Who’s on the ballot for Houston County Board of Education in 2026? A closer look

Houston County voters will decide three board of education seats in the 2026 election cycle.

Two district seats and one at-large seat are up for election: District 2, currently held by Lara Johnson; District 4, held by Jonathan Nichols; and District 6 at-large, held by Mark Ivory.

The terms for these members expire December 31. All three incumbents are seeking re-election.

Early voting began April 27 and runs through May 15. Election Day is May 19.

Here’s what to know about the candidates before you cast your vote.

District 2

Lori Johnson

Lori Johnson is a former teacher and speech therapist who has been serving on the district’s school board as its District 2 representative since 2015.

As she seeks another term, the State Farm agent said her top priorities are school safety, academic success and responsible financial management.

“Safety is our number one priority,” she told The Telegraph in a written statement, adding that the district will continue improving facilities and protocols to ensure campuses are safe places to learn and work.

Johnson said she does not approach her role with a personal agenda, noting that board members should focus on oversight rather than day-to-day operations.

“As a board member, I don’t have an agenda of my own — and I believe board members shouldn’t,” she said.

Looking ahead, Johnson said she plans to continue working collaboratively with the board to address ongoing challenges.

If reelected, Johnson said she hopes to see continued progress in creating a positive and supportive environment for students, staff and families. Her goals include ensuring students are prepared for either higher education or the workforce, maintaining disciplined budgeting practices and strengthening student opportunities for extracurricular activities.

“Throughout my service, I’ve always been transparent and available to constituents, students, and employees — and I plan to keep doing that,” Johnson said.

Courtney Driver

Courtney Driver, a candidate for Post 2, said her campaign focuses on transparency, parent engagement and teacher support.

Driver, a parent of a fourth grader at David Perdue Elementary, said the decision to run followed years of involvement inside local schools on PTO teams at Perdue Primary and Elementary schools.

“As a parent ... I have seen both the strengths of our district and the areas where families and teachers feel unheard,” Driver told The Telegraph in a written statement.

Currently working for an estate planning firm, Driver said the role requires careful listening, understanding family needs and planning for long-term outcomes — an approach she believes applies directly to school board service.

“One of the biggest challenges facing Houston County schools is ensuring students and teachers have the support they need to succeed while maintaining trust and transparency with families,” Driver said. “Teacher retention and staffing shortages are concerns I hear about often, especially when educators are asked to take on multiple roles without adequate support.”

Top priorities for Driver include improving teacher retention, protecting instructional and planning time and creating a parent advisory committee to encourage more community involvement. She also emphasized the importance of equitable and transparent resource distribution across schools.

Looking ahead, Driver said success would include measurable progress in retaining teachers, stronger parent engagement and continued academic growth. Financial transparency and responsible use of taxpayer dollars are also key priorities, she added.

“When priorities compete, my decisions will be guided by what best supports students while also respecting the professionals who serve them every day,” she said. “I want every decision in our schools to feel like it was made for real kids in real classrooms, not just policies on paper.”

District 4

Jonathan Nichols

Houston County Board of Education member Jon Nichols was elected in 2022, but said his priorities for this year mirror past goals.

He is campaigning for another term that centers on protecting “legacy schools,” strengthening student safety and preserving the district’s fiscal stability.

“We’ve got to make sure we take care of Warner Robins High School, Northside high School, the schools that started all the folks wanting to come to Houston County in the first place,” Nichols said.

On student safety, Nichols said Houston County has often been ahead of the curve on implementing security measures that are later required by state law. He praised the district’s proactive stance but noted that new mandates for safety equipment and programs can pose financial burdens.

Nichols said he wants to see gains not only among high-achieving students, but also among those who may struggle. He said the goal is to help every child reach their highest potential and raise test scores and other measurable outcomes across the board.

Nichols, 61, said the board collaborates to determine what is best for students, and that after years in local leadership roles, serving on the school board has been “one of the greatest joys” of his life.

