School board narrows field for attorney from 12 to four
Published 12:29 am Friday, June 26, 2015
By Jeanie Groh
jeanie.groh@salsiburypost.com
The Rowan-Salisbury Board of Education selected four attorneys to interview for the board attorney opening.
Earlier this year, the board decided to bid out the position for the first time in more than 50 years. The board received 12 bids for the position.
Bidding were Christopher Sease of Rockwell; Jeff Morris of Salisbury; Don Sayers of Woodson, Sayers, Lawther, Short, Parrott and Abramson in Salisbury; George Crump of Rockingham; Graham Corriher of Koontz, Smith and Corriher in Salisbury; Sean Walker of Mooresville; Richard Schwartz of Schwartz and Shaw, P.L.L.C. in Raleigh; Ken Soo of Tharrington Smith in Raleigh; Douglas Smith of Salisbury; Edana Lewis of Matthews; James Middlebrooks of Bell, Davis, Pitt in Charlotte and Bradley Hunt of Brinklly Walser Stoner in Lexington.
The board members voted on each applicant, and the four applicants – Corriher, Schwartz, Soo and Middlebrooks – with the most votes were selected to move on to the interview process.
Sease and Douglas Smith did not receive any votes, while Morris and Sayers received two votes each.
Crump, Walker, Lewis and Hunt each received three.
Corriher and Middlebrooks received four votes, and Schwartz and Soo received five.
Middlebrooks currently serves as Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’ attorney. Schwartz was the district’s attorney for the mediation process with county commissioners, and Soo is the district’s litigation attorney.
The board will meet July 17 at 10 a.m. to interview the four firms.
The Board of Education also briefly discussed updating its funding agreement with the county for capital projects.
“We’re going to have to redraw the agreement,” said Chairman Josh Wagner.
Of the $40.5 million designated for capital projects, $34 million will remain after the completion of the Wallace Educational Forum. A consolidated elementary school in the western part of the county, which has become the district’s top priority, will cost roughly $26 million, leaving $8 million for other projects.
Wagner and Vice Chairman Dean Hunter met with commission Chairman Greg Edds and Vice Chairman Jim Greene to discuss the funding agreement, and Wagner said the commissioners were open to using the remaining money for roofing and security needs.
Contact reporter Jeanie Groh at 704-797-4222.
