For the second time since the fall of 2011, the Fayette County Board of Education has a vacancy that it will fill by appointment.
A four-member board appointed current Post 5 member Leonard Presberg in November 2011 to fill the vacancy created by the death of Sam Tolbert. Democrat Presberg is seeking election this year to the redrawn District 5 post.
And now a four-member board will make another appointment this spring to fill the vacancy occasioned by the resignation of Mary Kay Bacallao, who is running for the state school superintendent’s post as a Republican. Bacallao defeated incumbent Democrat Terri Smith for the Post 2 seat in the November 2012 election.
For those in south Fayette County interested in serving on the school board, the time is now. The board on March 10 announced the process by which applicants for the Post 2 seat vacated by Bacallao can apply to fill the seat that will expire at the end of 2016.
The school board Monday night outlined the process by which residents in the Post 2 area can submit their qualifications for consideration.
Eligibility requirements are as follows:
· 21 years of age or older
· A citizen of Georgia
· A resident of Fayette County for at least 12 months and reside within the Post 2 district (see map on the school system’s website, www.fcboe.org and click on “About Fayette Schools” and “About the District”)
· Not a Fayette County School System employee or Georgia Department of Education employee
· Not the holder of another county office
· Not disqualified by the constitution or laws of the state from holding public office
Interested applicants must submit a written letter of interest and resume addressed to:
Fayette County Board of Education
c/o Board Chairman Marion Key
210 Stonewall Avenue, West
Fayetteville, GA 30214
Letters must be received no later than 4:30 p.m. on Friday, April 11. Letters may be mailed or hand-delivered to the board of education office at the above address by the deadline noted.
All discussions and actions pertaining to filling the vacant seat must be conducted in public. Applicants will make a five-minute presentation about why they want to serve on the board at a called meeting on April 14 at 7 p.m. in the boardroom of the Fayette County Board of Education (210 Stonewall Avenue, West, Fayetteville). Board members will ask questions of the applicants following their presentations; applicants may also ask questions of the board.
The school board anticipates making an appointment to fill the Post 2 vacancy at its regular monthly business meeting scheduled on Monday, April 28.
The vacancy occurred per Article 2, Section 2, Paragraph 5 of the Ga. Constitution, “The office of any state, county or municipal elected official shall be declared vacant upon such elected official qualifying for another state, county or municipal elective office … if the term of the office for which such official is qualifying for begins more than 30 days prior to the expiration of such official’s present term of office.”