“I’m that guy who is your next-door neighbor,” he said. “To be able to protect and take care of our children is far and above the most important thing on my mind, and I want to continue doing that.”

Sheila Ashley

Pastor and longtime special education advocate Sheila Ashley is running for Post 4, centering her campaign on students with disabilities, bullying prevention and districtwide accountability.

Ashley, an independent consultant who helps families navigate special education services and advocate for their children, said one of her top priorities is ensuring students receive the support outlined in their Individualized Education Programs and 504 plans.

Beyond special education, Ashley said she wants “authentic community engagement” so families feel safe bringing concerns to the board and confident that action will follow.

“Each child deserves to be seen, supported and given the tools to succeed,” Ashley said. “Families should not have to fight to be heard.”

She is also calling for more equitable distribution of resources, pointing to schools on the north side as needing the same level of investment as other campuses.

“The taxpayers’ money is going in one pot, but we definitely want to see that money spread out equally,” Ashley said. She specifically called out gym improvements needed at Northside Middle and Warner Robins High schools.

Another central focus of her campaign is combating bullying and improving school climate. Ashley said students in her community often tell her that reports of bullying are minimized or mishandled.

Ashley said her connection to Houston County schools is personal. Her children are graduates of the district and her grandchildren are currently enrolled.

If elected, Ashley said she hopes to make what she calls “an impact of a lifetime” by working collaboratively with other board members while holding firm on issues of equity, transparency and student support.

“I want to make sure my vote counts to make Houston County an even better school system,” Ashley said.

District 6

Mark Ivory

United States Army veteran Mark Ivory, who has served on the board since 2022, is seeking another term.

Ivory said that while many of the goals from his first campaign remain unfinished, he believes the district is “headed in the right direction” and wants more time on the board to see that work through.

His vision of prioritizing students remains unchanged, Ivory said, and includes the district’s STEM and Career Academy, which is now under development.

“When I ran the first time, that was one major issue that I had,” Ivory said about the new STEM school. “I wanted our kids to be more competitive when they go off to college ... I wanted them to be more ready and able to compete with a lot of those kids in the Atlanta area.”

He also highlighted the board’s plan to use E-SPLOST funds to invest in the district’s Title I schools, including improvements to the gyms at Northside and Warner Robins middle schools.

Ivory said his biggest lesson from his first term is that board work must be collaborative, not driven by a single member’s agenda.

“It can’t be ‘I, me or mine,’” Ivory said. “It has to be ‘we, us and our.’”

A former athletic director for 18 years at Thomson Middle School, Ivory has longstanding ties to the district. He is a Houston County native who also attended Northside High as a student, and now has a son coaching at the high school.

Those roots, he said, shape his expectations for what the community’s schools should be. Ivory said he wants voters to know he has the community’s best interest at heart and is working to make the county “the best in the state of Georgia.”

Andy Thomas

Longtime State Farm agent Andy Thomas said a mix of faith and family support led him to seek a seat on the Houston County Board of Education, where he hopes to help keep the school system “elite.”

Thomas, 58, has worked with State Farm for more than 35 years. After a personal prayer about “more opportunities to increase God’s footprint in the community” and deciding not to resist the calling laid before him, he is now seeking the District 6 at-large seat, he said.

Thomas said he views the school board job as nonpartisan, even though local elections are organized along party lines.

“I absolutely believe that the board post should be like Lady Justice and (wear) a blindfold,” he said. “Education doesn’t have a political preference.”

Thomas said he sees two overarching priorities for Houston County: maintaining the strength of both the school system and nearby Robins Air Force Base, and ensuring students keep pace with advances in technology.

Thomas cited his service on the boards of the Museum of Aviation and Central Georgia Technical College as experience he hopes to bring to the district. He also pointed to his background in business, such as balancing budgets and negotiating contracts.

Thomas, an “avid duck hunter” and a deacon at his church, said he plans to donate any stipend or income from a school board position back to the school system.

Thomas’ two daughters are graduates from the Houston County School District and one is currently a student.