Fast facts:

Community/civic involvement: Board member at Hispanic Liaison, teaching improv skills to support caregivers of people who have dementia/Alzheimer’s, ongoing work with teens, volunteer for the Haw River Learning Celebration, volunteer for Second Bloom

Jane Allen Wilson, candidate for Chatham County Board of Education Dist. 4

Jane Allen Wilson serves on the board of Hispanic Liaison. She teaches improv skills to support caregivers of people with dementia or Alzheimer’s, works with teens, and volunteers for the Haw River Learning Celebration and Second Bloom.

Jane Allen Wilson, candidate for Chatham County Board of ...

Occupation:

I am Director of Training for the NC Victim Assistance Network. I design, lead, and organize trainings for community based and systems advocates and other services professionals such as law enforcement and prosecutor’s offices to compassionately & insightfully work victims of domestic & sexual violence and child abuse, human trafficking & co-victims of homicide. I occasionally work with others on state policy in support of crime victims and those who work with them. I have also worked for many years with Duke Medical School in communication seminars for medical professionals to work more compassionately and effectively with their patients.

Jane currently works as director of training for the NC Victim Assistance Network. She has also worked with Duke Medical School on communication seminars for medical professionals.

Jane Allen Wilson

Current and previous elected offices held or sought & terms you served:

Incumbent School Board member

Jane is an incumbent school board member.

2026 North Carolina General Election

What three specific, measurable and attainable goals would you pursue if elected?

Expanding AVID, Dual Language, and additional inspirational learning programs to close achievement gaps and bolster growth, and to maximize accessing opportunities for ALL our children in keeping with One Chatham Strategic Plan.
Providing additional enhancements and support to attract/keep our great teachers and staff in our school community so that positions are filled, teachers and staff are whole, and students are well-supported and motivated to learn.
Preparing for anticipated growth to the best of our abilities as we build new schools and also enthusiastically maintain existing schools, continuing the sense of community spirit system-wide for which we are known.

What new projects or initiatives would you like to see funded in the coming term?

Learning loss from the pandemic-related classroom disruptions has impacted students all over the country. Fortunately, we know that our efforts to promote learning resiliency have paid off in Chatham County, as our students are bouncing back at a faster rate than students in neighboring counties. We know that tutoring & support programs, summer reading programs & other supplemental learning opportunities have made a huge difference. I would like us to continue using funds to bolster student learning, including support for our teachers. I am also very pleased that we have been able to use the funds to expand services for fostering better student emotional & mental health & well-being as well. It is critical in so many ways that our children know they are not alone, & feel genuine concern & the tangible support we make available to them.

Plans to prepare for enrollment growth by building new schools and maintaining existing schools.

Supports continued funding for student learning, including tutoring, summer reading, and other supplemental learning opportunities.

- Plans to prepare for enrollment growth by building new schools and maintaining existing schools.
- Supports continued funding for student learning, including tutoring, summer reading, and other supplemental learning opportunities.

School Facilities & Resources

Perspective | A milestone for equity and excellence in Chatham County Schools — free breakfast and lunch
Gary Leonard, Del Turner, Julie Bridenstine, David Hamm and Jane Allen Wilson
October 2, 2024

This school year, Chatham County Schools embarked on an ambitious new initiative: providing free breakfast and lunch to every student in our district. With the rising costs of living and the increasing challenges families face, the importance of this program cannot be overstated.

Perspective | A milestone for equity and excellence in Chatham County Schools — free breakfast and lunch

Plans to expand AVID, dual-language, and other learning programs to close achievement gaps and increase opportunities for students.

Supports providing free breakfast and lunch to every student in Chatham County Schools.

- Plans to expand AVID, dual-language, and other learning programs to close achievement gaps and increase opportunities for students.
- Supports providing free breakfast and lunch to every student in Chatham County Schools.

Access to Education

Academic and operational challenges remain in the wake of COVID-19 both in CCS and across the state. What do you believe needs to be done to improve upon issues like learning loss and teacher vacancies in Chatham County?

