CENTRE — The Cherokee County Board of Education yesterday chose Assistant Superintendent Dr. Trina Wood to serve as acting superintendent until the winner of next month’s general election takes office on Jan. 1, 2013. 

The two candidates for the position on the Nov. 6 ballot, Democrat Brett Keasler and Republican Mitchell Guice, recently proposed acting as co-superintendents until the election. Former Board of Education employee Linda Prater also applied for the position. 

Board member Lynn Rochester said the Alabama Association of School Boards handbook recommends against a board appointing a temporary replacement who is also seeking the position in the upcoming election, in order to avoid the hint of favoritism of one candidate over another. 

“I also contacted the school board association lawyer and she said this was an unprecedented thing, and that she had never heard of this before,” Rochester said, according to the Cherokee County Herald. 

Rochester said Wood is more than qualified to fill the position until a smooth transition can take place next year. 

“She has the ability, she has the willingness to work with a diverse community,” Rochester said. 

While serving as superintendent, Wood will continue her other duties as assistant superintendent, special education supervisor and attendance supervisor. 

Wood was appointed to fill the remaining term of Brian Johnson, who lost the Democratic primary to Keasler in March. Johnson, the principal at Sand Rock High School before serving two terms as superintendent, tendered his resignation Oct. 16 but maintains his tenure within the school system.

After her appointment, Wood took over the Board meeting and the members voted to assign Johnson to become the new physical education teacher at Centre Elementary School. 

Johnson has also submitted an application for the vacant principal's position at Centre Elementary. The other applicants are Mandi Caldwell, Rashida Dupree, Stephen Ingram, James Kyle Jones, Amy Kelley, Wes Neyman and Stephanie West. 

All eight candidates will be interviewed at a public meeting Oct. 25 at 6:30 p.m. Board member Dewandee Neyman has announced she will recuse herself from the proceeding, as candidate Wes Neyman is her son.