The Cumberland County School Board voted Dr. Rebecca Farley to be the next Director of Schools.
Farley has been serving as the school system’s interim director for the past two months. School Board Member Scott VanWinkle said he was impressed with Farley’s interview.
“She demonstrated that she understands many of the challenges we face in Cumberland County,” VanWinkle said. “I think her experience here gave her that step up on the other candidate. She seems to have a lot of support from the community and staff, and faculty here in Cumberland County.”
School Board members expressed positive feelings toward the second finalist, Dr. Randy Shannon, but said Farley’s experience in Cumberland County tilted the decision.
The School Board will begin contract negotiations with Farley next. VanWinkle said he was not in favor of offering a four-year contract.
“I think that puts a burden on taxpayers possibly in the future,” VanWinkle said. “So I’ve stated that the last time we went through the contract, and I’m more in favor of the way some other surrounding counties handle it, and they actually vote on whether they’re going to extend it or not at the last meeting of the year.
School Board Member Shannon Stout said she believed that a salary of around $130,000 or $135,000 would be suitable for Farley. After the discussion, several board members agreed with Stout.
The board also discussed a vehicle to be included in the contract. VanWinkle said he believed a vehicle did not need to be included in the contract due to the budget crunch that the school system is in. School Board Member Travis Cole said he believed a vehicle needed to be included to check icy roads.
“If we’re gonna do the lower end of the salary range, and even if we are not really, I feel like the position needs a vehicle because of the liability point about checking the roads,” Cole said. “If she’s in an accident checking roads, it’s on her insurance. So if she’s in a department vehicle or government-owned vehicle, it’ll show up on her driver’s license history, but it won’t affect the rate of her vehicle insurance.”
The board voted to have Chairman Chric King negotiate with Farley on the contract. A special meeting could be called before the end of the month, as the board expressed a desire to have the contract ready by July 1.
The other candidate under consideration was Dr. Randy Shannon. The school board had positive things to say about Shannon. The school board unanimously voted in favor of Farley.
