Lindsay Mahaffey

Lindsay Mahaffey was a member of the Wake County Public School System in North Carolina, representing District 8. She assumed office in 2016. She left office on August 29, 2025.

Mahaffey ran for re-election to the Wake County Public School System to represent District 8 in North Carolina. She won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Mahaffey completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Lindsay Mahaffey was born in Buffalo, New York. She earned a bachelor's degree from St. John Fisher College in 2004 and a graduate degree from Western Governors University in 2016. Her career experience includes working as a teacher.^[1]

Elections

2024

General election

General election for Wake County Public School System, District 8

Incumbent Lindsay Mahaffey defeated Elizabeth McDuffie in the general election for Wake County Public School System, District 8 on November 5, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Lindsay Mahaffey (Nonpartisan)	58.9	36,872
	Elizabeth McDuffie (Nonpartisan)	40.5	25,346
	Other/Write-in votes	0.7	427

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 62,645
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

To view Mahaffey's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here. Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Mahaffey in this election.

2022

General election

General election for Wake County Public School System, District 8

Incumbent Lindsay Mahaffey defeated Steve Bergstrom in the general election for Wake County Public School System, District 8 on November 8, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Lindsay Mahaffey (Nonpartisan)	59.9	27,268
	Steve Bergstrom (Nonpartisan)	39.4	17,939
	Other/Write-in votes	0.7	310

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 45,517
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Endorsements

To view Lindsay's endorsements in the 2022 election, please click here.

2020

General election

General election for Wake County Public School System, District 8

Incumbent Lindsay Mahaffey defeated Steve Bergstrom in the general election for Wake County Public School System, District 8 on November 3, 2020.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Lindsay Mahaffey (Nonpartisan)	62.3	49,724
	Steve Bergstrom (Nonpartisan)	36.8	29,383
	Other/Write-in votes	0.9	749

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 79,856
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2018

See also: Wake County Public School System elections (2018)

General election

General election for Wake County Public School System, District 8

Incumbent Lindsay Mahaffey defeated Bob Melone and John Crowe in the general election for Wake County Public School System, District 8 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Lindsay Mahaffey (Nonpartisan)	61.4	30,773
	Submit photo	Bob Melone (Nonpartisan)	33.3	16,702
	Submit photo	John Crowe (Nonpartisan)	4.6	2,303
		Other/Write-in votes	0.7	360

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 50,138 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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2016

See also: Wake County Public School System elections (2016)

When state legislation created new school board district boundaries for the Wake County Public School System, a group of voters disputed the change in court.

See also: Issues in the election

District 1 incumbent Tom Benton filed for re-election and faced challengers Donald Agee, Mary Beth Ainsworth, and Sheila Ellis. Agee defeated the incumbent. In District 2, incumbent Monika Johnson-Hostler filed for an additional term on the board and successfully defended her seat against challenger Peter Hochstaetter. Mark Ivey initially filed in the race but withdrew his candidacy in September 2016. Because of the late withdrawal, his name still appeared on the ballot. Sole newcomer Roxie Cash filed for the District 3 seat and won. District 4 incumbent Keith Sutton filed for re-election and faced single challenger Heather Elliott. Sutton won another term on the board. In their bids for re-election, District 5, 6, and 7 incumbents Jim Martin, Christine Kushner, and Zora Felton were unopposed and won additional terms on the board. However, Felton passed away unexpectedly shortly after the general election, leaving the District 7 seat vacant. District 8 saw three newcomers file for the seat: Gary Lewis, Gil Pagan, and Lindsay Mahaffey, with Mahaffey winning the seat. In District 9, incumbent Bill Fletcher won the race against challenger Michael Tanbusch. There was no primary.^[2]^[3]
After Judge Dever announced that the candidates who originally filed in this school board race were disqualified and would have to file again during a new filing window that ran from August 11, 2016, to August 17, 2016, three dropped out and two newcomers filed. Former candidates Beverley Clark, James McLuckie, and Donald Mial did not appear on the revised candidate list. District 7 incumbent Zora Felton and District 9 challenger Michael Tanbusch entered the race after the new deadline was set.^[2]

Results

Wake County Public School System, District 8 General Election, 2-year term, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Lindsay Mahaffey	41.92%	21,828
Gil Pagan	30.19%	15,722
Gary Lewis	27.35%	14,240
Write-in votes	0.55%	285
Total Votes (100)		52,075
Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections, "11/08/2016 Official General Election Results," accessed December 5, 2016

Funding

Mahaffey reported $2,441.56 in contributions and $2,441.56 in expenditures, leaving her campaign with no cash on hand as of November 4, 2016.^[4]

See also: List of school board campaign finance deadlines in 2016

School board candidates in North Carolina were required to file campaign finance reports to their county's board of elections unless the candidate:

(1) Did not receive more than one thousand dollars ($1,000) in contributions, and

(2) Did not receive more than one thousand dollars ($1,000) in loans, and

(3) Did not spend more than one thousand dollars ($1,000).^[5]

The third quarter campaign finance deadline was October 31, 2016, and the fourth quarter deadline was January 11, 2017.^[6]

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

Lindsay Mahaffey completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Mahaffey's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am the mom to 3 WCPSS students - one in High School, one in Middle School & one in Elementary School. I am the current School Board member for this district and having served 2016 with 3 years in leadership. I currently chair the policy committee.

