By Susan Dickson
Staff Writer
The Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education voted 4-2 last week to appoint former board member Jean Hamilton to the vacant seat on the board, straying from its usual practice of making appointments from a pool of applicants.
Hamilton fills the seat left by board member Joe Green, who announced in September that he would resign effective Sept. 17 because he was moving out of state. Although Green had three years left in his term, the appointment is effective until the election in November 2011, in accordance with state law.
With the board in the process of searching for a new superintendent due to Superintendent Neil Pedersen’s upcoming retirement next June, the majority of board members said they would prefer to choose a former board member because of the time it takes a new member to get up to speed.
“Every year, we’ve had new board members, and so every year we’ve been slowed down,†said Jamezetta Bedford, who has served on the board seven years. “I think because of the different situation and the different factors and details here, that the board and the citizens and the children would be better served moving forward with appointing Jean Hamilton.â€
Bedford and board chair Mike Kelley also said that by appointing a former board member, the board would not be giving a new member an incumbency advantage in the next election.
Board members Annetta Streater and Greg McElveen voted against appointing Hamilton, saying that selecting a board member through an application process was more transparent.
“It almost seems as if it’s more a kind of a back-room type deal. Even though we’re doing it openly, it just has a sense of not being as true to our community’s values as the typical process,†McElveen said. “I just think that it’s much more straightforward and perhaps engenders more public support if we use a typical process.â€
Streater said that while she could see both sides, she had heard from the community that most people supported an application process.
“With an open process, you can still get a candidate that will jump in wholeheartedly,†she said. “That person can bring to the table ideas and thoughts about senior-level leadership.â€
Parents and other community members spoke in support of both positions.
Miriam Thompson, speaking on behalf of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro NAACP, asked the board to open the search to applicants.
“Given the importance of this position, the opportunity to invite and encourage an applicant who could bring a rich experience, fresh insights, scholarship and activism to amplify the voices and mission of the current board members, especially now when you’re thinking of selecting a superintendent, we think this experience would be invaluable,†she said. “In addition, we have some extraordinary candidates to recommend and we would appreciate the opportunity to do that.â€
Chris Gelpi, a parent of two children in district schools, urged the board to appoint a former school board member to the open seat.
“It is an important year for the business of the school board and there is a lot of material to get up to speed on,†he said. “There’s a lot of material for anyone to get up to speed on in a normal year, much less a year in which you’re selecting a new superintendent.â€