Brian Olson

Disagree

I believe in personal privacy and individual healthcare decisions. As a school board candidate, my primary constitutional and administrative focus is on district governance: student academic achievement, teacher retention, and transparent fiscal stewardship.

The role of the school board is to ensure students have access to qualified, licensed school counselors, social workers, and health professionals who provide compassionate, confidential, and professional guidance. Schools should encourage strong family communication and parental involvement whenever possible, connect students and their families to appropriate community health resources, and ensure the student can safely continue and complete their high school education.

Public education is a vital public good. I support robust funding from universal Pre-K through college, fulfilling NC’s constitutional duty to every student. Tax dollars must prioritize neighborhood public schools—ensuring competitive pay for teachers and support staff, safe facilities, and strong academics without siphoning funds to private vouchers. As a former Community College Board President, I also champion accessible higher education and career training paired with fiscal accountability.

Disagree

Targeted loan forgiveness is a vital tool to support public servants and honor statutory commitments. Programs like Public Service Loan Forgiveness for teachers and vital discharge programs for disabled military veterans strengthen our workforce and local communities. Investing in educators and frontline staff directly benefits our public schools and local economy. While we must address college costs and interest rates at the root, supporting those who serve our communities is sound policy.

Separation of church and state protects religious freedom for all students and families. Public schools must welcome every child without promoting, endorsing, or establishing religious doctrine. Students retain their personal right to voluntary, private prayer and expression. Classrooms must remain focused on core academics, critical thinking, and mutual respect, leaving religious instruction to families and faith communities.

Disagree

Immigration policy is a federal duty. For public schools, our clear legal duty under Plyler v. Doe is to educate every child who walks through our doors safely. Classrooms must remain secure, welcoming environments focused on academic achievement, student well-being, and trust—not federal immigration enforcement. Public schools serve our communities best when we stay focused on our core mission: teaching, learning, and preparing every student for a productive future.

Disagree

Every student deserves a safe, welcoming school environment free from bullying and discrimination. Specialized clinical medical care belongs between families and their licensed doctors outside the classroom. School staff should focus on academic excellence, evidence-based state curriculum, student mental health support, and day-to-day wellness, ensuring our schools remain supportive spaces for all children while respecting parental medical guidance.

Agree

Safe, orderly classrooms are essential for effective learning and teacher retention. Clear, consistent boundaries and fair behavioral expectations ensure every student can focus on academics. Effective school discipline must balance accountability with constructive support—addressing underlying causes, keeping schools safe, and ensuring consequences are applied equitably so every student has the opportunity to learn, grow, and succeed in a respectful environment.

Strongly Agree

A thorough grounding in our founding documents—the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights—is essential for civic literacy. True patriotism means teaching our complete history with academic rigor and honesty. When students understand our founding ideals of liberty and equality, along with our ongoing journey toward a more perfect union, they develop the critical thinking skills needed to be responsible, engaged citizens prepared to lead our country.

Disagree

As a former community college board president, I know the most effective educational decisions happen locally with parents, teachers, and school boards. However, eliminating the Department of Education would jeopardize critical Title I funding for high-need schools, civil rights protections, and IDEA support for students with disabilities. We need a partner in Washington that protects vital federal funding while trusting local leaders to make decisions for their classrooms.

Health education should be age-appropriate, medically accurate, and aligned with state standards and the Healthy Youth Act. Instruction must cover human anatomy and the reproductive system, consent, abstinence, contraceptive methods, and physical and emotional health outcomes. Core curriculum should prioritize biological science, disease prevention, and student safety, while ensuring parents have full transparency, access to materials, and standard opt-out rights.

1. Mathematics 2. Language Arts 3. Science 4. Personal Finances 5. Vocational Learning 6. Civics 7. American History 8. Art & Music 9. Physical Fitness 10. Information Technology 11. Foreign Language 12. Social Emotional Learning Schools must balance core academic rigor with career skills, financial literacy, and the arts to foster critical thinking, creativity, and self-sufficiency. Partisan activism and non-academic theories remain outside core K-12 educational priorities.

Agree

Public schools exist to prepare students for active citizenship and economic independence through high academic rigor, critical thinking, and strong personal character. Fostering civic literacy requires a thorough understanding of our constitutional system, rule of law, and the responsibilities of self-government. Core education must focus on foundational excellence, civic duty, and mutual respect, equipping every student to contribute productively to a free society.

Disagree

As a former STEM magnet student who commuted an hour each way on the school bus, I know firsthand that public schools can innovate and offer great choice. But healthy competition requires a level playing field and public accountability. Diverting tax dollars to private vouchers undermines the system serving the vast majority of kids. True excellence comes from fully investing in our classrooms, expanding robust public magnet pathways, and supporting the schools open to every child.

