Cites Health Issues for Stepping Down; Board Approves Americorp Program
RISON - The Cleveland County School Board formally accepted the resignation of Zone 6 representative Tony White during its regular monthly meeting Tuesday night at the Rison Elementary auditorium.
Superintendent Davy King read White’s resignation letter to the board. White himself was not at the meeting. Four of the remaining six members were present, including board president Harrell Wilson, Sheila Towery, Nick, Bennett and William King. Helen Browning-Grice and Kelly Taylor were not present.
White, who had to miss several meetings within the past year due to surgery, cited his health and the need to reduce stress as his reason for stepping down.
Superintendent King told the board it has 30 days to have people interested in filling White’s position to submit their names for consideration. He said the board can create a list of finalists to interview before making a final decision.
Should the board fail to fill the vacancy within 90 days, King said state law says the appointment would then fall to the Cleveland County Quorum Court.
All seven positions on the Cleveland County School Board are elected by zone. Zone 6 is located roughly west of Hwy. 133 north of Rison to Rodgers Road. The zone takes in both sides of Hwy 133 beyond that to the Jefferson County line. The southern boundary includes Pumpkin Hill Road and Hwy. 114 east of Rison. It is bordered by the Woodlawn School District to the east. (A map of Zone 6 can be found on page 3 of this issue of the Herald.)
White’s appointment must be a resident of Zone 6. The state also requires the appointment to be a registered voter and the candidate must also secure signatures of 20 registered voters from within the zone to be eligible to fill White’s unexpired term.
King told the board the district will publish a formal announcement seeking candidates for the vacancy in next week’s Herald.
Americorp Agreement
The board approved King’s recommendation to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Americorp, a U.S. …