Linda Moultrie, the District 3 member on the Escambia County School Board, has resigned her seat effective immediately, school district officials confirmed Tuesday.
Moultrie had served on the board since 2008 after being elected to serve the remaining term of former school board member Claudia Brown-Curry, who resigned to run unsuccessfully for superintendent of schools. Moultrie was reelected in 2010 and 2014.
“Linda Moultrie has been an outstanding leader in our community, representing the students and their families in District 3, as well as the interests of the entire county, with professionalism, respect and compassion,” said Superintendent of Schools Malcolm Thomas. “She has made this decision because it is what is best for her family and we will respect her wishes and support her as she makes this transition. She will be greatly missed by myself, the leaders of the District and the rest of the Board.”
Moultrie, center, with former school board member Jeff Bergosh, left, and current member Patti Hightower, right. (Escambia County School District/Special to The Pulse)
This isn’t the first time Moultrie has considered resigning. Citing personal reasons, Moultrie announced in October 2015 that she would resign at the end of that month, but later rescinded her resignation, saying that constituents had convinced her to remain in office.
With Moultrie’s resignation effective immediately, it will fall to Governor Rick Scott to appoint someone to fill that seat until a new board member is elected next November. Currently, only one candidate has filed to run for the seat next year: UWF professor Dr. Laura Dortch Edler, who filed paperwork to run on Monday. Edler unsuccessfully challenged Moultrie in 2014, finishing in third place behind Moultrie and fellow challenger Charlie Nichols.
In addition to her service on the school board, Moultrie has also served as treasurer of the Florida School Boards Association, chairman of the Community Action Program Committee, and as a board member of the Florida High School Athletic Association.