{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nSarah O'Neill Thornburg, an attorney who practices professionally as Sarah Sparboe Thornburg, is an incumbent member of the Asheville City Schools Board of Education running for re-election in the November 3, 2026 general election, one of six candidates for four open seats on the nonpartisan board [1][2]. Responding to Mountain Xpress's 2026 candidate questionnaire, she said the district's new three-year collaborative funding agreement with Buncombe County Schools \"brings predictability and stability to a budget process that otherwise lacks much of either\" [2].\n\n## Background and education\nThornburg earned a Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, from Duke University in 1990 and a J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law in 1996, and was admitted to the North Carolina State Bar in 1997 [3]. Before practicing law, she worked as a high school social studies teacher and later served as a judicial clerk for Judge Thomas A. Higgins of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee [3].\n\n## Career\nThornburg is an attorney at the Asheville firm McGuire, Wood & Bissette, where she focuses on estate planning, estate administration, guardianship, and tax planning [3]. She is a member of the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section of the American Bar Association [3].\n\n## Office history\nThornburg was a candidate for the Asheville City Schools Board of Education in the 2022 election cycle [4] and is identified as an incumbent board member as of April 2026 [2].\n\n## Legislative record and accomplishments\nOn the board, Thornburg has discussed the new Buncombe County Schools/Asheville City Schools funding agreement, the district's zero-waste and universal free-meals programs, and classroom climate-education content, in response to Mountain Xpress's candidate questionnaire [2].\n\n## Business interests and wealth source\nThornburg's law practice focuses on trusts, estates, and elder law; no additional business ownership or wealth-source details are documented in available sources [3].\n\n## Family\nThornburg self-describes on her personal Instagram account as a \"mom of two boys and public school teacher\" [5].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Sarah Thornburg (Asheville City Schools Board of Education, North Carolina, candidate 2022) - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Sarah_Thornburg_(Asheville_City_Schools_Board_of_Education,_North_Carolina,_candidate_2022))\n[2] [Candidates for Asheville Board of Education share their stances on collaborative funding, staff morale and environmental issues \u2013 Mountain Xpress](https://mountainx.com/news/politics-elections/candidates-for-asheville-board-of-education-share-their-stances-on-collaborative-funding-staff-morale-and-environmental-issues/)\n[3] [Sarah Sparboe Thornburg - McGuire, Wood and Bissette Law Firm](https://www.mwblawyers.com/attorneys/sarah-sparboe-thornburg)\n[4] [2022 Primary Voter Guide: Asheville City Board of Education \u2013 Mountain Xpress](https://mountainx.com/news/2022-primary-voter-guide-asheville-city-board-of-education/)\n[5] [Sarah Thornburg (@srthornburg) on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/srthornburg/) (Instagram requires login for the full profile; reflects the account's public bio text as of access date)","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_school_board","county":"buncombe","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Asheville City Schools Board Of Education"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Sarah","fullname":"Sarah O'Neill Thornburg","lastname":"Thornburg","middlename":"O'Neill","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_school_board","contest_title":"Asheville City Schools Board Of Education","county":"buncombe","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":"buncombe","office_key":"county_school_board","office_title":"County School Board Member","party":"","pgr":"general","state":"NC"}],"county":"buncombe","cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_school_board","contest_title":"Asheville City Schools Board Of Education","county":"buncombe","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":"buncombe","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":[]}],"summary":"Sarah Sparboe Thornburg is an attorney and former Chair of the Asheville City Schools Board of Education in North Carolina.","terms":[],"token":"ab78952f51430823"}