MONTGOMERY — At the State Board of Education's monthly meeting on Thursday, North Alabama member Dr. Wayne Reynolds announced he is not running for re-election.
Reynolds represents District 8, with all or part of five counties in Alabama’s Tennessee Valley. The seat is up for election in the May 2026 Republican primary and the November 2026 general election.
Reynolds was first elected to the SBOE in 2018 and was re-elected in 2022. His counterparts on the board selected him for a term as vice president. The governor, by law, serves as president of the SBOE and presides over its meetings. When she is not present, the vice president presides. It had become a familiar sight at SBOE work sessions to see Reynolds with the gavel.
Reynolds not running leaves an open seat for District 8, which covers all or part of Madison, Jackson, DeKalb, Limestone and Etowah Counties.
The qualifying period for 2026 Alabama Republican candidates is January 5, 2026, through January 23, 2026. All candidates must qualify by January 23. The Republican primary will be on May 19.
One candidate, Emily Jones, has announced for the District 8 SBOE seat. Jones is the head of the Madison County chapter of Moms for Liberty, a conservative activist group focusing on school and parental rights issues.
Reynolds represented Alabama and the Vietnam Veterans of America on June 14 of this year for the largest parade ever held in Washington. He is the National Treasurer of VVA. The parade commemorated the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army. It was also Flag Day and the birthday of President Donald Trump. Trump had invited Reynolds to sit on the reviewing stand.
Reynolds earned a doctorate in statistics from Auburn University and a Master's Degree in Finance from the University of Georgia.
He is a retired public school superintendent.
He is a registered nurse. He previously owned and operated his own business for 20 years.
Reynolds served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War (1968-1969). He served as a medic with the 95th Evacuation Hospital in Da Nang and the 22nd Surgical Hospital. Reynolds was exposed to Agent Orange in Vietnam and developed and overcame leukemia.
He was the president of the Alabama State Council of Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) and served as National Treasurer of the VVA for multiple terms, including his current term, which began after his re-election in 2022.
Reynolds was Alabama's Veteran of the
Year (2011).
He has been married to Carol Reynolds for 53 years. They have two children and two grandchildren.
Jim ‘Zig’ Zeigler’s beat is the colorful and positive about Alabama -- her people, places, events, groups and prominent deaths. He is a former Alabama Public Service Commissioner and State Auditor. You can reach him for comments at [email protected].
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