Well, we tried as hard as we could but we came up short. Thank you so much to everyone who gave their time and resources to help try to spread the word, just a few of whom are pictured here at the polls over the last few weeks. The mission doesn't end here. We won't stop advocating for students and teachers and bringing positive change to our community. And I still believe we need a mom of public school children on our school board. Even more so now. This particular thing didn't work out this time, but this is just one step in the journey and only God knows what the future holds. In the meantime, I encourage you all to use your voices to speak out for positive change in our community, in every area you can. Things won't change unless people work to change it. You can be the change you want to see in this world. #momonamission

Great write-up in the Wayne Week this weekend. (sorry if it's hard to read, I had to chop it weird for instagram) Thanks so much to Renee Carey and Ken Fine for another balanced article which presented what both candidates bring to the table so readers can be informed and make up their own minds on what they want. Today is the day! If you haven't voted already, go out and make your voice heard!!!

We've been talking about this campaign for so long, I almost can't believe it's only 2 more days till election day!!! According to the Board of Elections, 42,837 Wayne County voters have already voted, which is 10,000 more than in 2020! There are 76,684 registered voters in Wayne County. That leaves 33,847 people who could potentially still vote on Tuesday. The biggest takeaway for me from working the polls during early voting is just how many people have no idea that we don't have any moms on our school board. Many people don't know a lot about the school board and haven't really done any research on the candidates. Of course, this is disheartening to us because we feel like we've done so much work to try to get the word out, but it's just an unfortunate reality that a lot of people don't pay as much attention to the "down ballot" local races. THEREFORE, I'm asking all of you who have done the research and do know about this race to PLEASE share our website and/or social media with as many friends/family/coworkers/whoever as you possibly can. Not to tell people how to vote, but just to inform them about what the options are. Too many people just don't seem to even know the options beyond just a name on a sign or a ballot. We've got two more days and a lot of people still left to inform. #momonamission www.kathylarsonforeducation.com

MORE UNITY, LESS DIVISION!!! (article in the Goldsboro News Argus today) Yes, please!!! This is what I've been saying since DAY ONE of this campaign. The traditional two-party system has done nothing but deepen division between the people of our community, when really, if we could all sit down and have a real open and honest conversation with each other, we would find that we have more in common than we realize. All of us want a better economy, more reasonably priced housing and goods, a safe community, good healthcare, and better education and better opportunities for ourselves and our kids. We all want the same things. It's the media and two-party system that is trying to divide us. This is one of the main reasons I remain an unaffiliated candidate. Because I don't want to divide us, I want to bring us together. For the good of all of our children and our entire community. From the News Argus article - "People want to have an election cycle that doesn’t feel divided and chaotic"... "what is important to her is voting for the right people that can actually help others into office"... "Quay Carlton said she is focused on the Wayne County Board of Education races, saying she wants to put people in office who help students instead of hurting them and stripping essential school programs, like art and music." - YES PLEASE!!!! "“I’m tired of all the rhetoric from both sides,” Oliver said. “The commercials, the flyers, all of that. It’s just too much.” - I completely agree. At our house, every mailing from both sides, goes directly into the recycling. ..."people should get out and vote so they can help elect people they believe can “make a difference,” - That's our goal and our hope! “It costs nothing to be kind,” - We've been saying this from day one. Even if we disagree on everything, we can still be kind to one another. I'm so tired of the party politics, the division, and the vitriol. I want to stop pointing fingers and start working together to make things better for everyone. #momonamission https://www.newsargus.com/news/local/wayne-county-voters-want-more-unity-less-division/article_3e4b8b37-f22c-5942-bdf9-bc3f66e918d5.html

PLEASE DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH - Last night, a friend told me that someone at her church told her about me, "we can't vote for that lady, she wants to cut teacher pay!" My friend was so upset about it, but y'all, I actually laughed out loud because I have done nothing but talk about raising teacher pay and how important it is to vote for: 1) NC Senate and NC House members who are pro raising teacher pay 2) County Commissioners who are pro raising teacher pay 3) School Board members who are pro raising teacher pay AND I've been endorsed for this race by the Wayne County Association of Educators. Do you really think the teachers would have endorsed someone who wanted to cut teacher pay?!? I can't correct all of the misinformation that may be floating around out there, but I can encourage all of us to do our own research on every candidate before voting. Just a quick glance at my website or social media pages would have told that person that I am very pro-teacher and have the endorsement of the local association of teachers. I've talked about teacher pay on numerous occasions and given lots of detailed information about how we can vote for change. Voting is a right and a privilege, but it is also a responsibility. If we want to make the right decisions that are best for our community, it's important to do our own research and not listen to hearsay. I have plenty of information out there about who I am and what I stand for. And if there is anything else you have questions about that isn't addressed on my website, please feel free to reach out! I'm an open book and happy to answer anything! #momonamission

