GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) – The Guilford County Board of Education on Tuesday night took a second vote on whether to accept a former teacher to fill an open seat on its board and decided once again in a 6-2 vote to reject the nomination of teacher Michael Logan.

Another vote is planned for a board work session on Jan. 26.

On Tuesday night Democrats Deena Hayes (chair, District 8), Bettye Jenkins (vice chair, District 7), T. Dianne Bellamy-Small (District 1), Deborah Napper (District 5), Khem Irby (District 6) and Alan Sherouse (at-large) voted against Logan’s nomination, and Republicans Linda Welborn (District 4) and Crissy Pratt (District 2) voted approval.

You may recall that on Dec. 13 the board rejected the nomination of Logan, who was chosen by the members of the Guilford County GOP who live in District 3 to fill the seat vacated when Republican Pat Tillman was elected to the Guilford County Board of Commissioners.

In a 5-2 vote along party lines – Bellamy-Small was absent – the board had rejected the nomination of Logan, an automotive teacher at Southern Guilford High School, after Tillman was sworn in as a commissioner. GCGOP Chair David Gleeson has said legal action possibly would be taken if the school board didn’t seat Logan.

WGHP has reached out to the North Carolina Board of Elections to see how this issue might be addressed in state statute.

Guilford County Board of Education candidate Michael Logan (WGHP)

A spokesperson for Guilford County Schools last week had confirmed that the nomination of a candidate to fill the seat would be considered, and Gleeson on Thursday said Republicans had “renominated Michael Logan for the board.”

Logan had said he would attend the meeting “with the expectation of being placed on the board.” He provided a copy of an email provided to the board and several other GCS staff members and a notarized letter of resignation at the board meeting Dec. 13.  

“There was also a request to attend the ethics training and meetings provided for the newly elected board members,” he said. “I have offered to help my students up till exams start as a visiting board member.”

WGHP also reached out via email to Jill Wilson, attorney for the school board – who said after the prior vote that the issue would be placed on the agenda for the next meeting – Deena Hayes, the chair of the school board.

A copy of Logan’s resignation letter.

One of the issues with Logan – and it was cited by Jenkins as the reason she did not vote for him – was that he had not resigned from his job at Southern Guilford, which is required by state law because the board approves all contracts and salaries.

“I understand Mr. Logan provided a letter to the school board that he would resign his [teaching] position if he were approved,” Gleeson told WGHP. Logan provided a copy to WGHP.

Logan has been an activist commentator at school board meetings, and Napper told the News & Record that she voted against Logan because he had made derogatory comments about board members on social media. 

Logan last year called for more school security after a student was shot and killed at Mount Tabor High School in Forsyth Count. He asked the board to add more metal detectors and other precautions.

Hayes cited precedent on how the board had voted.

“In 2018, the majority voted to deny the Democratic candidate Winston McGregor who was selected to fill the seat vacated by Alan Duncan, until we recessed, and a board member changed their vote,” Hayes said last month. “About nine months ago, the BOCC [Board of County Commissioners] voted to approve the replacement for Carolyn Coleman [Frankie Jones]. This law has governed the process for the BOE and commissioners since it was enacted.”