Last night District 4 County Commission member Kathy Danner announced her pick for the available seat on the Williamson County Board of Education. In a public letter, Danner asked fellow District 4 commission member Gregg Lawrence to support her choice of Laurie Cardoza-Moore:
There are currently 7 candidates for the District 4 seat on the Board of Education. Former board member Paul Bartholomew vacated the position in July following a decision to move to the state of New York.
As it is not a normal election year, District 4 County Commission members Danner and Lawrence are expected to announce their nominations for the board seat at the September 14 commission meeting. At this same meeting, all 24 members of the County Commission are scheduled to vote on the matter. A candidate needs a simple majority of 13/24 to gain the available seat on the Board of Education.
The commission-elected board member will serve as an interim representative until August 2016, when registered voters of District 4 will elect a permanent member to serve out the next term.
The direct appointment of the District 4 Board of Education member by the County Commission raised some transparency concerns earlier in the summer. Parents and citizens responded by hosting a public forum on August 11 at Franklin Christian Church. Five of the 7 candidates (Joey Czarneski, Anne McGraw, Garry Adams, Chris Koczaja, and Jane McGrath) attended the forum where they answered questions raised by District 4 residents.
Two candidates not in attendance were Harold Smith, who declined the invitation, and Laurie Cardoza-Moore. Cardoza-Moore was not invited to the forum, organizers said, due to her views being publicly known and easily found online.
Cardoza-Moore is the founder and president of Proclaiming Justice to the Nations and a vocal proponent of textbook reform in public schools. Four of her 5 children attended District 4 Williamson County Schools, which Danner stated was a major reason for her endorsement of Cardoza-Moore.
The full County Commission is due to vote on the matter on Monday, September 14. The meeting begins at 7:00 PM at the Williamson County Administrative Complex.
