Appointing a new board member to fill the seat of Leslie Barnette on the Catawba County Board of Education could take months, board Chair Tim Settlemyre said.

Barnette resigned from the board Aug. 25 due to health reasons, according to a letter read by Settlemyre at the Aug. 25 meeting. Barnette was not in attendance at that meeting or the previous meeting in July.

The next day, Aug. 26, Barnette died. She was 73 years old.

“As of now I do not have a timeframe for filling the seat vacated by Dr. Barnette,” Settlemyre wrote in an email Sept. 10. “This process could take several months to complete. I can give you more information when the time comes.”

The obituary for Barnette, who served Catawba County Schools as a teacher, administrator and board member, said she died at home after “a

See Full Page