Sean Strain
Sean Strain was a member of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Board of Education in North Carolina, representing District 6. Strain assumed office on November 28, 2017. Strain left office on December 13, 2022.
Strain ran for re-election to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Board of Education to represent District 6 in North Carolina. Strain lost in the general election on November 8, 2022.
Strain completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.
Elections
2022
See also: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, North Carolina, elections (2022)
General election
General election for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Board of Education District 6
Summer Nunn defeated incumbent Sean Strain and Michael Watson in the general election for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Board of Education District 6 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Summer Nunn (Nonpartisan)  | 43.5 | 23,588 |
 | Sean Strain (Nonpartisan) | 31.2 | 16,899 | |
 | Michael Watson (Nonpartisan) | 24.2 | 13,124 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 1.1 | 598 | ||
| Total votes: 54,209 | |||
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2017
Six of the nine seats on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Board of Education in North Carolina were up for by-district general election on November 7, 2017. A total of 20 candidates filed for the seats.
District 1 saw board member Rhonda Lennon defeat challengers Annette Albright, Amy Hallman, and Jess Miller. In District 2, incumbent Thelma Byers-Bailey filed for re-election and defeated newcomer Lenora Shipp. District 3 board member Ruby Jones defeated former candidate Janeen Bryant, Emmitt Butts, former candidate Levester Flowers, Blanche Penn, and Olivia Scott in the race for the seat. In District 4, Carol Sawyer defeated Queen Thompson and Stephanie Sneed in the race for the open spot on the board. District 5 saw Margaret Marshall defeat Jim Peterson and former candidate Jeremy Stephenson in the race for the open seat, and District 6 saw Sean Strain defeat Allen Smith in the race for the open seat.[1]
Results
| Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, District 6 General Election, 4-year term, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Sean Strain |
56.68% | 11,528 |
| Allen Smith | 42.38% | 8,619 |
| Write-in votes | 0.93% | 190 |
| Total Votes | 20,337 | |
| Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections & Ethics Enforcement, "11/07/2017 Unofficial General Election Results - Mecklenburg," accessed November 7, 2017 These election results are unofficial and will be updated after official vote totals are made available. | ||
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Sean Strain completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Strain's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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A husband and father of four daughters in our public schools, I grew up in the US Army and am now a business and technology executive consultant. Having helped run regional consultancy practices and IBM's global software business, I am keenly aware that CMS is a $2.2B+ enterprise delivering critical educational services to our community in Mecklenburg County - and as such, as with any business of its size and complexity - it is absolutely crucial that high expectations be set, transparency provided and a culture of accountability established and maintained. In my 14 years as a CMS father, I have seen just about every one of these measures and characteristics slide due to failed leadership, of which I have been a critic due to the negative impact on the outcomes and futures of the students we are honored to serve. Nevermind the lost market share as a result of parents/guardians choosing other educational options for their children. I often remind my colleagues: "no, these are not 'our children and our money' ... but if you want them to be, then you have to put the best product on the market for parents like myself to choose for their children"
- Start and finish every conversation with "what is best for the students?"
- No high-performing organization has ever succeeded with low expectations and little to no accountability. This will not be the first to do so.
- A great school and system is not just for those whose kids and grandkids attend - it is critical for a thriving community and business environment locally. We need leadership worthy of the students and community we serve.
Every student deserves a choice between a fantastic neighborhood school and a thriving option/magnet school that caters specifically to the student's interest and aptitude.
Equity is about delivering the resources and opportunities to meet every individual student's needs - to enable and empower that child to meet their full potential.
No student - no person - should be judged (let alone pre-judged) based on anything but their own individual merit: their effort, their performance, their ability to capitalize on opportunities and lift those around them.
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.
See also
2022 Elections
External links
Footnotes
