Document text
3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Drive-by shooter gets 8 years ... OSF and bookstore at odds over banned books display ... Two recent area scams promise money or demand it ... Drive-by shooter gets 8 years ... OSF and bookstore at odds over banned books display ... Two recent area scams promise money or demand it ... EDUCATION Medford School Board won't fill vacant seat now The board will wait for voters to make a decision in May 2017 Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune Follow @@teresathomas_MT MailTribune.com Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune Follow @@teresathomas_MT Posted Aug. 5, 2016 @ 2:34 pm Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune Follow @@teresathomas_MT Posted Aug. 5, 2016 @ 2:34 pm » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> Medford School Board members were unable to come to a consensus on who should fill a vacant seat on the board, so decided to wait and let voters decide in a May 16 district election. Three candidates — former board members Cynthia Wright and Kim Wallan and one Jacksonville Elementary parent, Patricia Hubbert — applied for the position and were interviewed July 8. If appointed, the person would have served until June 30, 2017, unless they chose to run for election. However, board members couldn’t agree on a candidate in July and voted 4-2 not to appoint a seventh board member. “(The candidates) all brought extremely strong and different backgrounds, and any one of them would have been a good choice,” said board member Jeff Thomas. “But ultimately we decided to wait and let the public decide who was going to be on the school board.” In the meantime, the board intends to operate with only six members. “Four is still a quorum, and four is still majority,” said Karen Starchvick, the board’s newly appointed chairwoman. “We all are just going to have to do a better job about getting to meetings.” During the 2015-16 school year, the board held 53 meetings, including regular board meetings, work sessions, lunch & learn sessions, special board meetings, budget meetings and one town hall meeting. At 14 of those meetings, only five board members attended, and at one, only four members were present. Next year, veteran board members Larry Nicholson and Tricia Prendergast do not plan to run for re-election, and Thomas — who is seeking election in November to the Jackson County Board of Commissioners — has yet to decide whether he will run for a third term. At the board's July 13 meeting, Nicholson advised board members it would be a mistake not to appoint someone to fill the vacant position immediately. Otherwise, he noted, there could potentially be four new board members after the next election. He said there's also the potential for decisions to be stalled or avoided if a vote is tied. Prendergast agreed that appointing someone to the board would make it more solid in the long run because, if that person were elected in the spring, she or he would have a year’s worth of knowledge and experience to bring to the board. “I know that six sounds like a simple solution: ‘Let’s just keep it small,’ ” Prendergast said at the meeting. “But the legalities — and with issues coming down the road — I just think it gets dicey. That’s kind of where I am. I would feel more comfortable with seven.” Situations like this are “fairly common,” said Alex Pulaski, director of communication for the Oregon School Boards Association, in an email. Oregon Revised Statute 332.030 directs school boards to declare and fill a vacancy but doesn’t establish any penalties for districts that don’t, Pulaski explained. “Therefore, boards, at times, choose to wait for the electorate to fill the seat in the next election,” he said. School district elections are held on odd-numbered years in May, so the position could not be placed on the November ballot. The newer board members were all in favor of waiting. “I would rather us operate short than have a controversial, divisive process to have a person in place for just a few months,” said board member Michael Campbell. “I understand the concern about having four new board members, but this person would have to run again, so it’s possible you could still have four new board members,” he said. Campbell described the interview process, which was done in a public session with candidates present, as the “worst meeting” of his one year on the board. Other board members also said it was awkward. However, Wright, who was on the board from 2003 to 2007, said the deliberations didn’t make her uncomfortable and, despite having served on the board and having six children graduate from the district, showed her how much she still had to learn about the district. “It wasn’t personal,” she said. “I just want to do what’s best for the district and what’s best for students.” Wright said she was encouraged by former board member Janet Lightheart to apply for the position. Lightheart resigned in June — after serving one year of a four-year term — to move to Idaho with her family. Reach education reporter Teresa Thomas at 541-776-4497 or [email protected] . Follow her at www.twitter.com/teresathomas_mt . Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune Follow @@teresathomas_MT MailTribune.com Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune Follow @@teresathomas_MT Posted Aug. 5, 2016 @ 2:34 pm » Comment or view comments Terms of Service /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2016 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501