School board still seeks District 2 candidates

Published 2:52 pm Thursday, September 27, 2018

VALDOSTA — The Valdosta Board of Education is extending the search for a District 2 replacement for Vanassa Flucas.

City school officials have been searching the past two weeks for a school board member; it has heard from six interested candidates.

However, only two meet the requirement of living in District 2: Billy Thomas and Sirena Gosier, school officials said.

Thomas is retired military who now works at the Post Office, and Gosier works at the Southern District Attorney’s Office, school officials said.

Normally, three candidates are presented to the board of education to select a replacement, but they could move forward with only two candidates, Dr. Todd Cason, Valdosta City Schools superintendent, said during a Thursday committee meeting.

The board agreed to extend the deadline in hopes of attracting more candidates.

“I want the district to be represented, but I want to give folks an opportunity to know the vacancy is there,” said Warren Lee, District 3 school board member.

Along with the decision to move the deadline, the board agreed to run more advertisements, visit churches and use social media to find more candidates until Oct. 31.

“If we do this in 30 days, and we still only have two candidates, I think we should move forward,” said Stacy Bush, at-large school board member.

Whoever is selected for the position will eventually have to run for the seat in March, Cason said.

“There needs to be a special election on March 19 after the person has been selected and begins to serve,” Cason said in an earlier interview.

District 2 is made up of Pineview Drive, south to Old Statenville Road, and from Oak Street, east to Forrest Street with the exception of the neighborhood that includes Stillwater Drive and Brookwood Drive, south to Alley Street, according to the VCS website.

Flucas resigned her post early because of extra duties in her role at the City of Valdosta neighborhood development department.

Interested applicants should send their information to Cason by calling (229) 671-6053 or emailing tcason@gocats.org.

Qualified applicants will be reviewed by board members Lee, Bush, Liz Shumphard, District 1 member and board chair, and Debra Bell, Superward East member, before their applications are taken to the full board for a vote. 

Katelyn Umholtz is a reporter with the Valdosta Daily Times. She can be contacted at (229)244-3400 ext. 1256.