THANK YOU SO MUCH for all of your support!! I just finished our third quarter financial statement for the campaign yesterday, and I am absolutely blown away by the generosity of our donors. When we first started this thing, my friend who knows more about this political stuff said I would need to raise at least $5,000 just to pay for the yard signs. I was like, "Oh my goodness, that's ridiculous! Do you know how much good I could do for our school with that much money?!" But I quickly realized that he was right and I have had to keep telling myself that as guilty as I feel about all of the other things we could have done with that money, this is also a good thing that could impact our schools and our students in a real way, too. I never imagined we would raise that much money, but I'm blown away to say we've raised over twice that much! And not by doing any major asks, but just because people seem to really believe in what we're doing and want to support it. It really has been a grassroots effort, not major donors, just a lot of people giving a little bit here, a little bit there. I'm so pleased to say we've had over 80 individual donors to our campaign, which I think shows just how much our message resonates with people. That doesn't include all the many, many more people who have donated their time, talents, and resources, too. This really truly is a grassroots effort and win or lose, I'm so proud of the work we've done. Because I'm committed to full transparency, I wanted to let you all know that if you have any questions about how we have spent that money, you are welcome to look at our financial records. It's public record on the Board of Elections website. Every candidate is legally required to report every dollar they receive and every dollar they spend, so it's all out there for anyone to see. https://www.waynegov.com/1114/Campaign-Finance #momonamission

A lot of people have been asking about my being unaffiliated. I want to remind everyone that school board is a non-partisan race!! But I know people still want to know, so for me, being unaffiliated just means that I'm moderate, not extremist on either side. I'm happy to answer any specific questions anyone has about my views on anything, but personally, I believe school board is a non-partisan position for a reason, because the school board is not a place for partisan politics. It is a place for all parties to come together to do what is best for our children, our teachers, our schools, and our community. The comment in this picture is from a discussion in a FB group for local moms and I love that the OP appreciated this about me. I can't promise you that you will agree with every decision that I make if elected, but that's probably not true of any candidate, regardless of their party affiliation! But I can promise you that for me, every single decision will be motivated only by what I think is best for our children. Not partisan politics or anything else. I just want to do what's best for our kids. #momonamission

Printed more handouts for our volunteers at the polls! Yes I have the smallest handouts possible to try to get as many on a page as possible because a scout is thrifty y'all!! This really is a grassroots effort. Printing our own handouts 😂 All volunteers, just going a few hours here, a few hours there while we can because we all have kids and jobs and sports and volunteering at the school and all the things. None of that stops just because it's campaign season. But we're doing our best with our little grassroots effort. Let us know if you want to volunteer to help!! #momonamission

I attended a breakfast this morning for The Partnership for Children of Wayne County, a local nonprofit that funds health, family support, early care, and education programs for local children. It was an annual report, but the speakers specifically addressed the childcare crisis in our county (and across the nation) and its impact on economic development, families, and our entire community. I so appreciated the brutal honesty of the speakers about the need for creative yet practical solutions for our county when it comes to this crisis. As a mom, I had a very personal reaction to the topic and told the main speaker that I only wish they had been talking this honestly about this topic 16+ years ago when I was first looking at the childcare options and feeling firsthand the impact it has on everyday families. I most appreciated his statement that this crisis affects female workers the most. When we first had Caleb, I chose to take a step back from my career and go part-time so I could be home with him as much as possible without completely sacrificing my career, which was not just a job, but a calling for me. We pieced together part-time preschool, help from family friends, and both of us shifting our work hours to make it work. I was incredibly lucky that my path led to growth opportunities in working from home, but many women who choose to take a step back from their careers lose momentum and find it hard to re-enter the work force after their time at home raising young children. Other moms I know have made different choices unique to their own families and their own situations, that's just my experience. Many moms I know felt like they didn't have a choice at all. But every mom I know has had to wrestle with these questions and these issues. It's one of many reasons I think we need a mom's perspective on every board, in every room where decisions are being made for our children and our community. #momonamission