Who Is Tekicey Jones? Meet the Candidate Running for Wilson County School Board

Tekicey Jones has spent more than two decades inside classrooms. Now she wants a seat at the table where some of the decisions affecting those classrooms are made. Jones is running for the Wilson County Board of Education, District 3, the seat currently held by Dr. Christine Fitch. Wilson County Schools says Fitch was first appointed to the board in 1989 and that her current term expires in December 2026. District 3 includes schools such as Hearne, Vick, Darden, Forest Hills, Springfield, Beddingfield, Fike, Hunt, Wilson Early College, Wilson Academy of Applied Technology, and Daniels Learning Center.

But Jones’ connection to Wilson County Schools started long before this campaign.

She grew up here.

She attended Wilson County Public Schools.

She graduated from Beddingfield High School in 2000.

And she has spent much of her adult life teaching children.

So why school board?

For Jones, the answer is pretty simple:

“I felt like it’s my time.”

From Wilson County Student to Educator

Jones describes herself as a 22-year veteran educator. She graduated from East Carolina University in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in Family and Community Services and began teaching kindergarten at Margaret Hearne Elementary that same year. Over the years, she has taught kindergarten, second grade, and third grade and has also worked as a K–5 reading specialist. Her career has taken her through Wilson and Pitt counties, including time at Hearne Elementary, Jones Elementary, Barnes Elementary, and now the ECU Community School, where East Carolina University currently lists her as a classroom teacher.

She has also continued her own education along the way. Jones earned a Master of Arts in Teaching from Barton College and later earned a second master’s degree in Executive Leadership with an add-on in school administration from Gardner-Webb University.

She says she was the first person in her family to graduate from college, the first to earn a master’s degree, and the first to earn two. If elected, she says she would also become the first person in her family to hold elected office.

Why Run Now?

Jones said she had been thinking and praying about whether this was the right time to run.

One practical piece of the timing is personal too. Her son is a senior at Fike High School and preparing to head to college. Jones said that transition would give her more time to dedicate to serving on the board. But there was also a moment that helped push her toward the race.

She said she was watching a school board meeting online and began thinking about District 3 representation. Jones was careful not to frame her decision as criticism of current board member Dr. Christine Fitch. Instead, she said:

“She has committed 37 years to District 3. That is to be commended.”

Jones said she felt it was time for someone else to step forward and continue the work.That distinction stood out to me. She isn’t framing her campaign around tearing down the person currently in the seat. She’s framing it around what comes next.

“I Want to Be a Voice for the People Not Seated at the Table”

That may be the line that best captures why Jones says she is running. “I want to be the voice for the people not seated at the table.” And when you listen to her talk about education, she speaks from more than one perspective. She is a teacher. She is a tutor.

She is a parent of a Wilson County Schools student. And she has spent years working directly with children who need additional academic support. Jones also owns Ms. Tee’s Study Bees, a tutoring business where she works with Wilson County students outside the regular school day. That experience has shaped one of the areas where she believes the district still has room to grow.

What Does She Think Wilson County Schools Is Doing Well?

Jones was actually quick to point out something she believes the district deserves credit for:

Giving students multiple pathways after graduation. She mentioned college, trades, the workforce, and military service as examples. She is particularly enthusiastic about the Career and College Promise program, which allows eligible high school students to take college courses while still in high school. Her own son participates in the program.

Jones said:

“He is taking college-level courses tuition free.”

For her, that is an example of Wilson County Schools helping students think beyond simply earning a diploma.

Where Does She Think There Is Room to Improve?

This is where her tutoring experience comes in. Jones said she sees students who are not fully prepared for end-of-grade testing and believes additional academic support could help.

Her suggestion? More after-school opportunities for students who need extra help preparing academically.

She said:

“I feel like there should be more after-school programs to help students get prepared for state testing.”

That doesn’t mean testing is the only measure of student success. But it is one area where Jones says her firsthand work with students has shaped her thinking.

