Seven candidates, including two former Mathews County School Board members, have filed for the vacancy on the board created when Dr. Michael Richards stepped down at the end of August for health reasons.

The seven had the opportunity to introduce themselves to their prospective school board colleagues during a special meeting Tuesday night at the Mathews High School media center.

Those vying for the interim appointment are former school board and board of supervisors’ member Michael C. Rowe of North, former school board member Anne Wortham of Cobbs Creek, Lanell W. Jarvis of Foster, Stephanie Marie Todd of Port Haywood, Doris J. Foster-Curseen of Cardinal, Robert Calvin Sherrill Jr. of Grimstead, and Edwin B. Tucker Jr. of North.

The school board is expected to make its appointment at Tuesday night’s regular monthly meeting. Richards’s term expires at the end of 2011.

During Tuesday’s public hearing, the candidates were allowed to address the board in alphabetical order.

Foster-Curseen said that she was applying because she wanted to get involved in her community after retirement.

A 1964 graduate of Thomas Hunter School, she received a bachelor’s degree from Virginia State and a master’s in counseling from the University of the District of Columbia. After working briefly in the Mathews, Suffolk and D.C. school systems, Foster-Curseen began a 36½-year stint with the Atomic Energy Commission (now Nuclear Regulatory Commission).

She retired as a records management analyst from the NRC, moving back to Mathews. Since her retirement, she became a foster parent through the Department of Social Services. Her job as a foster parent, she said, is "providing a secure place for the child and giving them opportunities to flourish."

"It’s a time for me to do something more political," she said. "This is something good I can do for the community." Foster-Curseen said that she would also bring a different perspective to the board as an African-American.

School board member Bill Johnson asked if she intended to run for reelection once the interim appointment expires. "No," she quickly replied. "However, things could change," she later added.

Jarvis, who has served as a substitute teacher in Mathews schools and in various leadership positions in the division’s PTAs, said she sees a spot on the school board as "the next natural step for me to take." Jarvis has been an advocate for the schools and its teachers and has spoken to leaders in Richmond on the need for increased school funding.

Jarvis said that she sees the biggest concern for the school board as the unfunded mandates foisted upon the division by the state and federal governments. If appointed, Jarvis said, she would continue to talk to legislators to get them to back off on burdensome testing and other requirements.

When asked if she would seek reelection in 2011, she replied, "Yes … this is a nice way to come into the school board," referring to the interim appointment.

Johnson, who is now in his second term on the school board, explained that he asked the question about running for reelection because of the steep learning curve. It takes several years to become fully versed in the requirements and objectives of a school board member, he said.

Rowe served for 10½ years on the school board and another eight on the county board of supervisors. The school division’s facilities are in good shape, he said, adding that his objective would be to increase teacher salaries.

Rowe is quite familiar with the budget process, both as a school board member and supervisor. Developing a working budget, he said, is "a hard balancing act for the board of supervisors." When asked if he would run in 2011, Rowe replied "we’ll see how it goes in the next year."

Sherrill, who moved to Gwynn’s Island in 2003, is a former science teacher and school administrator from upstate New York. Born and raised in North Carolina, he taught there for four years before joining the Peace Corps to teach in Liberia. It was there he met his future wife, returning to the United States to embark on a 30-year career in North Rose-Wolcott Central Schools (N.Y.).

Sherrill said he is impressed by the schools in Mathews. "I have an appreciation for what you do," he told the school board members, conceding that "there’s a lot I don’t know." If appointed, he said he would probably run for reelection, because it would take a couple years to be a fully contributing board member. On the issue of unfunded mandates, he said it is incumbent upon "all of us … to bring pressure on our legislators."

Todd said that her biggest focus is on the children. At school board meetings, she said, she is always hearing about numbers, adding that she would focus more about student involvement, "hearing their input" before making decisions.

She said that she wants to get a full picture of what’s going on in the schools, including the school board’s closed meetings. "I want to know it all. I want to know the ins and outs," she said. Todd has several children in Mathews schools and they have flourished here. "My children are very happy here," she said. "Compared to the others (other school divisions), Mathews rocks.

"I like how this school board works together as a team," she continued. If appointed, Todd would "most definitely" run for reelection next year, she said.

Wortham served on the school board for eight years; she and Dr. Maureen Richards (spouse of Dr. Michael Richards) were the county’s first elected school board members. During her time on the board, Wortham oversaw the construction of the MHS auditorium and other renovation projects and a successful superintendent search. She said that she has "no agendas to run," and indicated she is unsure if she would run for election.

Tucker did not attend Tuesday’s meeting.

The school board will hold a closed session at the beginning of Tuesday’s 6 o’clock meeting to discuss the applicants and are expected to make a decision immediately after that. The interim appointment is from October 2010 to Dec. 31, 2011.