Lynchburg City Council requesting applications for school board

By: Annie McCallum | Lynchburg News and Advance
Published: May 04, 2009

Lynchburg City Council is currently soliciting applications for school board.

Interested candidates must submit an application prior to council’s May 12 public hearing where community members, including potential board members, will have an opportunity to speak.

Three school board terms expire this year, including that of board chairwoman Julie Doyle, who represents District I. Doyle’s spot on the board is not eligible for renewal because she has served the maximum of three terms.

Board member Leslie Faircloth, who represents District III, has served two terms. His second expires this year and he has decided to not to seek renewal. Board member Keith Anderson’s term also expires. He represents District II and is planning to seek reappointment.

Pat Kost, City Council clerk, said as of Wednesday she had received six applications for school board. Five of those were for Doyle’s District I seat and one was for the District II spot. There were no applications for the District III seat.

City Council appoints school board members to three-year terms. Last April the appointment process was changed as a result of a 2007 controversy where vice chairman Tom Webb was temporarily ousted and Liberty University professor Darin Gerdes was appointed in his place. Webb was appointed back to the board last year.

In an effort to make the appointment process more transparent, City Council voted to make board applications available to the public and tape closed session interviews, making them available to the public after the appointment vote.

Under the current process, after the public hearing City Council meets in closed session to determine which candidates to interview. Those candidates are then interviewed in closed session and the board deliberates behind closed doors before taking a public vote.

Candidates for the board are invited to attend the public hearing, which last year yielded a higher turnout than was traditionally seen at such hearings.

This year’s hearing will be held May 12 at 7 p.m. in council chambers in City Hall, located at 900 Church St.