North Carolina Rep. Holloway to become schools lobbyist

KING, N.C. (AP) - A veteran North Carolina House member who recently served as one of the chamber’s chief budget writers is leaving the job to become a lobbyist for the state’s local school boards.

Rep. Bryan Holloway, R-Stokes, announced Friday his immediate resignation from his legislative seat, which he had held since 2005. He said he would become the associate director of governmental relations at the North Carolina School Boards Association. Holloway starts at the new position Monday, the association said.

Holloway, 38, said by text he was stepping aside now because it “was time for something new.”

Holloway, a former teacher, was a co-chairman of the House Appropriations Committee when U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis was speaker. With Tillis’ departure to Washington, Holloway was one of several people who ran for speaker last fall, but Republican support went to Rep. Tim Moore, R-Cleveland. This year, Holloway retained a lower budget-writing post for education matters only.

“Education was clearly my passion while serving,” Holloway said in his announcement letter.

Holloway sometimes took a more moderate view to the public schools than conservative colleagues, pressing for across-the-board teacher pay increases and expressing skepticism of expanding quickly taxpayer-funded grants for children to attend private schools.

While wishing Holloway well, Moore said Friday in a statement that Holloway played a part in preserving funds for teacher assistants in this year’s budget.

GOP officials in Holloway’s 91st House District, which includes all of Stokes County and part of Rockingham County, will choose someone to serve out the remainder of Holloway’s two-year term through 2016. Gov. Pat McCrory is obligated by state law to appoint their choice.

The Friday resignation means Holloway can begin lobbying his former colleagues when the General Assembly reconvenes April 25. State law requires a six-month cooling-off period for legislators.

Holloway “has been an effective voice for public education as a member of the General Assembly, and we know that voice will only get stronger as he represents the collective will of all of our school districts in North Carolina,” school boards association Executive Director Ed Dunlap said in a release.