Arnold
Carol Arnold will fill the remaining two years of Fred Goldsmith’s term on the Macon County Board of Education.
Goldsmith announced earlier this month that he would be resigning from his seat on the board so that he could attend to a family matter in Georgia. The other four board members met on Monday morning to appoint a new board member to fill his seat until its next election in 2022. The board members voted for Arnold by a margin of 3-1, with outgoing board member Stephanie McCall voting against.
Arnold has served in the public school systems of Macon, Swain and Clay counties over the past four decades and was named Macon County Schools teacher of the year in 1984 when she taught at Macon Middle School. She has also taught at Western Carolina University, worked for the N.C. Department of Education and most recently served as Macon County Schools Title I specialist before retiring earlier this year.
This won’t be Arnold’s first time serving on the school board, either – she was elected to the board in 1998 and served a full four-year term, but she chose not to run for reelection so that she could take care of her ailing mother.
Arnold feels that she will be a valuable asset to the board as she fills the vacancy for the next two years. While she believes that Goldsmith leaves behind very big shoes to fill, she is confident in her own experience and is glad that the other board members agree.
“I feel like my 35-plus years in education give me a solid foundation to fill the remainder of Coach Goldsmith’s term,” Arnold said. “Macon County Schools is very close to my heart and I appreciate the school board’s confidence in me to do a good job.”
Arnold, newly elected board member Hilary Wilkes and reelected board member Jim Breedlove will all take their oaths of office on Monday, Dec. 7.