The death of Judy Musgrave, the chair and longtime member of the Cumberland County Board of Education, leaves the school board considering whether to appoint a temporary replacement until her successor is elected in November.
Musgrave died June 13 after serving on the board for nearly a decade. It’s up to the school board to name a new chair and appoint someone to serve the remaining months of her term. On Monday, candidate filing opens for three at-large seats on the school board, including Musgrave’s, ahead of the November 3 election.
Board Vice Chair Jacqueline Brown has already assumed the chair’s responsibilities, according to a statement from Lindsay Whitley, the school district’s associate superintendent for communications and community engagement, to CityView on Tuesday.
“The Cumberland County Board of Education continues to honor the life and legacy of Chairwoman Judy Musgrave and her years of service to students, staff, families and the community,” Whitley said.
“With Chairwoman Musgrave’s passing, there is now a vacancy on the Board. In her current role as vice chairwoman, and in accordance with Board policy, Vice Chairwoman Jacqueline Brown is carrying out the duties of the chairwoman.”
Whitley said the board will consult with its attorney regarding next steps related to the vacancy and any related board officer considerations. The school board has no scheduled meetings in July, so it likely will not take action until its meetings resume in August, according to Whitley’s statement.
Under North Carolina law, the school board would appoint a replacement for Musgrave to serve until the election this fall.
Musgrave’s seat was already one of three at-large board seats on the ballot this fall. The at-large seats currently held by Brown and board member Greg West are also up for election.
Candidate filing for the three, four-year terms begins Monday and runs through August 7, according to the Cumberland County Board of Elections. West is not seeking reelection and is instead running for a seat on the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners.
West told CityView on Tuesday that the board has already seen Brown step into leadership responsibilities in recent months while Musgrave dealt with health-related absences.
“Brown stepped in and we didn’t miss a beat,” West said. “The process worked well, and it allowed Musgrave to have surgery and tend to her health.”
West, a former school board chair, also said he isn’t sure appointing a replacement for Musgrave’s board seat makes sense given that the election is just months away.
“It might be better to leave things alone for now,” he said.
