{"biography":"Khem Irby is the incumbent Democratic member of the Guilford County Schools Board of Education representing District\u202f6 and is seeking re\u2011election in the November\u202f3,\u202f2026 general election after winning the March\u202f3,\u202f2026 Democratic primary with 65.2% of the vote (3,918 votes) against Chris Gillespie [1].\n\nIrby was born in Brooklyn, New\u202fYork, served in the U.S. Navy Reserve, and earned a bachelor\u2019s degree from Barclay College in 2018 [1]. She has worked as an activist, secretary, and after\u2011school teacher, including a position as an elementary after\u2011school teacher at Pearce Elementary School\u2019s ACES program [12].\n\nIn the education sector, Irby holds several leadership roles: she serves as Secretary for the North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE) Educational Support Personnel, is President of the national non\u2011profit Parents Across America, and co\u2011chairs the Dignity in Schools campaign, which challenges the school\u2011to\u2011prison pipeline [11][12]. She is also the legislative chair of the Guilford County Board of Education, a position that enables her to work directly with state lawmakers on public\u2011school issues [12].\n\nIrby was first elected to the Guilford County School Board in 2018 and was re\u2011elected in 2022, defeating Republican Tim\u202fAndrew with 52.6% of the vote (13,142 votes) [1]. During her tenure she helped open new schools, oversaw the district\u2019s recovery from the COVID\u201119 pandemic, participated in hiring a new superintendent, and contributed to shifting the board to a Democratic majority [12]. She has highlighted ongoing challenges such as opportunity gaps for students of color, a bus\u2011driver shortage, and the rapid expansion of the state\u2019s voucher program, which she says diverts funds from public schools [12].\n\nIrby\u2019s platform emphasizes student\u2011centered decision\u2011making, ending the school\u2011to\u2011prison pipeline, and placing a moratorium on new charter schools\u2014a stance informed by her experience as a former charter\u2011school parent in New\u202fYork City [11]. She advocates for higher teacher and staff pay, expanding college\u2011credit programs for high\u2011school students, and improving school safety through comprehensive approaches that include, but are not limited to, security scanners [12].\n\nShe is affiliated with a range of community and advocacy organizations, including the High Point NAACP, the NC Black Leadership & Organizing Collective, local PTAs, Cedar Grove Tabernacle of Praise, and Greater New Hope Baptist Church in High Point. Endorsements for her 2026 campaign include the Guilford County Association of Educators, Red Wine and Blue, and the Network for Public Education Action [1][11].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Khem Irby - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Khem_Irby)\n- [7] [Elected Officials \u2013 Guilford County Democratic Party](https://www.guilforddems.org/about/elected-officials/)\n- [9] [Khem Irby for Board of Education | Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/p/Khem-Irby-for-Board-of-Education-100084834247935/)\n- [11] [Khem Irby for District 6, Guilford County School Board - NPE Action](https://npeaction.org/7779/)\n- [12] [Guilford Board of Education Member Khem Irby Seeks Re-Election](https://greensborothread.com/news/politics/elections/khem-irby-guilford-school-board/)","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_school_board_district_06","county":"guilford","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Guilford County Board Of Education District 06"},{"contest":"county_school_board_district_06","county":"guilford","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Guilford County Board Of Education District 06"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Khem","fullname":"Khem Denise Irby","lastname":"Irby","middlename":"Denise","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_school_board_district_06","contest_title":"Guilford County Board Of Education District 06","county":"guilford","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":"guilford","office_key":"county_school_board","office_title":"County School Board Member","party":"DEM","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},{"contest":"county_school_board_district_06","contest_title":"Guilford County Board Of Education District 06","county":"guilford","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","office_county":"guilford","office_key":"county_school_board","office_title":"County School Board Member","party":"DEM","pgr":"general","state":"NC"}],"county":"guilford","cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_school_board_district_06","contest_title":"Guilford County Board Of Education District 06","county":"guilford","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","office_county":"guilford","office_key":"county_school_board","office_title":"County School Board Member","party":"DEM","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},"party":"DEM","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"county_school_board","office_title":"County School Board Member","state":"NC","terms":[]}],"summary":"Khem Irby, incumbent Democratic board member for Guilford County Schools District\u202f6, is running for re\u2011election in 2026.","terms":[],"token":"660bfbbb103924ef"}