USD 257 board members plan to appoint someone to a vacancy on the school board, with the position up for election later this year.
School board members agreed to publish a notice about the vacancy to see who might be interested in taking the position. They have to wait at least 15 days after that before deciding who to appoint.
The seat becaame vacant last month when Mandey Coltrane resigned less than two years into her term.
Because of the timing, the seat also will go up for election in November. Anyone interested will need to file for the election by noon on June 1.
Whomever is appointed will serve until at least January 2024, when whomever is elected will take the seat. That may or may not be the same person.
Whomever is elected will serve the remainder of Coltrane’s term; the seat will be up for re-election in November 2025.
Four other seats also are up for election for the seven-member board; those are four-year terms. Typically, the board rotates with three seats up for election followed by four seats two years later. All seats are at-large positions.
In November, seats held by President Jennifer Taylor, Dan Willis, Doug Dunlap and Tony Leavitt will be up for re-election. All four said they plan to file to keep their seats; Willis and Dunlap have already done so.
County Clerk Shannon Patterson said whoever files for a seat in USD 257 will need to clarify if they are filing for the four-year term or to fill the vacant two-year seat. She expects those positions will be decided separately.
In theory, whoever the board appoints could have an edge in the election. Because of the timing, the board is unlikely to make their selection until after the election filing deadline. 
It’s also possible the board will appoint someone, and a different person will be elected.
To serve on the school board, a candidate must be a resident of the district and cannot be an employee of the school district at the same time. That includes substitute teachers or bus drivers.
Accreditation
Curriculum Director Jenna Higginbotham gave board members an update on a recent visit related to a five-year accreditation process.
The district is in the first year of accreditation renewal, having successfully completed the first five-year term last year. This year is about setting goals, she said.
