LAURINBURG — The Scotland County Board of Education went through its annual changing of the guard on Monday, voting in a new chairman of the board.
Rick Singletary was the lone nomination to replace Summer Woodside in the lead chair, and a unanimous vote followed to put Singletary in the center of the board.
The selection of a vice chairman, however, wasn’t as smooth.
Two nominations from the board — Raymond Hyatt and Herman Tyson — were brought before the eight-member board, but the first vote ended in a 4-4 split.
Board Attorney Eva DuBuisson called for another round of nominations and was given the same two names. Another vote resulted in the same 4-4 split.
A third call for nominations brought the very same results.
DuBuisson said Scotland in one of the few school boards that holds and even number of members, and gave the board the option of going to a paper ballot, but no motion was made.
After a break to handle more of the agenda, the board returned to the task of selecting a vice chair — but the board remained at loggerheads, nominating the same two candidates and voting 4-4 three more times.
DuBuisson then told the board that its policies allowed for the suspension of a vote — either until the next meeting, indefinitely or permanently — but the board again refused the option.
After a closed session for personnel issues, the board returned and again attempted to break the tie for board vice chairman. But Tyson and Hyatt were again the nominations and, once again, the vote was 4-4.
Newly elected Chairman Singletary suggested a motion be made to suspend the vote until the January meeting, and he got his wish. The motion was seconded and passed by a 7-1 vote — with Tyson casting the lone dissenting vote.
Watch for a more in-depth story on the Board of Election meeting at www.laurinburgexchange.com on Tuesday or the print version of The Laurinburg Exchange on Wednesday.