Kaye McGarry, an outspoken critic of former Superintendent Peter Gorman's policies, announced Friday that she won't seek re-election to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board.

Her decision means three veteran members are leaving the nine-person board. Their seats are up for grabs, and their replacements could shift the balance of power on performance pay for teachers and other hot-button issues.

McGarry, 67, called a news conference at the Board of Elections shortly before filing closed for her seat and two other at-large posts on the November ballot.

Many had expected her to announce her re-election campaign, but instead she said she will step down when her term ends so she can pursue a doctorate in leadership and communication.

After eight years on the school board, she said she wants to teach at the university level. She said she fulfilled her pledge to voters to be a "conservative voice for logic, reason and restraint" on the board.

She often served as one of Gorman's chief policy critics, and repeatedly pressed him to cut more from his administrative budget.

"Over these eight years as a public servant, I listened to you, I studied every issue, I did my homework," she said. "I have been consistent and focused - always putting the interests of the students first."

Trent Merchant and Joe White are also leaving the board in December. Their departures, coupled with Gorman's resignation last month, could alter the school system's approach to teacher pay and evaluation, as well as dozens of controversial new tests leaders rolled out this spring.

Retired Air Force strategic planner Tom Davis, who filed to run Friday, said he has McGarry's backing. Davis, who served on a School Building Solutions Committee chaired by former Gov. Jim Martin about five years ago, said he wants to see the school system's strategic plan tweaked so no performance-pay plan rolls out without having been adequately pilot-tested first.

Another new candidate, Scott Babbidge, said three new board members could stop the new tests. Babbidge, national sales director for an Internet company, said he decided to run after learning McGarry wouldn't. He said he wants to continue her work, and he wants to stop the tests.

The school system unveiled 50-plus new student tests this spring to get a better gauge of teacher effectiveness. But the tests sparked strong condemnation from teachers and parents who called them too time-consuming, ill-prepared and expensive.

"We have prioritized metrics above students," Babbidge said.

Darrin Rankin, a Huntersville insurance agent and former Charlotte City Council candidate, showed up at the elections board offices with school board member Joyce Waddell, who is supporting him.

He said he's running "because I have a passion to serve the people of Mecklenburg County," and because he has an 8-year-old son in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.

He said he believes tests can be a measure of student achievement, but shouldn't be the sole yardstick.

Also filing Friday was former Mecklenburg commissioner Lloyd Scher. He said he realizes most people know him for his high-profile battles in the late 1990s with Republican commissioners who voted to strip arts groups of county money over the staging of the play "Angels in America."

"This is different," he said. "That was about politics. This is about putting teachers, students and staff first."

Aaron Pomis, an educator with a local charter school, filed Thursday to run for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board.

Pomis, dean of students for the KIPP Charlotte charter school, said he's running because he sees pockets of excellence where students are getting strong educations and graduating. "Until this is true for every child, every parent, every school, and every community in Mecklenburg County, there is still work to do," he said.

Other candidates filing Friday included Jeff Wise, an information technology director, and Lisa Hundley, who couldn't be reached for comment. Friday's filings brought the number of hopefuls for the three at-large seats to 17.

Brian Edwards, an ROTC teacher at Mallard Creek High, took his name off the ballot after learning he'd have to resign his post to join the school board.