Facing the voters: Aaron Bridges - School Board

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent

Aaron Bridges

Aaron Bridges is the youngest Republican currently on the school board, and the second youngest republican candidate currently running.

(Since two candidates have the last name Bridges, Aaron Bridges will be referred to by his first name, as the customary way of referring to the subject of a print interview is to use their last name).

Aaron currently sits on the Cleveland County Board of Education and serves as the vice-chairman of the board.

Now, he’s running for his second term, seeking to retain his seat.

A 2008 graduate of Kings Mountain High School, Aaron is a husband to his wife Megan, and father of four children. He has worked in banking for about 18 years.

So, what reasons compelled Aaron to run for school board – besides the obvious four reasons (his children): policy and procedure after Covid, he said.

“When Covid happened, I saw how the state and federal government played a heavy hand in school systems, but it should be parents and other members of the community to make these decisions on the local level. We needed, and still do, people to make decisions that work and are beneficial to every student.”

A handful of schools in Cleveland County that were graded in low performance were brought out of that stigma during his time on the school board, as Aaron credited teachers, principals, the administration and the school board for a team effort in bringing those schools up from their Covid low-levels of performance.

“We’re seeing kids being back on track, moving in an up-hill direction with their scores, thanks to a team effort of leading teachers, administration and the board working together and I’m very proud of that,” he said.

While Aaron has stated several times that he is an individual thinker not running in cohesion with any other candidates, group effort and collaboration is needed to effectively govern a school system and accomplish things that are required for a successful school system.

In what is his most well-known act on the school board, at least recently, is when Aaron made the motion to table the sale of Marion school until more research and information could be gathered when the public spoke out against the sale at the price of $140,000. The motion was put to vote and passed by all nine members.

However, the subject of the sale of the Marion property has been a controversial topic, with the school board divided on the issue.

(Aaron Bridges continued below...)

“I have always tried to be professional and a team player,” he explained. “When you sit on a board, you’re all different, you all have your own personalities. I try to get along with everyone and sometimes politics can play a part in not getting along – I don’t like the politics in the school system. I believe in helping the students and staff of the CCS and that’s what matters the most, regardless of politics.”

The CCS Board of Education has seen their share of drama over the years, on a variety of topics from both democrat and republican board members, and most recently, votes that have seen an all-Republican school board being split into two separate camps.

He said he supports the right for members to disagree but it’s hard to tell what is for politics and what is sincere, at times, mentioning there is a time to disagree behind doors but in public the community wants to see a board that gets along and works diligently to move CCS forward for what is best for students and teachers.

“It’s okay to agree or disagree, that’s why there are nine board members,” Aaron explained. “It’s okay to disagree as long as we're working to constantly improve the school system, but if we can’t work together, we can’t be successful for the students, and it looks bad if the board can’t get along. We are supposed to be the voice to lead the entire school system and set an example for the staff and students to follow.”

He was straightforward, speaking on the realities of school governance, stating that sometimes a lot is out of their control on the school board due to state and federal regulations.

“We can’t just snap out fingers and make something happen,” he said the state and federal laws that restrict certain things from happening.

“When you are a board member you think ‘I can change the world,’ but it doesn’t happen that way,” he noted. “It takes time and there’s always stuff you want to get done but money is always a factor, so you have to prioritize things, plan, and decide what is most important.”

It’s not easy being on the Board of Education.

He said negative feedback from the community is something out their control but is also welcomed and something that makes him determined to get done what can do as a representative of the community on the school board; even though the desire to accomplish more is hindered at times by differing opinions and past financial restraints, but CCS is in good shape financially now, and constantly improving.

But Aaron just hopes to continue doing the best he can, to the best of his abilities, to focus on constantly improving the school system for the children of today and tomorrow.

“I think we have good policies in place,” he added. “There are other school systems in really bad shape and we have been able to work diligently to show we are doing much better than many. CCS has done a great job to stretch our dollar and put it where it matters most.”

He continued, “Everyone is in a time where money is tight but we're doing an excellent job trimming the fat and putting dollars in the place they need to be.”

“We have come a long way but there is always room for improvement; you can always have improvement and room to grow and that’s what I’m aiming for in my second term. My mindset is, ‘I am for all the kids’.”

He said he feels qualified to serve on the board, being a father of four and having worked in baking for almost 20 years.

“I’m a parent, I have finance experience and I think I have shown that, regardless of who is on stage. I’m willing to work with anyone to make sound decisions based on the facts we have available to us.”

Aaron continued, “I know how budgets work.  For a long time my wife stayed home and I was able to make a budget for a family of six people; and making those decisions in my job every day and being a parent of students, and having been a student at one time myself, I feel all those are great qualifications for the board of education.”

He also hit on community engagement.

“We also need more input from the community as well, but having people on the board from all walks of life makes us better, as a whole."

He said he tries his best to deal with angry parents when the situation arises.

“I’ve told people before, I’ve said it on stage and elsewhere – CCS is not perfect, but we have done a much better job than others. While some schools may have better food than us, their finances are a complete mess and they aren’t in as good shape as our system is, overall.”

Aaron noted, “And luckily I can look at the bigger picture as a parent too, looking from the outside in as a parent and not just from a board member’s perspective.”

“This isn’t about politics; it’s not about my name or having any authority – This is simply about my children who are students, which means I will have your children’s best interest with my own. I hope people will consider voting for me. I hope people will see my track record and see what I’ve done, so far, on the school board and see I’m for the students and teachers – not for politics and just continue to help move Cleveland County schools forward and make a difference in our community.”

He concluded, stating, “I’m not trying to please everybody – I’m not perfect, I make mistakes. But I learn from what I’ve done wrong and always try to make good decisions and I hope the people of Cleveland County will continue to entrust me with those decisions as a Cleveland County school board member.”

The 2026 primary is March 3.

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Chuck Thompson is a reporter and columnist for The Shelby Independent.