LUMBERTON — The Board of Education of the Public Schools of Robeson County is expected to pick someone to fill its vacant District 1 seat on Friday.
During a special meeting at 6 p.m. in the central office on Kahn Drive, the school board will select from among four candidates to fill the vacancy created when Loistine DeFreece resigned on Oct. 8 after her residency in District 1 was challenged. DeFreece moved out of the district after her home was flooded by Hurricane Matthew.
Patricia McDougald, Vitha Nemeroff, Tammy Sammons and John L. Simmons, all Lumberton residents, submitted their names for consideration by filling out an extensive online application. The selected candidate will complete DeFreece’s term, which expires in July 2020. The District 1 race is up for election in the March primary, and the winner will then serve four years beginning in July.
There is no written policy for replacing a school board member other than by a vote of the board, board Chairman John Campbell said. As chairman, he will set the meeting’s agenda.
“I expect there will be a motion on the floor, and then discussion,” Campbell said. “I believe there will be differing opinions because we have excellent candidates who have shown they are passionate about serving the children of Robeson County.
“I believe that whoever we pick will be an asset to the board and the public schools.”
The school board received several pages of information about the candidates and their views on several issues a week ago. The candidates answered questions about their education, employment, local issues and their views of the role of school board members.
Patricia McDougald, a resident of Parkview Drive, Lumberton, is retired. She attended Robeson Community College in the business administration track.
Vitha Nemeroff, who lives on East 11th St. in Lumberton, is an insurance sales representative and former school teacher in Bladen County and at Southeastern Academy Charter School. She graduated from The University of North Carolina at Pembroke with a bachelor’s degree in education and received a master’s degree in education from Dominican University.
Tammy Sammons, who lives on Greenbrier Lane in Lumberton, is a paralegal with the city of Lumberton and former Robeson County employee, serving in the tax office and Clerk of Courts office. Sammons received a bachelor’s degree from Campbell University and degrees from Fayetteville Technical College and Bladen Community College.
John L. Simmons lives on Dallas Road in Lumberton, and is a school resource officer and former police officers, deputy sheriff and Lumberton firefighter. He is a high school graduate.
The pick could be key to the 11-member board, which often splits almost down the middle. Seven seats, including three at-large, are up for election in March.
