Hyde County school board accepts applications following board member resignation

Dustin Nails, former Hyde County Board of Education member (Photo courtesy Hyde County)

By Corinne Saunders

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SWAN QUARTER — The Hyde County Board of Education is accepting applications through Monday, Aug. 17, to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Dustin Nails, the board announced in a Tuesday press release.

In the release, the board expressed its gratitude for Nails’ 2.5 years of service.

“Appointed to fill the seat previously held by Aleta Cox, Mr. Nails has faithfully served the students, staff and citizens of Hyde County,” the release said. “We are grateful for his leadership, commitment to public education, and the positive impact he has made on Hyde County Schools. We wish him the very best in his future endeavors.”

Hyde County Schools spokesperson Julio Morales said in an email to Outer Banks Insider that Nails “resigned to further his career.”

“I was looking at a new career, and I just I wouldn’t be able to have the time off that I needed for the board,” Nails said when reached by phone on Thursday.

Interested applicants may live anywhere in Hyde County and may be of any political affiliation, according to Morales.

Because the seat is an at-large position, there is no residency requirement associated with a particular geographic area “beyond meeting the legal qualifications to serve on the Hyde County Board of Education,” Morales said.

Five members comprise the Hyde County Board of Education, which has had partisan elections since 2018. Before Nails’ departure, board members represented three political affiliations.

The vacant seat is part of the current election cycle, but Nails was the only candidate to file for the position, and the executive committee of the county’s Republican Party is unable to make a nomination for the position, according to Morales.

“Due to the lack of an executive committee in Hyde County, the board of education is accepting applications for the position,” he said.

The board appointed Nails, a Republican, to the at-large seat in 2024 after the passing of Cox, a Republican, according to Morales.

When Nails was appointed, the Republican Party had “sent up two names and allowed the board of education to interview them and select the best candidate,” Morales said.

“This time with his resignation is different as the Republican Party is not currently organized to take on this task to send us their recommendations,” he said. “Since it falls on the board of education to find someone to finish this term, there is not a party affiliation requirement needed.”

Board members help advance the strategic priorities of student success, thriving faculty and staff, safe and efficient operations and positive community culture, according to the release.

“The board of education provides the vision, leadership and governance that guide Hyde County Schools as we work toward our vision that all students will graduate with the skills needed to be successful in a global society,” the release said.

Interested Hyde County residents can submit applications by mail or by hand-delivery to the superintendent’s office. Applications are available at this link.

Applications can be mailed to Hyde County Schools, Attn: BOE Application, P.O. Box 217, Swan Quarter, NC 27885. Applications can be delivered in person to the superintendent’s office at 1430 Main Street, Swan Quarter, NC 27885.

For more information, call Hyde County Schools Superintendent Dr. Melanie Shaver’s office at 252-926-3281.

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