The Board shall be composed of nine members. All terms will be for four years with the terms staggered so that as nearly equal to one-half as possible will expire every two years. The elections are partisan and are to be held at the time of the primary election in even-numbered years.

A. Qualifications: Any person possessing the qualifications for election to public office as provided in Article VI of the Constitution of North Carolina and who is a qualified voter and resident of the system from which he or she seeks to be elected is eligible to serve as a member of the Board.

Any person elected or appointed to the Board and also employed by the Board must resign his or her employment before taking office as a member of the Board.

B. Three members of the Board shall be elected at-large and six members shall be elected from districts. Candidates for district seats and persons elected to district seats must reside within the district.

C. The voting districts to be used for elections of the Board are depicted in maps and are available during normal working hours in the Superintendent's office. References to precincts are to precincts as reported from the most recent Federal Census.

D. Newly elected members shall qualify by taking the oath of office on the first Monday in December as prescribed by G.S. 115C-¬37(d). Following the swearing in of new members in December 1992, and biennially thereafter, the members of the Board shall elect a Chairman and Vice-Chairman to serve for two-year terms.

Oath: “I, ______________, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and maintain the Constitution and laws of the United States, and the Constitution and laws of the State of North Carolina not inconsistent therewith, and that I will faithfully discharge my duties as a member of the Union County Board of Education, so help me God [omit phrase if affirming].”

E. Vacancies occurring on the Board of a member, for any reason other than by expiration of the term of office shall be filled by appointment of the county executive committee of the appropriate political party. The Board shall consult the county executive committee of the appropriate political party before filling the vacancy, and shall appoint the person recommended by the county executive committee, if a recommendation is made within 30 days of the vacancy. If only the qualified voters of an area less than the entire county were eligible to vote in the general election for the vacating member, the Board must accept the recommendation of the county executive committee only if the county executive committee restricted voting to committee members who represent precincts all or part of which were within the electoral district of the vacating member. To be eligible to fill a vacancy, a person shall be all of the following: a. Registered with the same political party as the vacating member, if that vacating member was elected as the nominee of a political party. b. A resident of the same district as the vacating member, if the vacating member was elected to represent an electoral district of less than the entire county. The person appointed to this vacancy, pursuant to either process, shall serve until the next election of members of the Board is held. At that time the remaining unexpired term of the office in which the vacancy occurs shall be filled by election.

A vacancy shall be declared to exist at the first Board meeting where knowledge is shared that a member will no longer be available to serve.

LEGAL REF.: Merger Plan
N.C. Const. Art. VI.
NCGS 1-514 - 532; 14-22; 8 -234.1; 115C-35 and 37; 163-292

UNION COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION
APPROVED: 12/21/92
REVISED: 12/3/96
REVISED: 11/22/05
REVISED: 4/27/10
REVISED: 3/1/11
REVISED: 11/7/17
REVIEWED BY GENERAL COUNSEL: 4/3/18
REVISED: 11/5/19
REVISED: 5/4/21