LinkedIn

Sandy is from Alamance County and attended Southern Alamance High School. She is married to her husband, Justin, with whom she has 3 children. 

Sandy currently works as a realtor at Allen Tate Realtors. She previously worked as a self-employed realtor at Ellington Real Estate. 

Sandy Ellington-Graves currently serves as member of the Alamance County Board of Education. She was elected to this position in 2020 and is serving her first term. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Alamance-Caswell Builders Association and is a former president of Alamance County Meals on Wheels

Candidate website

Believes increasing per pupil funding benefits all citizens and supports community engagement to improve the school system.

Wants to involve county residents and local businesses in BOE affairs. 

Believes in maintaining "full transparency and accountability" for school funding, including the $150M school bond, $23.1M joint capital improvement plan, and $45.7M budget request.

Supports financial accountability and responsible spending to establish" mutual interest in improving the efficiency of our school system and its operations."

Believes Alamance County must adapt its school facilities and resources to meet the needs of a growing population. Supports addressing overcrowded schools through progress and adaptation.

Wants the school system to ensure they can adapt to school needs. 

Supports upholding transparency and accountability, as she believes it will help form stronger relationships with the public.

- Wants to involve county residents and local businesses in BOE affairs. 
- Supports financial accountability and responsible spending to establish" mutual interest in improving the efficiency of our school system and its operations."
- Wants the school system to ensure they can adapt to school needs. 
- Supports upholding transparency and accountability, as she believes it will help form stronger relationships with the public.

School Facilities & Resources

Believes expanding Career and Technical Education and partnerships with local businesses ensures equal access to career readiness. Supports job shadowing, internships, and professional certifications for students.

Supports expanding initiatives that focus on skills for college readiness and career development. 

Supports reopening schools for in-person learning when it is deemed safe. Believes remote learning presents significant challenges for students and parents.

Supports reopening schools for in-person learning during the COVID-19 pandemic only when they were considered "SAFE TO OPEN."

- Supports expanding initiatives that focus on skills for college readiness and career development. 
- Supports reopening schools for in-person learning during the COVID-19 pandemic only when they were considered "SAFE TO OPEN."

Access to Education

Supports attracting and retaining top educators with competitive pay, professional development, and resources. Believes investing in teacher support strengthens recruitment and retention efforts.

Supports efforts to attract and retain teachers through competitive pay, career development, classroom resources, technology, and supportive leadership. 

Believes in rewarding effective educators and increasing teacher pay to address teacher shortages. Said, "Teaching is so much more than measuring test scores" and emphasizes the importance of teacher training for student success.

Plans to focus on enhancing county school, saying it will develop an environment where the teachers are valued and all students can receive a quality education.

- Supports efforts to attract and retain teachers through competitive pay, career development, classroom resources, technology, and supportive leadership. 
- Plans to focus on enhancing county school, saying it will develop an environment where the teachers are valued and all students can receive a quality education.

Teachers

As of June 14, 2024, Sandy Ellington-Graves’s website did not contain information on this issue.

School Curriculum

Believes students need "safe and healthy learning environments" free from distractions like leaking roofs and crowded hallways. Supports increased security measures and full-time School Resource Officers (SROs) to protect students and staff.

Supports ensuring schools uphold a safe and healthy environment for learning. 

Believes in balancing screen time, student/teacher engagement, and independent learning while addressing hot spot accessibility, nutritional needs, and mental well-being.

Wants to establish a balance of screen time, classroom engagement, and independent studying for students. 

Supported increased security measures and maintaining partnerships with law enforcement to help protect students and faculty.

- Supports ensuring schools uphold a safe and healthy environment for learning. 
- Wants to establish a balance of screen time, classroom engagement, and independent studying for students. 
- Supported increased security measures and maintaining partnerships with law enforcement to help protect students and faculty.

Student Wellbeing

Facebook

Sandy Ellington-Graves

Sandy Ellington-Graves is a lifelong resident of Alamance County, currently residing in Eli Whitney. She graduated from Southern Alamance High School in 1989. Sandy is married to Justin Graves and they have three children: Jynsen (26), Ashley (24), and Katie (14). Information about the church she attends is not provided.

Sandy Ellington-Graves is a local real estate broker at Allen Tate REALTORS® in Burlington. Previously, she worked in healthcare management at UNC. She earned her real estate license in 2002 after completing evening classes at ACC.

As of July 8, 2024, Sandy Ellington-Graves’s website did not contain information on this issue.

Believes updating core school facilities is not cost-effective due to funding cuts. Supports the $150M ABSS bond for new construction, renovations, and security enhancements.

Believes safe and healthy school facilities are essential and that outdated buildings hinder accommodating growing student populations. As a member of the Joint Facilities Task Force, highlighted that 70% of schools are over 50 years old, leading to maintenance issues.

Believes that continuous investment in school facilities and resources is essential for community progress. Said, “When the time comes for us to stop spending more money on schools, it means that our city and county have stopped in their progress.”

Believes the strength of the public education system directly impacts the local housing market and economic development. Notes ABSS spends just under $8400 per pupil and ranks 105 out of 115 NC school districts.

Believes every child has the right to a sound basic education with equal opportunity, competent teachers, principals, and access to resources in public schools.

Supports reopening schools for in-person learning when it is safe. Believes remote learning presents significant challenges for students and parents.

Believes students must choose a post-graduation pathway, such as higher education, workforce entry, or military enlistment, and possess the necessary knowledge and skills to succeed.

Believes re-opening schools for over 22,000 students and 1,600 educators requires "careful diligence" to ensure safety. Supports exploring options for re-opening once the positivity rate is at or below 5%.

- The Board of Education runs the public school system. They create policies that establish standards, accountability and evaluation of essential operations of the school system.
- The Board of Education member hires a superintendent and can remove them when necessary. The superintendent assists the Board of Education in implementing the board’s policies. 
- The Board of Education is charged with deciding the school budget. This means they decide how to allocate money between different services, such as teacher pay, repairing school facilities, or access to technology.
- Board of Education members are elected every four years. 

Member of the board that governs your county's public school system

Alamance

Public Safety

North Carolina

County Board of Education Member

Believes "every child has the right to a sound basic education with equal opportunity, competent teachers, principals, and access to resources in public schools.

Supported reopening school s for in-person learning when it is safe. Believes remote learning presents significant challenges for students and parents.