---
title: "Gastonia, N.C.: Riverbend school board race set"
url: https://www.herecharlotte.com/2026/10/12/gastonia-school-board-riverbend-race/
date: 2026-10-12T09:24:47+00:00
modified: 2026-10-12T09:24:47+00:00
author: "Alvin Estrada"
categories: ["Politics"]
site: "HERE Charlotte"
attribution: "HERE Charlotte"
---

# Gastonia, N.C.: Riverbend school board race set

> GASTONIA, N.C. — In Gastonia, N.C., and the wider Gaston County school district, Republican incumbent A.M. Stephens will face Democratic challenger Barbara Walls for the Riverbend Township seat on the Gaston County Board of Education. In-person early voting runs from Oct. 15 to Oct. 31. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, and polls are open

*Source: [HERE Charlotte](https://www.herecharlotte.com/2026/10/12/gastonia-school-board-riverbend-race/) — October 12, 2026 by Alvin Estrada*

GASTONIA, N.C. — In Gastonia, N.C., and the wider Gaston County school district, Republican incumbent A.M. Stephens will face Democratic challenger Barbara Walls for the Riverbend Township seat on the Gaston County Board of Education.

In-person early voting runs from Oct. 15 to Oct. 31. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, and polls are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. The race is one of the local education contests on the November ballot for Gaston County voters.

Coverage of the matchup summarized candidate backgrounds tied to the Riverbend seat. Walls is listed as a retired political science and history professor who also serves as adjunct faculty in the Department of History at Central Piedmont Community College, a major Charlotte-area campus employer.

The challengers public questionnaire answers, carried in regional coverage, focus on school funding, teacher pay, and preparing students for college testing. Stephens did not respond to that questionnaire in the same package, leaving the incumbents written issue positions out of that particular voter guide.

Gaston County sits immediately west of Mecklenburg County, so Charlotte-area readers often follow board races that shape regional workforce pipelines. UNC Charlotte and Central Piedmont Community College are major employers that enroll many students coming out of neighboring county school systems.

Mayor Rob Harrington and City Manager Marcus D. Jones lead Charlotte city government as regional election season picks up, while CMPD Chief Estella D. Patterson department handles city public safety on the Mecklenburg side of the metro. School board votes themselves are cast in Gaston County precincts under county election rules.

Voters looking for the Riverbend Township contest should confirm their precinct and ballot style with Gaston County election officials before early voting opens Oct. 15. The seat will be decided on the Nov. 3 general election ballot.