A group of Amarillo residents presented two names to the Amarillo Independent School District Board of Trustees on Thursday night as possible replacements for James Allen on the board.
On Tuesday, resident Amy Taylor presented two names to the board, both of which Amarillo NAACP president Floyd Anthony told the board were thoroughly vetted. The two recommended candidates - Robin Malone and Claudia Stuart - were both recommended to the board as possible candidates to fill the remaining three years of Allen's term.
According to Amarillo College's website, Malone is an attorney at Amarillo College. Malone is the coordinator for the Amarillo College Legal Studies Department and is a licensed attorney through the State Bar of Texas. Malone holds a Doctor of Jurisprudence from Creighton University.
Stuart is a teacher and organization director. Stuart has served as regional coordinator of the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Program for Panhandle Regional Planning Commission, a probation officer and as a regional director for Texans War on Drugs. She also served as an instructor at West Texas A&M University. Stuart appeared at the meeting on Thursday, during which she told the board at public comment time that she was "offering [herself] for public service."
At the conclusion of the meeting, school board president Jim Austin said that a committee will be formed and applications may be taken from the community for possible replacements on the board. Austin also indicated that he would like to see Allen's seat filled by September, although there is no official timeline on what the appointment process will look like.
Allen resigned earlier this week for undisclosed reasons. Allen was re-elected for a four year term in 2017, with a ending date of May, 2021.
Photo by AISD