Laurie Cardoza-Moore, recently named by District 4 Commissioners Gregg Lawrence and Kathy Danner as their choice to fill a vacant interim school board position with Williamson County Schools, announced this morning that she will be withdrawing her candidacy for the seat.
In an email to supporters, Cardoza-Moore stated that she will not seek appointment to the interim school board position this year, but will instead seek election in 2016:
“During the last couple of months, I was able to meet with some of our County Commissioners. I recognize that building strong relationships with these elected officials will enable me to be a more effective leader on the school board and so I have decided to take the next year to not only earn the respect of our County Commissioners, but also continue to build and strengthen my relationships in the 4th District.”
The District 4 school board position opened when former occupant Paul Bartholomew moved to upstate New York in July. District 4 county commissioners Gregg Lawrence and Kathy Danner were charged with interviewing and nominating a candidate from among 7 interested district residents seeking the position. Both endorsed Laurie Cardoza-Moore in public statements last weekend.
Following these announcements, several parents and county residents spoke out on social media and contacted the County Commission to voice their objections to Cardoza-Moore’s appointment. In response, Cardoza-Moore reached out to supporters encouraging them to voice their approval to the commission and online.
Cardoza-Moore’s withdrawal leaves 6 candidates: Anne McGraw, Garry Adams, Joey Czarneski, Jane McGrath, Harold Smith, and Christopher Koczaja.
The full County Commission will meet on Monday Sept 14 at 7PM at the Williamson County Administrative Complex. At that time, Lawrence and Danner are expected to voice their nomination, however any commissioner may nominate a candidate for the interim board position. The full commission will then take a vote. A candidate requires a simple majority of 13/24 to be elected to the board.
General elections for the District 4 seat on the WCS board will take place in August 2016.
We will continue to update on the District 4 appointment as the story develops.
