Heagarty takes over as Wake school board chairman

The Wake County Board of Education has a new leader.

Vice Chairman Chris Heagarty replaces Chairwoman Lindsay Mahaffey, who has served two one-year terms in the role. Board policy limits chairs from serving no more than two consecutive one-year terms.

The board elected Heagarty by a vote of 9-0.

The school board chairman is the spokesperson for the board, sets meeting agendas and is often the face of the school board at community events.

Heagarty will take over the school board as it works to reverse pandemic-related academic declines, improve school safety and prepare for the end of federal COVID-19 relief dollars.

On Nov. 27, police say a student stabbed two other students at Southeast Raleigh Magnet High School, killing one of them.

The school system will need more than $30 million during the 2024-25 school year to keep the new behavioral health specialists and substitute teachers it hired with the federal money.

Heagarty said the school system has great schools but still has room for improvement after the Nov. 27 incident.

"I'm not going to pretend to have all of the answers, but I have belief that we're going to do better, and the first step to that is more community engagement and more listening," he said after his selection as chairman.

On Monday night, the school board held a community forum at Southeast Raleigh Magnet High School, and Heagarty said more events like that are needed.

Heagarty represents North Raleigh and Morrisville.

Tara Waters will be the new vice chairwoman.

Waters represents southeast Raleigh, Knightdale and other southeastern parts of Wake County.

Waters said working with the community is a top priority in the wake of the Nov. 27 incident.

"Our students are passionate about their school, and they have expressed to us that they need support to heal," Waters said. Educators have taken on many new roles to help, he said.

The school system will need to build lasting relationships with people, Waters said. And it will need a commitment from inside and outside of the school, including with organizations in the community, will be needed to support the school, she said.