The Douglas County school board selected three finalists Thursday to fill the vacant seat previously held by former President Mike Peterson, who resigned last year.
The Douglas County School District’s Board of Education interviewed nine candidates for the position during a public meeting Thursday afternoon, with members asking applicants about their leadership skills, and how they would communicate with parents, address concerns that the board is “too political,” and tackle “hot button issues” the district might face.
After the interviews, members voted to name Timothy Moore, Sandra Lyle Brownrigg and Natalie Wong as finalists for the open seat.
Brownrigg is a familiar face for board members, having worked on a district committee exploring the feasibility of putting a mill levy override on ballots. The board voted unanimously to make her a finalist.
Moore, a retired Douglas County Sheriff Office deputy, and Wong, an educator and parent, both received 4-2 votes to be named finalists.
The board will vote on who among the finalists should replace Peterson on Jan. 23.
If the divided school board doesn’t pick a replacement for Peterson by Feb. 10, then Christy Williams — who was chosen as the board’s new president during a split vote last year — will appoint a new member as required by law.
This is the second time within a year that the Douglas County school board has had to fill a vacancy. Last year, the board filled a seat previously held by Elizabeth Hanson, who resigned because of differences with the board’s conservative majority, including over changes to the district’s equity policy.
Peterson, who stepped down because his family was moving, resigned two years before his term was set to expire. He was one of four conservative candidates who won the majority of seats on the board during the 2021 election in a race that drew national headlines. The other members of that majority include Williams, Kaylee Winegar and Becky Myers.
In recent years, the school board has become known for its contentious meetings and long public comments as the conservative majority sought to end mask mandates during the pandemic, change the district’s equity policy and oust former Superintendent Corey Wise.
But two months ago, Douglas County voters supported candidates that opposed policies backed by the conservative members, splitting the board by reelecting incumbent Susan Meek and new members Brad Geiger and Valerie Thompson.
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