DISTRICT 1

Flowers owns an electrical company and has two children enrolled in the Wilson Academy of Applied Technology. His motive for running for office, he said, is to give a voice to students interested in trade work after high school.

4 more file to join school board race

Joe Flowers has two children enrolled in the Wilson Academy of Applied Technology.

School board ballot set for November - The Wilson Times

Flowers said he’s never run for office before but intends to focus on what’s best for the students.

“We need to be in touch with the kids,” he said.

Joe has never run for public office before.

2026 North Carolina General Election

The article reports that Flowers wants to be hands-on and involved while listening to students' wants and needs. He said: “We need to think about what they want and how to better prepare them for the workforce once they graduate,” he said. “My goal is to be in touch with kids, principals, educators and fellow school board members. If we do that, I think we could really help Wilson.”

Calls for school leaders to consider what students want when preparing them for the workforce after graduation.

- Calls for school leaders to consider what students want when preparing them for the workforce after graduation.

School Facilities & Resources

Flowers said his motive for running for office was to give a voice to students interested in trade work after high school. He then said: “There's really no trade representation on the board,” Flowers said. “There's lots of educators and former coaches, but no person on the board that would express how important the trades are and having some exposure to kids about what's out there. College isn't for everyone. There's a lot of people who are going to jump right into something, whether it's out of necessity or they want to.”

Advocates for exposing students to trade careers and representing students who plan to enter the trades after high school.

- Advocates for exposing students to trade careers and representing students who plan to enter the trades after high school.

Access to Education

As of September 2, 2026, Joe Flowers did not have a website or any information online.

Teachers

School Curriculum

Flowers said he intended to focus on students and stated: “We need to be in touch with the kids,” he said. “Being on the school board, it's a civil servant role, but I don't see a lot of the school board members actually go into the school and interact with the kids. I'm not saying we need to be overbearing, but it's like owning a business. If I'm not out in the field checking in on my guys, they're just going to do whatever they want to do. I ask my kids if there's ever any school board members who just come out to see them, sit in a class and they say no.”

Calls for school board members to visit schools and interact with students.

- Calls for school board members to visit schools and interact with students.

Student Wellbeing

Joe Flowers

As of September 2, 2026, Joe Flowers’s website did not contain information on this issue.

Mauricio Mendez

Walter Ley

Cornell L. Mercer

Debora Powell

- 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