I believe we must continue to take a multi-faceted approach to learning loss, so that our recovery efforts continue to bear fruit, given that we appear to be rebounding faster than expected. In addition to tracking individual students, & classroom & grade level trends, we seek to understand COVID’s impact on each child to determine their learning needs in order to catch up. These factors weigh into our collective offering & individual referrals & recommendations to supplemental learning materials & opportunities including, but not limited to, summer reading programs, etc. We also partner closely with a number of nonprofits in our community whose focus is on helping our children strengthen their skill sets. Learning loss is also impacted by teacher loss. On top of the impact of COVID on our teachers, & the lack of financial support from the state, there is the knowledge that less & less students are seeking undergraduate degrees in education, with little end in sight! We must continue to recruit & keep good teachers through support, professional development & mentorship as available. We can also encourage our students to become teachers through scholarship &/or other incentive packages once deemed possible.

What do you see as the biggest challenges facing the education system today? What would you do as a member of the Board of Education to help address those problems?

There was a time in North Carolina when education was the largest piece of the funding pie by the state. It was at a time when we were also among the poorest states in the nation. Through public education we lifted each other up together. We developed a solid infrastructure of education, & it paid off exponentially for our state. There is no reason why, especially as North Carolina is experiencing a record economic boom, for our state not to properly fund & support public education & to contribute so little to paying our teachers. It is shocking that we would abandon something that has so clearly served out state & tear down decades upon decades of investment.

Supports recruiting and retaining teachers through support, professional development, mentorship, and possible scholarship or incentive programs for future teachers.

Advocates for North Carolina to provide more funding for public education and teacher pay.

- Supports recruiting and retaining teachers through support, professional development, mentorship, and possible scholarship or incentive programs for future teachers.
- Advocates for North Carolina to provide more funding for public education and teacher pay.

Teachers

How much supervision should parents have when it comes to a teacher’s curriculum?

An analogy is often made to the relationship between parents and their child’s pediatrician. Parents often desire clear communication, input, & feeling heard when talking with the doctor making health determinations about their child. Those same parents are also likely to agree that the doctor's expertise & recommendations are valued in treatment options. There is sometimes a similar dynamic between parents & teachers. This analogy is not perfect however, in that the school curriculum experts (being education researchers, NCDPI, local school administrators, & teachers) are making decisions about an entire body of students, not just individual students when deciding curriculum. Much is determined at the state level. At any level, it is very important to hear from parents concerned about their individual child’s well-being, & from community members interested in our public investment. It is for the well-being of every & all our students, while also recognizing certain expertise in the development of the curriculum & its impact on all students.

What role should social issues like race, sexuality and gender play in the classroom?

It is important to understand all the factors that impact a student’s ability to achieve in the classroom and in life which impact the strength of their academic experience. It is also crucial that every child in our school feel safe physically, socially, emotionally, and culturally. For students to feel inspired to learn and to work to the best of their abilities, they need to feel safe in all these ways, and to feel recognized & valued and deeply encouraged for their unique skills and traits, including the culture and identity that is a part of them. It is important for every child who comes through our doors to feel understood, respected and appreciated and be given opportunities for growth. We must look at all the factors that impact a child’s growth, especially while they are in our care, by assuring our policies & practices are equitable and fair, that our programs and interactions seek to overcome disparities and gaps in achievement.

Supports hearing parent and community input on curriculum while recognizing educators' and curriculum experts' roles in developing it.

Supports equitable school policies and practices that address disparities and achievement gaps.

- Supports hearing parent and community input on curriculum while recognizing educators' and curriculum experts' roles in developing it.
- Supports equitable school policies and practices that address disparities and achievement gaps.

School Curriculum

Board member Jane Allen Wilson wanted to explore parent listening sessions around school safety. She said the board needs to hear parents’ anxieties because of the pressure everyone feels around school safety in the modern age. Wilson brought this up in the context of lockdowns at Chatham Middle School earlier this month, which were topics of discussion during this month’s school board meeting.

Funding and future: Chatham school board sets priorities at mid-year retreat

Wants to explore parent listening sessions on school safety.

Supports expanding services that foster students' emotional well-being and mental health.

- Wants to explore parent listening sessions on school safety.
- Supports expanding services that foster students' emotional well-being and mental health.

Student Wellbeing

LinkedIn

Jane Allen Wilson

- Supports providing free breakfast and lunch to every student in Chatham County Schools.

- Supports expanding services that foster students' emotional well-being and mental health.

