BY DONNA SWICEGOOD
The Iredell County Republican Party Executive Committee has chosen a teacher at Statesville Christian School as its nominee to fill the District 2 seat on the Iredell-Statesville Schools Board of Education.
The GOP leadership voted to nominate Matthew Youngblood, who teaches middle school Bible and history courses at the private school, after considering a total of five candidates at its meeting on Monday evening.
The next step, GOP Chairman Sean McGowan said, is to send a letter to the I-SS Board endorsing Youngblood for the seat. The school board will have the final say on who will fill the seat, he said.
If the nomination is approved by the I-SS Board, Youngblood will serve out the term of Kevin Angell, who resigned his seat in late January, following an altercation with board member Mike Kubiniec. Other school board members have called on Kubiniec, who is running for a seat in the N.C. House, to resign as well.
The GOP Executive Committee was tapped with selecting Angell’s replacement because it is a partisan seat and was held by a Republican.
The other candidates who notified the GOP that they were interested in the seat were former I-SS Board member Charles Kelly, Katie Kitchin, Alison Palmeter and Barbara Thorson.
Youngblood, a veteran who served a tour of duty in Iraq in 2005, said he decided to seek the seat for one reason. “I have a love for the children,” he said.
Prior to the vote, the five candidates answered questions from the executive committee members and others in attendance.
One of the questions addressed to Youngblood concerned his career in private schools.
He said he believes his experience as an educator and a father will be of value to the school board. “Education is a passion of mine,” he said.
McGowan, who lives in District 2, said he was glad to have a recommendation for the school board because District 2 deserves representation. Any of the five candidates would have made a positive impact on the board, he added.
“I am very impressed with the caliber of people” who applied, McGowan said.
The I-SS Board deadlocked 3-3 on a motion to accept Angell’s resignation at its meeting earlier this month.