Search is on to Fill Vacant Marshall County Board of Education Seat
The four remaining members of the Marshall County Board of Education met Monday to determine how to fill seat left vacant by former board President Beth Phillips, who resigned last week.
Board Vice President Tom Gilbert suggested the board advertise its intention to receive letters of interest from prospective board members before meeting again on March 6 to conduct interviews and select a candidate who would be sworn in before the March 14 board meeting.
Board member Lori Kestner warned the board to make it clear to any prospective candidates that the appointment is a temporary one and should not be a springboard for that person to seek the position permanently.
“My only fear is we have all these people who are interested in running for the board, and I think that’s wonderful,” Kestner said. “But we don’t have to allow somebody the platform to do that. … It’s kind of like when you get a flat tire, to get to your destination you put on the (spare), as a temporary thing: letting them understand that whatever we do, they are not intended for the (permanent) job.”
Anyone interested in being appointed should mail a letter of interest to: Marshall County BOE, P.O. Box 578, Moundsville, WV 26041.
Kestner suggested the number of questions at the March 6 interview be limited to 10 or fewer to avoid bogging down the board with excessively long interviews. Board member John Miller agreed. At Gilbert’s suggestion, the board agreed to establish March 3 as a cutoff date for accepting letters of interest, with interviews held in a special closed session March 6.
Phillips resigned at the beginning of last week’s board meeting, during which she was also hired as an accountant for the school district.
COMMENTS