Influencing the election of a new Wake school board chairperson

A decision that the school board didn't make this week could have ramifications on who will be its new leader.

The board didn't back Lori Millberg's request on Tuesday to move up the annual election of board chair and vice chair from June 16 to June 2. Board policy sets the election for the second meeting of June but Millberg said she was going to be out of town then.

With the meeting still scheduled for June 16, it could make it easier for Kevin Hill to become the new chairman. There's also speculation that Beverley Clark will seek the post.

Under board policy, the chair can only serve for up to two one-year terms at a time. It can be waived but Rosa Gill, assuming she isn't tapped to fill Dan Blue's old seat in the General Assembly, has said she doesn't want a third term as chairwoman.

It takes two-thirds of the members present to waive/suspend policy.

Past boards have usually given the chair to a person running for reelection. But three of the incumbents aren't running again and Horace Tart isn't at this point viewed as being a likely choice.

Of the board members whose seats aren't expiring this year, Hill and Clark are most often cited as possible successors to Gill.

Hill said this week he's talked with other board members about the job but hasn't been lobbying it for yet.

Clark said she hasn't thought about the position yet.

One thing to keep in mind is that there was a behind-the-scenes campaign last year by Millberg to replace Gill. It fell apart when Hill backed Gill.

Some of the animosity still lingered when the board voted 6-3 to make Hill vice chairman with Millberg, Tart and Patti Head voting against him. That's unusual because Clark declined her nomination so Hill was the only candidate in the running.

Without Millberg present, there will be only a maximum of eight board members present June 16. It could be seven if Gill is on her way to the state House by then.

If there's eight, the vote could be a tie unless a deal is worked out ahead of time. Millberg didn't ask for her name to submitted last year when she saw that she wouldn't have the votes to defeat Gill.