I am a former classroom teacher, teaching French & Spanish, and I have a Master's in Teaching Social Science. I worked in the public school system in France. I am the product of public schools.

WCPSS has made great gains during my tenure including in academic outcomes, increasing staff pay, and increasing enrollment. We have a great board and Superintendent focused on student outcomes, supporting staff and strengthening our community. I have seen our student outcomes increase with over 12,000 students graduating last year, all District 8 High Schools have a graduation rate higher than the state average.

I have overseen staff pay increases allowing for our teacher staffing levels to be at 98.5%, and an annually audited budget that concludes our district is in good fiscal standing for my entire tenure. This work is challenging and I have shown I have the experience and ability to support this district as it continues to level up.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Student Centered Decision Making - Our strategic plan is focused on increasing Student Knowledge & Skills along with Student Dispositions & Well-Being to intentionally increase academic outcomes for our students. WCPSS has increased in nearly all measured proficiency tests to pre-pandemic levels, and phenomenal arts programs, athletic activities, our students are ready for the future with high schoolers earning 29,421 industry recognized credentials. 85% of our schools met or exceeded growth last year and 44 of our schools serve free breakfast and lunch to all enrolled students. Resulting in the class 93.1% of the class of 2024 earning their high school diploma - that is over 12,000 graduates in one year!
Supporting our staff - When I came onto the board staff pay began at a little over $11.70 / hour, today that base pay is up to $17.75/hr. Bus drivers start at $20/hr and we are seeing more people apply as a result. Our teacher pay supplement for WCPSS is one of the highest in the state, and I helped restore Master's Pay for educators holding advanced degrees to honor their work - Our students need highly qualified teachers and staff. 98.5% of our teaching positions are filled - with many of them returning in order to provide high quality standards and an increased retention rate. We also have provided a building substitute for all schools and increased the number of counselors and social workers to help students
Strengthen our Community - Learning does not end when the bell sounds. WCPSS began a Community Partner Mapping Initiative to help thin the walls between the district and the broader community. When we all work together our students benefit, this came out of the Community Engagement Committee and

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Currently I am the chair of the Policy Committee for the School Board - We cover a whole host of things from Board Governance, Academics, Conduct, Personnel, Fiscal Management, Support Services & Facilities. Most Recently I helped craft our new Sustainability policy as well as our Equity policy, and we update our policies regularly - next up with be Technology and Responsible Use.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

My 5th grade teacher Sharon Walter.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

There are so many books that have shaped my understanding of education from my time in the classroom to my experience at the board table. I would suggest A School District's Journey to Excellence by Bill McNeil and Tom Oxholm, The End of Consensus: Diversity, Neighborhoods, and the Politics of Public School Assignments, Brené Brown (Dare to Lead, Daring Greatly), Dr. Chris Emden, Better than Carrots & Sticks: Restorative Practices for Positive Classroom Management, All Learning is Social & Emotional, Brain Rules by John Medina, Untangled by Lisa Damour, Raising Cain by Michael Thompson - I also have Wake: Why the Battle over Diverse Public Schools Still Matters (Critical Issues in American Education) by Karen Haywood & We Want to Do More Than Survive by Bettina Love in my TBR pile (I'm sorry I just really enjoy reading)

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Empathy and honesty. We have to be able to listen to the concerns of our constituents. I work hard to listen to understand. When we are talking about our children it's normal feel passionate about what's concerning a parent and they usually have spoken to their teacher and principal before coming to me.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Honesty, Empathy, and Decisiveness

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

It's a big responsibility to sit in this seat. A member of the Wake County Board of Education is in charge of creating and reviewing policies that govern the operation of schools within the district. Ensuring all students receive equitable educational opportunities and resources.

Managing the budget, allocating funds for every school across the county, including maintenance of school buildings, educational programs, salaries, and more.
Shaping policies designed to attract and support excellent teachers, which in turn affects student outcomes and the overall success of the district.

