School District Seeks Candidates to Fill Open Trustee Position

FRAZIER PARK, LEBEC (Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2011 at 9:45 p.m.Updated Aug. 11 )—Have you wished you could help our public schools rise to the level of excellence our children deserve?  This may be your chance.

The El Tejon Unified School District Board of Trustees tonight voted to open a call for candidates who would like to be appointed to fill an open board position. The candidates will serve for a year on the ETUSD board, before the next general election.

After a tumultuous year of school budget cuts, Trustee Cathy Wallace resigned on July 14 for personal health reasons. Three board members tonight voted unanimously to seek an appointee to fill Wallace’s place, the alternative option, according to Superintendent Katie Kleier, is a special election. She told the board that would be "very expensive," but that she did not know how much it would cost. Anita Anderson, Paula Regan and John Fleming voted unanimously to appoint a fifth board member rathre than hold a special election. Ken Hurst was not present.

Potential candidates are asked to submit letters of interest and qualifications to Kleier within the next two weeks.

An ad to be run by the district next week suggests the letter include:
1) Why are you interested in serving as a member of the El Tejon Unified School District Board of Trustees?
2) What experience and qualities would you bring to the board?
3) What significant information would you like the board to know or what issues do you feel are important to the district?

The letters will be reviewed by the Board of Trustees and interview times will be set by August 31. The interview process will be conducted by the board, before the public. One member of the public suggested that applicants might also wish to provide letters of support from employers or members of the community who know them well.

####—Patric Hedlund

This is part of the August 12, 2011 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.

Have an opinion on this matter? We'd like to hear from you.