Jane Allen Wilson is a member of the Chatham County Board of Education and a native, life-long resident of Chatham County. She currently trains service providers from all across the state working with victims of crime, and also works on state policy around improving system responses in support for both victims of violence and those who support them.

Jane Allen Wilson, Author at EducationNC

Community/civic involvement: Board member at Hispanic Liaison, teaching improv skills to support caregivers of people who have dementia/Alzheimer’s, ongoing work with teens, volunteer for the Haw River Learning Celebration, volunteer for Second Bloom

Favorite thing about Chatham County: The beauty of our people in communities all across the county and our beautiful pastoral and wooded landscapes.

Jane Allen Wilson, candidate for Chatham County Board of Education, Dist. 4

Jane Allen Wilson is a native and lifelong resident of Chatham County. She serves as a board member at Hispanic Liaison, teaches improv skills to support caregivers of people with dementia or Alzheimer's disease, and volunteers for the Haw River Learning Celebration and Second Bloom.

Jane Allen Wilson, author at EdNC

Occupation: I am Director of Training for the NC Victim Assistance Network. I design, lead, and organize trainings for community based and systems advocates and other services professionals such as law enforcement and prosecutor’s offices to compassionately & insightfully work victims of domestic & sexual violence and child abuse, human trafficking & co-victims of homicide. I occasionally work with others on state policy in support of crime victims and those who work with them. I have also worked for many years with Duke Medical School in communication seminars for medical professionals to work more compassionately and effectively with their patients.

Meet the Board

Jane Allen Wilson is a native and life-long resident of Chatham County, and she is honored to represent District 4 in Siler City.

Term Began: Elected 2014
Term Expires: 2026

Meet the Board | Chatham County Schools

Jane currently serves on the Chatham County Board of Education, representing District 4 in Siler City. She was elected in 2014, and her term expires in 2026.

This school year, Chatham County Schools embarked on an ambitious new initiative: providing free breakfast and lunch to every student in our district. With the rising costs of living and the increasing challenges families face, the importance of this program cannot be overstated. It’s a forward-thinking, student-centered approach that not only ensures no child goes hungry but also fosters better academic outcomes.

This bold move aligns directly with the district’s ONE Chatham Strategic Direction, which emphasizes equity and access for all students. Our Board of Education deserves enormous credit for recognizing the needs of our families and finding a sustainable path forward.

What three specific, measurable and attainable goals would you pursue if elected?

Expanding AVID, Dual Language, and additional inspirational learning programs to close achievement gaps and bolster growth, and to maximize accessing opportunities for ALL our children in keeping with One Chatham Strategic Plan.

Providing additional enhancements and support to attract/keep our great teachers and staff in our school community so that positions are filled, teachers and staff are whole, and students are well-supported and motivated to learn.

Preparing for anticipated growth to the best of our abilities as we build new schools and also enthusiastically maintain existing schools, continuing the sense of community spirit system-wide for which we are known.

Chatham County is one of the fastest growing counties in the state. What do you see as the major challenges/opportunities coming from this growth and how would you address them?

We are readying our school system for anticipated rapid growth by working on system-wide infrastructure preparedness, new school design and county-land-banking, creating incentive programs to attract additional teachers & staff, and cultivating strong relationships with key stakeholders. While state funding for school construction comes only once actual students are in county, we partner with some of the best consultants on a state and national level in both learning from similar communities' challenges and in highly-specific county predictive analytics crucial to our preparations. We meet regularly with state/county leaders in anticipation of our needs to act quickly with foresight.

What new projects or initiatives would you like to see funded in the coming term?

Learning loss from the pandemic-related classroom disruptions has impacted students all over the country. Fortunately, we know that our efforts to promote learning resiliency have paid off in Chatham County, as our students are bouncing back at a faster rate than students in neighboring counties. We know that tutoring & support programs, summer reading programs & other supplemental learning opportunities have made a huge difference. I would like us to continue using funds to bolster student learning, including support for our teachers.

Supports providing free breakfast and lunch to every student in the district.

Plans to prepare for enrollment growth through infrastructure planning, new school design, county land banking, and maintaining existing schools.

Wants to continue funding tutoring, summer reading, and other supplemental learning programs.