Disagree

In K-12 education, policies must maintain athletic fairness and personal privacy while ensuring safety and dignity for every student. Female student-athletes deserve protected, fair competition in accordance with Title IX and state sports standards. District facilities must respect student privacy in locker rooms and restrooms by maintaining biological standards for communal spaces, while providing clean, accessible single-occupancy accommodations for anyone seeking privacy.

Raised in a Christian home, My faith is rooted in the timeless principle of service above self, personal accountability, and the Golden Rule: treating every person with dignity, humility, and grace. As a husband, father, and veteran, those values guide how I conduct my life, lead my family, and serve my community. In public service, I believe faith is best reflected through quiet integrity, honest stewardship, and treating everyone fairly. While my personal faith guides my character, I hold deep reverence for our constitutional tradition of religious liberty. My duty on the school board is to govern impartially, respect all families, and ensure every child has the opportunity to succeed regardless of religious orientation or faith.

Strongly Agree

Parents are a child’s first and most important advocates, teachers, and guardians. Public schools succeed when there is genuine partnership, transparency, and mutual trust between families and educators. School districts must actively support parental rights by maintaining full curriculum transparency, open communication regarding student well-being, and standard health consent processes, ensuring families and schools work collaboratively for every child’s success.

Strongly Agree

Dr. King’s vision remains a fundamental moral benchmark: every individual possesses inherent dignity and must be evaluated on character, effort, and integrity, not race. In public education, this principle means ensuring every child—regardless of background or zip code—has equal access to high academic standards, exceptional teachers, and the opportunity to reach their full potential. Schools must cultivate unity, mutual respect, and merit in every classroom.

Strongly Disagree

Under our Constitution and established federal law, civil marriage is legally protected for all couples, and the government must uphold equal protection under the law. Religious institutions maintain their fundamental right to define marriage according to their faith traditions. As a school board member, my duty is not to litigate legal marriage definitions, but to ensure that every student and family in our district is treated with equal dignity, respect, and constitutional fairness.

Disagree

Medical care and mental health decisions belong strictly between parents, students, and licensed medical professionals—not school boards. In public education, our responsibility is to provide a safe, supportive, and bully-free environment where every child is treated with dignity, compassion, and respect. They COULD be both if desired Schools must focus on academic excellence, student well-being, and partnering with families to ensure every student feels valued, secure, and ready to learn.

Disagree

Obscenity laws apply universally and no public school materials should be exempt from the law. Established legal standards already protect works with serious literary and educational value while prohibiting obscenity. District libraries must maintain clear, age-appropriate standards aligned with state law, guided by professional media specialists and transparent review processes that respect parental input, ensuring our collections support learning and academic rigor.

Disagree

Photo identification is a standard, common-sense measure that strengthens public confidence and protects election integrity, in line with North Carolina law. Voting should be secure and accessible to every eligible citizen. Pairing practical ID requirements with readily available, free government-issued IDs, clear voter education, and robust access ensures that every legal vote is counted, our election systems remain trusted, and no eligible voter is disenfranchised.

No. I have never been convicted of a felony. As a military veteran who served in Army Intelligence where I maintained a top secret security clearance, an operations management professional, and a former elected public community college Board President,I have maintained an unblemished record of personal integrity, ethical conduct, and public trust throughout my entire life and career. I hold myself to the highest standards of accountability and transparency in both private life and public office.

No! I have never been penalized, accused, or investigated for sexual misconduct in any civil, criminal, or workplace setting. As a father of two public school students, a PTA leader, a military veteran, and an operations professional, protecting the safety, dignity, and well-being of young people and coworkers has always been my highest priority. I bring a lifelong record of ethical leadership, and dedicated public stewardship.

2014 Republican Primary 2014 General Election 2016 Republican Primary 2016 General Election 2018 Republican Primary 2018 General Election 2020 Republican Primary 2020 General Election 2022 General Election

Throughout my life, I have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to civic duty, voting consistently in general and primary elections across multiple states. My dedication to public education goes beyond casting a ballot—I have stepped up to serve communities directly, earning election to public higher education governing boards and now running for school board. As a veteran and father, I bring pragmatic, transparent leadership focused squarely on students and classroom success.

Moderate

I govern by evidence, constitutional principles, and practical problem-solving rather than ideological extremes. On economic matters, I value fiscal discipline, operational efficiency, and taxpayer accountability. On community and educational issues, I champion high academic standards, parental partnership, and safe, supportive schools for every student. Local school governance must remain focused on delivering classroom excellence rather than serving partisan agendas.

Disagree

As the only candidate with children currently attending our public schools, student safety is personal to me. As a veteran and former board president who led during national crises, I know real safety requires professional systems, not burdening teachers as armed security. We protect our schools through proactive prevention: expanding counselors and mental health specialists, modernizing facility access, and strong emergency coordination so educators can focus strictly on teaching.