Wake school board reopens applications for empty seat, makes proof of residency requirement

The vacancy on the Wake County Board of Education will be reopen for applicants next month with some new requirements.

Applicants for the position must submit proof of their residence in District 4 and must be registered to vote in the district, the board decided Tuesday, in voting to reopen the application period for board candidates.

That’s slightly more than what is required now of people who run for board seats during formal elections.

During elections, a prospective candidate must prove they are 21 years old and registered to vote in the election for the office they seek.

The additional requirement approved Tuesday is proof of residence as outlined in existing board policy for people seeking to enroll their children in the district. That could be a utility bill.

The board voted without opposition Tuesday to make the additional requirement after the board did not catch that the board member they appointed to the District 4 seat — Craston Artis II — did not live there at the time. Artis withdrew Saturday, following issues raised publicly about where he'd been living recently.

The board is appointing the District 4 member in lieu of an election because former District 4 representative Keith Sutton resigned in December upon his hire as Warren County Schools superintendent.

In the same vote Tuesday, the board approved to restrict communications with prospective candidates, anyone acting on their behalf or anyone lobbying for their appointment to the board seat. If a board member receives a message from someone who falls into that category, they must forward the message onto the rest of the board.

Board members Karen Carter, Monika Johnson-Hostler and Christine Kushner all mentioned needing to regain the public’s trust after what happened with Artis.

“To regain the trust of the community in this process and each other’s trust, we should not engage with any of the candidates or their surrogates,” Kushner said.

Here’s what will happen now, per the board’s vote:

• The district will re-announce the board vacancy Feb. 1 with information about how to apply for the seat now
• The three people who applied for the position this month but were not selected will be invited to submit new documents but will remain in consideration regardless
• Application documents (a letter of interest, a resume, three letters of recommendation, voter registration proof and proof of residency) are due Feb. 28 at 5 p.m.
• The school board will interview candidates at a specially called meeting March 3, no earlier than 10:30 a.m. Candidates who previously interviewed will be invited to interview again. The questions asked will be different from the previous set of interviews.
• The school board will vote on the candidates, and anyone who receives five votes will be appointed to the position

Earlier in Tuesday’s meeting Carter motioned to not reopen the application process and to decide among the three remaining candidates. One of those candidates could have received five votes if Artis had not been in the running the last time, she said.

Carter’s motion failed. Later, Carter proposed the amendment that would restrict communications with prospective board candidates, which passed.

Board Member Jim Martin favored reopening the application process. He said many people may have chosen not to apply for the position in January if they knew someone else was applying for it. With Artis out, Martin said, the board could receive more applicants who would have applied if Artis had never entered the candidate pool.

Nothing in law would keep Artis from applying again for the position, attorney Jonathan Blumberg told the board.

But board members that voted for Artis this month expressed frustration Tuesday with Artis, accusing him of “misrepresenting” his address.