Addressing vital issues such as student safety, mental health, and inclusivity, so that every child feels welcomed, supported, and encouraged.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Oh wow that's a lot. I'm happy to serve and keep leveling up the district

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The LA riots after the beating of Rodney King. I was 10.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job was when I was 15 - I worked at a Catholic retreat home on Lake Erie. I washed dishes, helped cook dinners, cleaned rooms and did laundry. I kept this job until I went to College.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Did you see my list earlier - I can't pick just one. The last one I read was "The Women" by Kristen Hannah - being the daughter of a Vietnam Veteran & an Emergency Room Nurse I

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

I'm quite happy being myself as Oscar Wilde says "Be yourself, everyone else is taken."

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Either something by Taylor Swift, Chappell Roan or some random one hit wonder - usually The Way by Fastball for some reason

What is the primary job of a school board member in your view?

The primary job is to know what's coming up on the board meeting, be prepared for your committees, be responsive to questions, know how to build coalitions in the community to solve problems and to be able to prioritize that and more continuously. There is always something going on in WCPSS that school board members are working on or preparing for.

Who are your constituents?

The over 160,800 students that enter our buildings each day, the 20,260 employees that rely on a paycheck, the 10,840 teachers that educate our students, the over 88,500 voters that live in District 8, plus those that reside in the district that don't/can't vote and more broadly the 1.185 million residents of Wake.

How would you support the diverse needs of your district’s students, faculty, staff, and community?

We have a fantastic strategic plan that I helped approve in October of 2022 which outlines a lot of these supports https://bit.ly/WCPSSPlan

How will you build relationships with members of the broader community? Which groups, organizations, stakeholders will you specifically target?

I am honored to have served this district since 2016, I have built up relationships with town officials, county commissioners, and members of the general assembly. I also partner regularly with local chambers of commerce.

What constitutes good teaching? How will you measure this? How will you support advanced teaching approaches?

Good teaching involves IQ and EQ. We have to make sure our teachers are supported with high quality professional learning opportunities, support a standards aligned, culturally responsive and rigorous curriculum and provide opportunities for families to be involved. We need to allow our teachers to be innovative and support and foster their teaching.

In what areas would you like to expand curriculum? For example, do you see a need for advanced technical training or apprenticeships? What sort of innovative programming would you advance if given the opportunity?

Our High Schools have expanded their Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs with 45% of all graduates earning a CTE concentration in High School (this is up from 25% in 2017) Students with a CTE concentrator are more likely to graduate on time. CTE is the new name for Vocational. Wake has added new early colleges including the latest Wake Early College of Information & Biotechnology on Wake Tech RTPs campus. We have expanded our magnet program so that more schools can provide the same standards aligned curriculum offering “schools of choice” within the district focusing on a specific area of interest for example Lincoln Heights & Millbrook Elementary focus on Environmental Connections. I would love to see more of our high schools get academies and see that state lift the cap on AIG funding from 4% to at least 20% so that we can help our students without pulling form local funding sources, I'd also like to see the Special Education funding from the state be more robust rather than hovering around the same dollar amount we have seen since 1993.

What strategies or plans would you advance to ensure the schools are properly funded?

North Carolina is unique in that the State is constitutionally required (Under Article IX: The General Assembly shall provide by taxation and otherwise for a general and uniform system of free public schools, which shall be maintained at least nine months in every year, and wherein equal opportunities shall be provided for all students. Currently, WCPSS is estimated to be owed $291 million from the state to fund our operating budget. We have been fortunate to have a county commission that believes in education and is willing to use revenues from property taxes. This local funding has helped pay for pay raises, building substitutes, Master's Pay for Teachers, Teaching positions that are required to enrollment increases later in the year, and more. Making sure voters know who is interested in funding public schools is key this election cycle.

What principles drive your policies for safety in schools?

In 2019 we invited a nationally recognized schools safety group to audit our schools, and the district is working through the recommendations from that audit. WCPSS annually audits its schools and works closely with Law Enforcement agencies to maintain relationships and provide training to our SROs.

How might you support the mental health needs of students/faculty/staff?

We have increased the number of counselors & social workers to help our students. We have dedicated central services staff members to help our staff.

Tell us your favorite joke.

I'm a big fan of bad puns and dad jokes. What kind of pants does a psychic wear? A paranormal pants

What existing district policies would you like to change, or what new policies would you like to implement?

