Eskridge 4 Education

09/02/2026

The results are in!! 🎉

Proficiency, growth, and progress are looking strong. KUDOS to our students, teachers, and staff for the hard work that made these gains possible!

A huge shout-out to Assoc. Superintendent of Academic services, Tanya Kales and her team for the work they’ve done with our Innovation Schools, and to Dr. Houchard for being willing to take the leap and do things a little differently.

We may not agree on 100% of everything, but when it comes to closing achievement gaps and improving outcomes for our students, we are aligned.

This is progress worth celebrating. Now, let’s keep building on it! 👏🏾📚






https://www.gaston.k12.nc.us/departments/communications/test-scores-2025-2026?fbclid=IwZnRzaAUFQ0FwZG9mBWZkaWQWUNriNY8NhR5FkA19c5ZjzGjEC1gcd2V4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkCjY2Mjg1NjgzNzkAAR7yCCq7jh2dolCQMCf0BZZLyiHwQT90JqBXWug-dg7k1UOADCAUkySgcC1FXw_aem_CXxU7xoPjwH-XjW7ApWMdQ

Test Scores 2025-2026 - Gaston County Schools is a public school district in North Carolina serving more than 31,000 students across 56 schools. We are committed to educational excellence and preparing students for success in college, careers and life.

09/02/2026

What's coming up?

September 4: Absentee-by-mail voting begins
October 9: 5 PM deadline to register to vote or update a current registration
Oct. 15 - 31: Early in-person voting begins at locatons in Gastonia, Cherryville, Dallas, and Mount Holly
November 3: General Election Day with polls open 6:30 AM to 7:30 PM

Stay in the elections know by following us here and visiting our website ➡ www.gastoncountyelections.com ⬅

09/02/2026

The state is making improvement overall. Imagine what we could do with appropriate funding.

North Carolina public school students marked another year of academic progress in 2025-26, achieving a record-high graduation rate and improving performance on most standardized tests, according to data presented Wednesday morning to the State Board of Education.

Learn more https://www.dpi.nc.gov/news/press-releases/2026/09/02/2026-graduation-rate-reaches-historic-high-accountability-results-continue-positive-trend-north.

09/02/2026

Thank you, Catherine’s House!! 🫶🏽

🎉 Happy Birthday, Brenda! 🎉

Today we’re celebrating our wonderful Board Chair, Brenda!

Brenda has spent an incredible 29 years working in healthcare, where she serves as Director of PB Governance and Risk for a hospital system. Her passion for serving others doesn’t stop at work, she’s deeply involved in our community and is always looking for ways to make a difference.

When she’s not working or volunteering, Brenda loves a little quiet time with a good book, a hot cup of coffee, and a comfy recliner.

And for a fun fact… Brenda once won a talent show in her early twenties and was selected to sing at Showtime at the Apollo in New York City! She survived the Apollo, and thankfully, the Sandman did NOT sweep her off the stage!

Brenda, thank you for your leadership, heart for our community, and dedication to Catherine’s House. We hope your birthday is filled with all the things that make you happiest!

Happy Birthday, Brenda! We’re so grateful for you!

09/02/2026

Tomorrow, whatever the numbers show, I believe we should do three things: celebrate the wins, acknowledge where we still have work to do, and keep pushing for better outcomes for every student.

08/31/2026

Early voting begins October 15th, and we still have a lot of ground to cover!

If you’re ready to see change on our local school board, please consider donating to the campaign to elect Dr. Brenda Eskridge.

Every contribution helps us reach more voters across Gaston County.

08/30/2026

DO YOU KNOW WHO REPRESENTS GASTON COUNTY IN THE NC GENERAL ASSEMBLY AND HELPS DECIDE HOW MUCH OUR STATE INVESTS IN PUBLIC EDUCATION?

Take a look at this graph.

North Carolina continues to trail the nation in both per pupil expenditures and education funding effort.

When we talk about teacher pay, classroom resources, EC services, counselors, nurses, instructional support, and the resources our schools need, we often direct the conversation toward our local school boards and county commissioners. But we cannot leave Raleigh out of the conversation.

The North Carolina General Assembly, our state representatives and state senators, has the constitutional authority to appropriate state funding for public education.

And Gaston County has legislators sitting in some important positions:

Rep. John Torbett — House Appropriations Vice Chair and member of Education–K-12

Rep. Donnie Loftis — House Appropriations Vice Chair

Rep. Kelly Hastings — House Appropriations Vice Chair

Sen. Brad Overcash — Chair of Senate Education/Higher Education AND Chair of Appropriations on Education/Higher Education

Sen. Ted Alexander — Member of the Senate Appropriations/Base Budget Committee

That means Gaston County has representation at the tables where state funding decisions are being made.

This isn’t about pointing fingers. It’s about understanding who controls which dollars and holding every level of government accountable for its part.

Our local leaders should advocate for our schools. Our school board should be fiscally responsible with the dollars it receives. Our county commissioners have a funding responsibility when there is shortfall in operations. And our state legislators have one too.

If North Carolina is going to close the gap shown in this graph, increasing our investment in public education has to be part of the conversation in Raleigh.

Make sure your vote aligns with the needs of our students at the federal and state level in upcoming elections. Consider Steve Rutherford, Sydnie Hutchinson for NC House 108, Mark D. Carver, and Mary Silver. Otherwise, we will continue to live the definition of insanity in Gaston County.

08/30/2026