{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nGrady Coleman Bailey Jr., who goes by Coleman Bailey, is a candidate for the Avery County Schools Board of Education in North Carolina in 2026 [1]. He was previously elected to the board in 2018 and is seeking re-election [2]. He has framed his re-election campaign around restoring a culture of trust among administration, staff, and parents, and maintaining high morale and academic excellence in the district [3].\n\nBailey's three stated campaign priorities are student-centered excellence, teacher and staff support, and long-range planning [4]. He supports investing in competitive compensation and professional development to recruit and retain educators [4]. He advocates expanding Career and Technical Education pathways and rebuilding community trust through transparency, stating that \"trust is built when people understand not only what decisions are made, but why\" [4].\n\n## Background and education\nBailey received his teaching and administrative degrees from Appalachian State University and is a graduate of the Principal's Executive Program at UNC-Chapel Hill [2]. Both of his children are graduates of Avery County High School [4].\n\n## Career\nBailey's career in public education spans more than 34 years [2]. He worked for 30 years as a teacher and 5 years as an administrator, serving in roles including science teacher, director, coach, assistant principal, and cabinet member at the central office level [4]. He managed athletic program budgets and secured more than $450,000 in grants for service learning and science initiatives [4]. After retiring from Avery County Schools, he served as Avery County's Dual Enrollment Advisor for Mayland Community College for five years [2]. He subsequently worked as an adjunct professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Appalachian State University, supervising student teachers in Avery, Mitchell, McDowell, and Forsyth counties for nine years [2].\n\nBailey advocates for \"two-way\" community engagement and commits to remaining visible and approachable within Avery County [4].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Board of Education candidates address local issues \u2013 Avery Journal](https://www.averyjournal.com/news/board-of-education-candidates-address-local-issues-ahead-of-forum/article_e53c6ef9-d2c6-4be5-9481-a50fea8705f6.html)\n- [2] [School board candidates lay out governing philosophies \u2013 Avery Journal](https://www.averyjournal.com/news/school-board-candidates-lay-out-governing-philosophies-at-candidates-forum/article_bac831f1-4f8c-4ec7-8059-3e0de9ab06a8.html)\n- [3] [2026 primary election candidate list final \u2013 Avery Journal](https://www.averyjournal.com/news/government/2026-primary-election-candidate-list-final-as-filing-ends/article_0b21a2f9-b383-4297-a5c8-ecae1110b203.html)\n","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_school_board","county":"avery","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Avery County Board Of Education"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Grady","fullname":"Grady Coleman Bailey JR","lastname":"Bailey","middlename":"Coleman","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_school_board","contest_title":"Avery County Board Of Education","county":"avery","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","office_county":"avery","office_key":"county_school_board","office_title":"County School Board Member","party":"","pgr":"general","state":"NC"}],"county":"avery","cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_school_board","contest_title":"Avery County Board Of Education","county":"avery","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","office_county":"avery","office_key":"county_school_board","office_title":"County School Board Member","party":"","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},"party":"","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"county_school_board","office_title":"County School Board Member","state":"NC","terms":[]}],"suffix":"JR","terms":[],"token":"02c85e30cd872fa2"}