I am excited to look at our technology and responsible use policy - I'm fairly certain pagers are out of style now. I am also excited to have seen our sustainability policy be adopted.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Wake NCAE, Raleigh Wake Citizens Organization, Wake Voter Education Coalition, Moms Demand Action Gun Smart Candidate, Wake County Democratic Party, Equality NC, Morrisville Mayor ProTem Satish Garimella, Wake School Board Members, Chris Heagarty, Monika Johnson-Hostler, Tyler Swanson & Sam Hershey, Cary Town Council Member Carissa Johnson, Holly Springs Town Council Member Annie Drees, Apex Mayor ProTem Ed Gray, Wake County Commissioners Tara Waters, Vickie Adamson & Matt Calabria, Former Wake County School Board Member Roxie Cash

Describe your ideal learning environment for students.

Students should have an environment that fosters critical thinking, collaboration, communication & creativity. Students should be challenged and engaged in a rigorous and relevant standards aligned classroom. Students should be in a safe, inclusive learning environment that promotes a sense of belonging. Students should have a high quality teacher and principal, that partner with families.

How do you feel like your school district handled the coronavirus pandemic? What, if anything, would you do differently in the future?

Honestly? I think we did the best we could with the information provided. I'm grateful to move forward and hope we never see anything like it again. That being said, all districts should have a pandemic readiness guide just in case.

What will you do to build a relationship with parents in the district?

I have gotten to know my district through coffee chats - which I hope to resume after the election, meet and greets and our amazing Board Advisory Council of school administrators and parents engaged in conversation about the district.

What are your preferred strategies for faculty, staff, and administration recruitment?

Retaining the professionals we have is key. Making sure more students want to enter the profession as less and less students join schools of education happens through our Future Teachers Program. Human Resources has recruiters to help guide folks through the application process and reach out if someone shares that they're interested in a job. Join WCPSS here: https://www.wcpss.net/careers

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

We are a public institution paid for by public tax dollars. It is imperative we are transparent with how that money is spent. Each year we build our budget, have many work sessions to learn more about how our resources will be spent and hold a public hearing. In addition do that we also have an audit done of the previous year's audit. WCPSS is one of if not the only school district in the state to do this. Here is our last Annual Comprehensive Financial Report: https://bit.ly/WCPSS_ACFR23

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2022

Lindsay Mahaffey completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Mahaffey's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Lindsay Mahaffey is the current chair of the Wake County Board of Education and has had the honor of representing District 8 since 2016. Her 3 children have been enrolled in WCPSS since kindergarten. Lindsay taught French for 8 years and has her Master’s in Teaching Social Science.

Lindsay strongly believes in a whole child approach to education, balancing well rounded academics with social and emotional supports.

Partnerships with parents, our communities, businesses and other levels of education like Smart Start and our Higher Ed provide many opportunities for students to succeed in WCPSS.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Whole child education
Partnerships with our parents and our community
Supporting our teachers and staff

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Staff retention and recruitment. Working with our county commissioners, state legislators and community members so they understand the needs in our schools and can celebrate our students.
We have worked hard to increase behavioral health supports, increase staff pay, create a community tutoring program, and become a sustainably led, fiscally responsible district. We have increased the graduation rate, and increased Pre-K and Career and Technical Education opportunities for students in Wake County.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2020

Lindsay Mahaffey did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

External links

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Candidate

Wake County Public School System, District 8

Personal

Footnotes

↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on September 30, 2024
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 Wake County Board of Elections, "Wake Board of Elections Candidate Detail List," August 17, 2016
↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "11/08/2016 Unofficial General Election Results," accessed November 8, 2016
↑ Wake County, "Campaign Finance Reports," accessed November 4, 2016
↑ General Assembly of North Carolina, "Chapter 163: Elections And Election Laws, Article 22A - Regulating Contributions and Expenditures in Political Campaigns," accessed February 11, 2016
↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Reporting Schedules," accessed October 11, 2016

[1] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on September 30, 2024

[candidates-2] 2.0 ^2.1 Wake County Board of Elections, "Wake Board of Elections Candidate Detail List," August 17, 2016

[3] North Carolina State Board of Elections, "11/08/2016 Unofficial General Election Results," accessed November 8, 2016

[4] Wake County, "Campaign Finance Reports," accessed November 4, 2016

[5] General Assembly of North Carolina, "Chapter 163: Elections And Election Laws, Article 22A - Regulating Contributions and Expenditures in Political Campaigns," accessed February 11, 2016

[6] North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Reporting Schedules," accessed October 11, 2016

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Lindsay Mahaffey

Contents

Biography

Elections

2024

General election

General election for Wake County Public School System, District 8

Endorsements

2022

General election

General election for Wake County Public School System, District 8

Endorsements

2020

General election

General election for Wake County Public School System, District 8

2018

General election

General election for Wake County Public School System, District 8

2016

Results

Funding

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

2022

2020

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

2025 Elections

2026 Elections

2024 Election analysis

Trending

Public Policy

Information for candidates

Get Engaged

Services

Additional analysis

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