A Democratic vacancy committee on Sunday chose Lori Goldstein, president of the Adams 12 Board of Education, to serve the final year of Rep. Shannon Bird’s term.

Bird, a Democrat who would have been term-limited this year, resigned her seat on Jan. 5 to run for Congress in District 8 full-time.

Goldstein, who had already filed to run for the House District 29 seat in November, was the only candidate for the vacancy and was chosen unanimously by the committee’s 34 members.

Her term on the school board is set to end at the end of 2027, but Goldstein told Colorado Politics she is speaking with the district’s superintendent to develop an exit strategy. She said she had intended to resign the school board seat after the November election anyway.

“I’ve been part of the school district for 40 years, so to just walk out the door wouldn’t be responsible to the school district,” she said.

While she’s been on the school board for six years, Goldstein has been a science and special education teacher, and after retiring, served as head of the local teachers’ union.

“I want to thank the House District 29 vacancy committee for taking the time to be a part of making this decision,” Goldstein said in a statement Sunday.

“I appreciate their support of me as well as everyone in House District 29, as I have been campaigning for November. I want to thank Representative Bird for all her support and for all her accomplishments she achieved in this seat.  She has left big shoes to fill.”

It’s not all that unusual for a state lawmaker to serve in dual roles, at least briefly. Then-Sen. Dominick Moreno, D-Commerce City, was chosen by a vacancy committee in 2018 to serve the final year of a member of the Adams County 14 school board, while he was also chair of the Joint Budget Committee.

Rep. Junie Joseph, D-Boulder, who was chosen by a vacancy committee to replace Rep. Edie Hooton on the 2022 general election ballot, was midway through a term on the Boulder City Council. She served the final year of that office while also representing Boulder in the state House.

Goldstein becomes the 16th member of the House and 27th current member of the General Assembly to obtain a seat in the legislature through the vacancy process.

On Monday evening, a Democratic vacancy committee will choose the 28th, the vacancy left by Rep. William Lindstedt, D-Broomfield, who was appointed to serve the final year of the late Sen. Faith Winter’s term.

Three candidates have filed for that vacancy, according to the Colorado Democratic Party: Heidi Henkel, Stan Jezierski and Kenny Nguyen.

Henkel and Nguyen have both filed to run for the House District 33 seat for the November election.