Four nominated for position on Clinton School Board of Trustees
By Randy Bell
A special committee made up of Mayor Will Purdie and three members of the Board of Aldermen will interview four nominees who are in the running to join the Clinton Public School District Board of Trustees in July. Only one of the nominees will be chosen, replacing Derek Holmes, who’s been on the Board of Trustees since 2012.
In February, the Board of Aldermen brought the City into compliance with state law by setting up staggered terms for the school board members under which one member will roll off the board each year, with Holmes being the first.
The nominees to be Holmes’ replacement include Drew Brooks, nominated by Ward 1 Alderwoman Karen Godfrey; Greg Nohra, nominated by Ward 3 Alderwoman Amanda Jones; Jonathan Nutt, nominated by Ward 2 Alderwoman TJ McSparrin; and Kolby Sisson, nominated by Ward 5 Alderwoman Beverly Oliver.
The Board of Aldermen voted April 21 to name Jones, Ward 4 Alderman Chip Wilbanks and Ward 6 Alderman James Lott to the special committee to interview the nominees.
Purdie says the committee will be working to come up with a single nominee to submit to the full Board of Aldermen for approval.
“We have, in theory, until the second meeting in June to actually approve [the nominee], but we don’t want to wait that late,” said Purdie. “We’re not under the gun, [but] I think we certainly need to be deliberate about it and keep moving forward in a continuous fashion.”
The three nominees who are not chosen to join the school board in July are expected to remain under consideration for future openings, with other nominees possibly added to the list.
When they created the staggered terms for the school board members, the Board of Aldermen also reappointed the other four members: Dr. Matt Thomas, a trustee since 2015, was reappointed to a term ending March 5, 2027; Paula DeYoung, serving on the school board since 2015, was reappointed to a term ending March 3, 2028; Dr. Felicia Gavin, a trustee since 2017, will serve a term ending March 2, 2029; and Bernard Kines, who’s been on the school board since 2020, was reappointed to a term ending March 1, 2030.