- Supports providing free breakfast and lunch to every student in the district.
- Plans to prepare for enrollment growth through infrastructure planning, new school design, county land banking, and maintaining existing schools.
- Wants to continue funding tutoring, summer reading, and other supplemental learning programs.

Advocates for expanding Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID), dual-language, and other learning programs to close achievement gaps and increase opportunities.

- Advocates for expanding Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID), dual-language, and other learning programs to close achievement gaps and increase opportunities.

Learning loss is also impacted by teacher loss. On top of the impact of COVID on our teachers, & the lack of financial support from the state, there is the knowledge that less & less students are seeking undergraduate degrees in education, with little end in sight! We must continue to recruit & keep good teachers through support, professional development & mentorship as available. We can also encourage our students to become teachers through scholarship &/or other incentive packages once deemed possible.

Supports an employee affordable-housing pilot intended to help Chatham County Schools retain and recruit employees.

Advocates for teacher recruitment and retention through added support, professional development, mentorship, and potential scholarships or incentives for future teachers.

- Advocates for teacher recruitment and retention through added support, professional development, mentorship, and potential scholarships or incentives for future teachers.

Much is determined at the state level. At any level, it is very important to hear from parents concerned about their individual child’s well-being, & from community members interested in our public investment. It is for the well-being of every & all our students, while also recognizing certain expertise in the development of the curriculum & its impact on all students.

Public schools have an obligation to each student’s growth & to the growth of the schools, as we also seek to meet students where they are individually as much as possible with the academic support they so need. Because public schools serve the collective it would be challenging to individualize curriculum itself, however.

Public schools have an obligation to each student’s growth & to the growth of the schools, as we also seek to meet students where they are individually as much as possible with the academic support they so need. Because public schools serve the collective it would be challenging to individualize curriculum itself, however. Sometimes individualized curriculum can be decided more easily in home-school settings. Our system partners with a number of home-schooling parents, so that some of our services can supplement those parents’ somewhat individualized curricular decisions.

Supports parent and community input on curriculum while recognizing the expertise required to develop curricula and the difficulty of individualizing public-school curricula.

Supports district partnerships that provide services to supplement homeschooling families' individualized curriculum decisions.

- Supports parent and community input on curriculum while recognizing the expertise required to develop curricula and the difficulty of individualizing public-school curricula.
- Supports district partnerships that provide services to supplement homeschooling families' individualized curriculum decisions.

What are the biggest challenges in Chatham and/or N.C. right now — and how would you address them?

While our students are recovering from learning loss faster than other counties, we must restore academic standing/growth and replenish from social loss, with increased supplemental learning programs, mental health services, extra-curricular activities that re-energize school spirit.

The nation/statewide teaching shortage is growing. Reduced pay/benefits and cutting budgets on the backs of public education have decreased the number of graduates choosing to become teachers. Fortunately support for public education in Chatham is high.

Proposes parent listening sessions on school safety to hear families' concerns.

Supports expanded mental-health services, supplemental learning programs, and extracurricular activities to address students' academic and social recovery.

- Supports expanded mental-health services, supplemental learning programs, and extracurricular activities to address students' academic and social recovery.

As of January 5, 2026, Jane Allen Wilson’s website did not contain information on this issue.

Jane Allen Wilson is from Chatham County, North Carolina. She has a bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina.

Jane is the director of training for the North Carolina Victim Assistance Network. She designs, leads, and organizes training sessions for community-based and systems advocates, as well as other service professionals, such as law enforcement and prosecutor's offices. She also works with Duke Medical School to conduct communication seminars for medical professionals. Jane previously worked as an advocate for children and families impacted by domestic and sexual violence and child abuse. 

Jane is currently a member of the Chatham County Board of Education.

Chatham County to Choose Sheriff, Commissioners and School ...

Staff & Board of Directors - Chatham Education Foundation

Supports providing free meals to students.

Supports expanding access to the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) and dual language programs.

Wants to provide enhancements and support to attract and retain teachers and staff.

Supports student wellbeing through partnerships with nonprofits, addressing learning loss linked to teacher shortages, advocating for teacher support, professional development, mentorship, and incentives for students to pursue education degrees, while valuing positive relationships with county commissioners for teacher supplements.

Mauricio Mendez

Buket Urgen

- 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