Want to serve on the Fayette County Board of Education for the next three years?
Drop off a résumé by Halloween. One catch: You have to live in the Post 5 geographic area.
The need to fill the seat of Fayette County Board of Education Post 5 member Sam Tolbert — who passed away in September — will be accomplished in the coming days by soliciting information from interested citizens who live in the Post 5 area. The new board member will be appointed by a majority vote of the four remaining board members and will serve through the full unexpired term that extends through the end of 2014.
The school board at the Oct. 3 work session decided that the methodology to fill the seat will include having those interested submit a letter of interest and a résumé to be received at the school system office no later than 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 31.
“This is a huge commitment and requires a significant amount of work and people need to know that,” said Superintendent Jeff Bearden, adding that those interested should contact him with any questions they might have.
Though unknown at the Monday night meeting, Bearden checked with the school system attorney Tuesday morning and announced that the appointment would run through the full unexpired term that will extend through 2014.
There is a provision in the legislation for the governor to appoint a board member within 45 days if one has not been appointed by the school board, though Bearden said governors do not usually want to get involved in those issues.
The school system on Tuesday issued a press release and posted information pertaining to the appointment on the Fayette County School System website at www.fcboe.org
Interested candidates are required to reside in the Post 5 area. The school system website information also includes a blow-up of the map identifying the Post 5 geographical area. Post 5 is located north of Ga. Highway 54 and borders Peachtree City on the west, Fayetteville on the east and extends through the northern portion of Fayette County.
Those interested must be a Georgia citizen at least 21 years of age, a resident of Fayette County for at least one year. Applicants cannot be the holder of another county office or an employee of the Fayette County School System or the Georgia Dept. of Education and cannot be disqualified from holding public office by the constitution or state law.
Bearden said information received from interested citizens could be presented to the school board for review at the Nov. 7 work session with the potential of a decision on the appointment coming at the Nov. 14 regular meeting.
Bearden stressed that all discussion by the board pertaining to the appointment must occur in open meetings.
