With the deadline for submitting applications to become the newest Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education member having passed, there are now 10 candidates left for the position.
"There are 10 people that have put their hat in the ring," Kim Hoke, city schools spokeswoman, said Friday. She added that the board rarely has openings but that 10 is a typical number of applicants when openings do occur.
Among the finalists is former school board member Gloria Faley, who lost her bid for re-election last November. She had served on the school board for 12 years.
"I know teachers, I know the board, I know school policies," Faley said. "I already know what it means to be a board member. The board will have no downtime."
Pam Hemminger, who came in fourth in the Democratic primary for the Orange County Board of Commissioners, also applied.
Hemminger served as the president of the Parent Teacher Association for Ephesus Elementary School. She also heads the Chapel Hill Parks and Recreation Commission.
Artie Franklin, who ran as the Libertarian candidate in the commissioners race this year, is another of the applicants.
"I would work to do the best job possible to solve problems and maintain the system as is," Franklin said.
He said that he is familiar with the capital and operational budgets and that he hopes to narrow the achievement gap, one of the main goals of the district's high school reform plan.
