Cooper nominates NC education board leaders to stay on panel

FILE PHOTO: Eric Davis, Chair of the N.C. State Board of Education (2021-2023)

RALEIGH — Gov. Roy Cooper nominated on Thursday the current chairman and vice chairman of the State Board of Education to serve eight additional years on the panel.

Eric Davis, the chairman since 2018, and Vice Chairman Alan Duncan were among four people that the governor asked the General Assembly to confirm for the board.

Davis was previously the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board chairman. Duncan, who held a similar position on the Guilford County board, joined the state board in 2018.

Cooper also nominated Melody Chalmers McClain of Fayetteville and Ronald Hargrave of Advance. McCain is the assistant superintendent of the Cumberland County Schools while Hargrave was the Scotland County Schools superintendent, Cooper’s news release said.

The legislature meets in a joint session to consider a governor’s education board nominees. Eleven gubernatorial appointees, the lieutenant governor and state treasurer are the board’s voting members.

Cooper also announced Thursday he nominated former Cabinet member and ex-House minority leader Larry Hall of Durham to join the three-member panel that hears unemployment benefit claim appeals. Hall was secretary for military and veterans affairs during Cooper’s first term.