Josie ‘Fibber McGee’ Barnhart: The Math Teacher that Continues to Fib and Can’t Math

Editor’s Note: This article serves as an update to our previous reporting on Josie Barnhart’s school board record, expanding on new claims made in a recent campaign communication.

If Josie Barnhart Bends Truth on Stuff of all Sizes, Can Voters Trust her for Another Term?

Public confidence in elected officials begins with something simple: facts. So let’s start with the calendar.

In yesterday's campaign text, New Hanover County school board member Josie Barnhart asked voters to return her to office based on her record. But two of her central claims, about how long she has served and what she has accomplished, do not hold up under basic scrutiny.

The gap between her message and the record isn’t subtle. It is measurable. And it raises a larger question about credibility and trust.

Barnhart told voters in this text she has “proudly served on the Board of Education for the past four years.” That is not what the record shows. She was elected in November 2022 and sworn in on December 6 of that year. As of February 2026, that totals to about three years and two months in office, not four years.

That is not a harmless rounding error. It is nearly a full year off. Further, she wasn't even a registered Republican four years ago.

The text ad reads,

If Barnhart Claims She “Removed DEI," Then Why Isn't it Removed?

Barnhart also claimed she “removed DEI” from the school district. District records tell a different story.

The New Hanover County Schools 2025–2028 Academically or Intellectually Gifted Plan, approved by the board in June 2025, continues to include DEI-based practices throughout the district’s programs. The AIG Plan wasn’t written in isolation. It was developed to align with the State Board of Education’s 2024 AIG Program Standards, which clearly embed an “equity and excellence” framework into gifted education. Those standards direct districts to address “under-represented populations,” including culturally and ethnically diverse students, economically disadvantaged students, multilingual learners, and twice-exceptional students. They also call for “intentional and sustained actions” to "change mindsets, policies and practices” in order to advance equity. In other words, by adopting this plan, NHCS is operating within a state-mandated framework that expands access and formally integrates equity-based accountability into how students are identified and served.

Election seasons often bring bold statements. But timelines are fixed. Policies are public. And in this case, the record and the rhetoric are flatly at odds.

A Familiar Character, But This Isn’t Comedy

The pattern begins to resemble an old radio character, Fibber McGee. The star of Fibber McGee and Molly, which aired on the radio in the mid-20th century, was known for colorful exaggerations and tall tales. His stories were funny precisely because they stretched the truth.

Referring to someone as Fibber McGee usually suggests harmless boasting among friends. But public office is not a comedy routine. When an elected official inflates years of service or takes credit for changes the public record plainly contradicts, it is not a joke. It goes directly to the question of trust.

Voters depend on accurate information to judge performance and character.

Barnhart is asking for another term based on an embellished record. That is not just careless. It misleads the people she serves.

Tall tales might draw laughter on the radio. In public life, they corrode confidence. In this weary, post-COVID political climate, voters have little patience left for spin and self-promotion divorced from fact. Accuracy still matters. So does honesty.

Josie Barnhart, the Math Teacher

And that brings us to a final point. Barnhart teaches math at Myrtle Grove Christian School, a private Christian school in Wilmington. Overstating her years of service is not only a political misstep. It also raises questions of integrity.

As an educator shaping young minds, what standard of honesty is she modeling for her students?

Myrtle Grove Christian School describes its mission as providing a Christ-centered education grounded in biblical principles. Those principles include honesty and moral character. When a faculty member who also holds public office misrepresents her record, it calls into question the consistency between those values and her public conduct. Her own students are watching what she says and does in public. Is this really the example of honesty and accountability we should be setting for children?

After all, the numbers do not lie. But her campaign spin does. And as we recently documented, this continues a clear and ongoing pattern of misrepresentation in her public record.