goals?

If elected, my first goal would be to listen, learn, and understand the needs of our students, teachers, parents, and school staff. I want to review current priorities, advocate for student success, support our teachers, and promote transparency and accountability in how public education funds are spent.

My long-term goal is to help strengthen Vance County Schools by improving student achievement, supporting teacher recruitment and retention, and ensuring our schools have the resources needed to prepare students for college, careers, and life. I want to help build trust with our community and ensure that every decision keeps our children’s best interests at heart.

My vision is to work toward lasting improvements that benefit our students, strengthen our schools, and create brighter futures for generations to come.

• Please share any additional information that you want voters to know about you.

I want voters to know that my commitment to children, families, and this community is not new. It is reflected in my years of public-service, child advocacy, and community involvement. As a graduate of Vance County public schools. I have a personal connection to the success of our school system.

My faith guides me, and I believe every child deserves an opportunity to succeed, every teacher deserves support, and our community deserves transparency and accountability.

I am stepping forward because I care about the future of our children and our schools. I am committed to listening, learning, and working with others to make decisions that put students first.

Together, we can work toward Stronger Schools Brighter Futures. Our Children. Our Schools. Our Future

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Responses from Candidate Hailey Breeze Macklin:

• What prompted you to run for local office? 

Over the last year I have become very interested in today’s topics that revolve around the public school system. I have a strong passion for education trends in the school system and since they change so often, I believe it is important to note which changes are necessary and which ones are not. The board of education involves decisions that affect not only our students but our teachers, staff, families, and even the community. As a young recently graduated education major, I believe that I can be a voice that listens to all sides of education.

• What’s your platform? 

I would identify my platform as strong schools make strong communities. The future of Vance County is being partly raised in the school system since that is where they spend the majority of their years. If a school system teaches communication, trust, leadership, and other important life skills, the community would be able to be more involved and help teach these skills. For example, a designated leadership learning day could allow students to meet leaders in the community that could provide clear insights on how to be a leader.

• State the three most important issues you see that are facing the school district and explain how you plan to address these issues if you are elected. Please put them in order of importance. 

There are many important issues that the school district is facing but the three that stand out the most to me are: 1. Teacher Recruitment and Retention, 2. Early Childhood Literacy, and 3. Life after School. First, teacher recruitment and retention is a very important topic because it means so much more than teacher pay. Of course, you see the billboards all down the NC highways and

interstates that support paying NC teachers better, but we need to first start out with the support part. Being a teacher is so much more than a job. You are a support person for so many young people, and as a support person, you need to feel supported yourself. Keeping teachers is definitely a struggle because when they do not feel supported, it is harder to keep them. As a  school board member, I could bring this issue to the board’s attention by focusing on teacher morale and involving teacher opinions. Making decisions without teacher input is one of those things that make teachers feel unsupported. The second issue I see the school district facing is early childhood literacy. I have a strong background in elementary education and I believe that schools should notice learning gaps in the elementary ages rather than waiting till middle or high school. Children that start out with a strong understanding of reading, writing, and math tend to have success in middle and high school. One way to implement this would be making sure our district is supporting the students with successful learning programs. There are many literacy and math programs that NC schools use and doing research on all these and figuring out which ones seem to be the most beneficial towards closing learning gaps, then it would be worth it to test them out. The last issue I want to bring up would be life after school/graduation. There are so

many different successful paths that a student can take after high school graduation. Being in support of all these paths is very important in order to have success in strong schools making strong communities. It isn’t out of the ordinary for schools to have college and job fairs but making sure students know their options is very important. A lot of schools shove the idea of college towards their graduating students but some already have their perfect future laid out for them with family business, trades, etc. Having the community advertise their options for students throughout the school provides students with comfort of knowing they have options.

• Identify and elaborate on your beliefs, ideas, and passions for ways to make Vance Co. schools the best it can be. 

I have a passion to make sure every student is provided with strong foundations from their early elementary years and then continuing to prepare them for long success after they leave a classroom. A great school starts with great teachers and giving the teachers the support they need allows the students to get the foundations they need in order to succeed. Partnerships between schools, local businesses, and colleges allow many opportunities that will help student success. Great teachers, strong foundations, involved families, and real-world opportunities are the ultimate ways to make Vance Co. Schools the best it can be.

• Explain how your personal and professional experience will contribute to the work of the board of education. 

My personal and professional experiences would allow me to bring both an educational and real-world perspective to the Vance County Board of Education. I earned a Master’s degree in Elementary last year so I am very familiar with the importance of strong instruction. I have also seen firsthand the challenges that educators or anyone who works close to the education system face. I also have experience working in and helping operate my family business. Working in this family business has taught me skills that are valuable in public service. Things like budgeting, accounting, communication, problem solving, teamwork, and decision making based on employee, customer, and community opinion. Also, Vance County is home. I care about the future of the community and public schools are essential to its future. My training in education and in business allows me to bring a unique perspective to the Board of Education.

• If elected, what are your short-term goals? What are your long-term goals?

There are many goals that I would like to achieve if I am elected for office. Short term goals would include listening and learning. Since I would be new to the board of education I would want to take the time to hear directly from teachers, parents, students, and administrators since they are the ones who deal with the classroom directly on a day to day basis. Hearing directly from this group of people would help benefit the school board in fixing the major issues a district has. Another short term goal I have would be creating strong communication between the schools and the community. Local business, organizations, and community colleges can serve a big role in helping our students succeed after high school. My long term goal is to make Vance County Schools a district that everyone is proud of. Families, teachers, and students are a huge part of the district and understanding their opinions and reasonings is the first step to making this long term goal a reality.

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