Nine candidates for Fayette County school board are named

The nine people who applied to fill a vacancy on the Fayette County school board were identified Monday.

Kentucky education department spokeswoman Nancy Rodriguez said the candidates are Thomas A. Burich, Raymond A. Daniels, Richard A. Harless, Richard Hughes, Tina N. Nance, Christie Y. Oliver, Donald R. Schaefer, Alex L. Scutchfield and Richard A. Spaulding.

The seat has been open since board chairman John Price died in February. Price had battled leukemia for more than two years. He had served on the board since 2003.

Rodriguez said Monday that she didn’t immediately have more information about the applicants.

The state Department of Education will create a panel to screen the candidates. The panel could include members of other local school boards or recently retired educators. The panel would then make recommendations to Kentucky Education Commissioner Stephen Pruitt. The interviews are scheduled for May 17 at the district’s central office.

Under state law, Pruitt must appoint someone to fill the vacant spot within 90 days. The appointment will be effective until the end of the year, which would have been the end of Price’s term. The next four-year term will be filled in the November general election. Price represented District 3, which includes the Hamburg area.

This story was originally published April 27, 2016 at 1:26 PM with the headline "Nine candidates for Fayette County school board are named."