One of Her First Priorities: Teachers

Jones says one of the first issues she would like to explore is how teachers are paid over the summer. Wilson County Schools’ published 2026–27 payroll schedule shows traditional-school certified 10-month employees receiving 10 scheduled paychecks, running from August through May. Jones said that structure can create financial challenges, particularly for some single-parent households. She would like the board to explore whether local supplements or another local mechanism could help smooth that gap. And this is where she also acknowledged something important about serving on a school board:

The board does not control everything.

Jones said:

“I feel like the community feels like the board controls the budget.”

She noted that the board has to work with county commissioners and other agencies to secure resources. That distinction matters. A local school board makes important budget decisions, but it operates within a larger funding system involving state, federal, and county dollars. Jones put it this way:

“If I had a magic wand I would pay teachers what they deserve, but honestly the board can’t do that.”

She Also Has Her Eye on the New School

Another issue Jones says she would like to be involved in is the naming of the new school.

She said she would like to see it named after a living local education figure and already has someone in mind. That’s probably a conversation worth watching if she is elected.

Because naming a school isn’t just about putting a name on a building. It can become a conversation about: Who a community chooses to honor. Whose contributions are remembered. And what kind of legacy gets attached to a public institution.

How Would She Handle Disagreement?

School board meetings can get tense. Jones says confrontation isn’t her style. Her approach, she says, would be to listen to everyone respectfully, but still vote according to what she believes is right.

“If it is something I don’t believe in, I would definitely vote against it.”

She added:

“I believe in listening and letting everyone say what needs to be said respectfully.”

That tells voters something useful about how she says she would approach the board itself not just the issues she wants to work on.

This Race Is Personal Too

Jones talks a lot about students. But one student in particular helped shape her decision to run: Her son. He is 17, a senior at Fike, and will be voting in his first election. And one of the names he will see on the ballot will be his mother’s. Jones said that matters to her because she wants both her students and her son to see that they can pursue things that may once have seemed out of reach. She said she didn’t realize how much her son had been paying attention until he wrote about her in a college essay.

“Even when you don’t think your child is watching, they definitely are.”

She added:

“This run is not about me.”

For Jones, she says it is about modeling possibility for young people while serving the community that raised her.

What Does a School Board Member Actually Control?

This is an important question because school board candidates are sometimes blamed or credited for things that are actually controlled somewhere else. Wilson County’s Board of Education governs the school district, sets policy, oversees the superintendent, and makes district-level decisions, but local education also operates within state law and depends on funding from multiple sources. District 3 currently includes multiple elementary, middle, high, early-college, and alternative-school programs across Wilson County. So whoever wins this seat will have to think beyond one school. They’ll be helping make decisions affecting students, families, educators, and staff across the district.

What Should Voters Ask?

Jones has told us what matters to her. But voters should still ask questions.

How would she work with county commissioners when the district needs more local funding?

How would she measure whether additional after-school programs are working?

What specifically would she want to change about teacher compensation that is actually within the board’s authority?

How would she balance the needs of elementary, middle, and high schools?

How would she handle a decision where teachers, parents, administrators, and students all want different things?

Those are the kinds of questions that help voters move beyond biography and into governing.

The Bottom Line

Tekicey Jones is running for Wilson County Board of Education District 3 after spending more than two decades working in education. She grew up in Wilson. She graduated from Wilson County Schools. She has taught in Wilson County Schools. Her son attends Wilson County Schools. She tutors Wilson County students. And now she wants to help govern the system that has been part of nearly every stage of her life. When I asked why someone who doesn’t know her should take the time to learn about her, Jones said:

“I want what’s best for the students, families, and staff at all of the schools in District 3. I want to be the voice for the people not seated at the table.”

That is her pitch to voters. Now voters get to decide what they think of it. Learn about Jones.

Learn about the other candidate in the race. Ask questions. Look at what the school board actually controls. Then make your own decision.

Because before we choose who sits at the table we should know who is asking for the seat.

Stay informed. Stay engaged. Stay WOKE.