Board members for the Iola district will wait to decide what to do about a vacancy, after Mandey Coltrane resigned her position.
Coltrane submitted a letter of resignation effective Monday; she did not give a reason. Coltrane has frequently been absent from board meetings and has attended only one of the past eight meetings.
She was elected in November 2021 and took office in January 2022. Her term expires in January 2026.
Board President Jennifer Taylor told board members they could decide to appoint someone to fill the seat or hold it open.
Taylor said she would recommend filling the seat but wanted to wait until the next meeting on May 8 to decide what to do. If they decide to fill the seat, they’ll need to issue a resolution, publish it and wait 15 days before appointing someone.
Keeping the seat open puts the board at risk of a tie vote with just six members, although dissension among the board is rare.
“There’s still quite a bit of time left on that term,” Taylor said. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to keep it open.”
She also suggested the board advertise for the position and conduct interviews. Because it is an elected position, their actions must remain public.
No one on the board nor administrators could remember having to fill a seat because of resignation in recent years, though seats have been left vacant at times because of board members’ extended illness.
The next school board election will be in November, with four seats to decide. All are at-large positions. Those seats are currently held by Taylor, Dan Willis, Tony Leavitt and Doug Dunlap.
