Policy 8330 – Filling School Board Vacancies

Vacancies on the School Board, including resignations and retirements, shall be filled following the procedure outlined below in accordance with state law.

Candidates for a vacancy on the School Board shall be appointed at an open meeting. A majority vote shall be required for all appointments to the School Board.

The candidate appointed to the vacancy shall, pending acceptance and filing the oath of office, be seated on the School Board.

Procedure

  1. Within 10 days of being informed of a vacancy on the School Board, the School Board directs the administration to publish a press release to all requesting media outlets of the vacancy and to solicit letters of interest from citizens of the District. All letters of interest shall be received in the Superintendent’s Office no later than 12:00 noon, on the10th business day following publication of the notice. A news release listing the names of all candidates for the School Board vacancy will be sent to the requesting media at the end of that day. Candidates may withdraw their letter of interest at any time during the selection process.
  2. A special meeting of the School Board will be scheduled within 10 days of publication of the list of names for the purpose of interviewing candidates for the School Board vacancy and making appointment decisions. School Board members should not talk with any citizens who expressed written interest in filling the vacancy or discuss any issues with them prior to the special meeting.
  3. Interview Process
    1. Round One: Candidates will be interviewed one at a time in reverse alphabetical order. Candidates not being interviewed will be asked to sit in an adjacent room until their turn to be interviewed. Each School Board member will ask one question of a candidate so each candidate will answer six questions within a given time frame. Each School Board member will ask the same questions of all candidates. To avoid duplication, Board members should prepare four possible questions prior to the meeting. School Board members will ask their questions in the order that roll call is taken. Each candidate will have two minutes to answer each question. After responding to all questions, candidates may remain in the Board Room. After all candidates have been interviewed, School Board members will be asked to narrow the field using the following suggested procedure. Each School Board member will list, in writing, his/her top three choices. The Superintendent or his/her designee will review the lists and only those candidates appearing on two or more School Board members’ lists shall be eligible for the second round of questions and the field will be considered narrowed to that pool of candidates. If desired, unsuccessful candidates may remain in the Board Room.
    2. Round Two: School Board members will ask a follow up question, if desired, of the remaining candidates. Candidates will have two minutes to respond to that question. School Board members must ask the same question of all remaining candidates. As with the original interviews, candidates will be asked to remain in an adjacent room until their turn to be interviewed during the second round. After all candidates have had an opportunity to answer the second round of questions, School Board members will be asked to rank the remaining candidates in order of preference assigning the highest number to their most preferred candidate and the lowest number (1) to their least preferred candidate. The Superintendent or his/her designee will then add up the accumulated points and report them to the Board in writing. The School Board may then recess for a short time.
  4. Appointment
    1. Following the interview process, motions will be in order for filling the School Board vacancy. School Board members should accentuate the positive when supporting a “motion to appoint” and should refrain from proselytizing.
    2. Tied votes equal a failed motion and, according to School Board policy, a failed motion cannot be reintroduced during the same business meeting.
    3. School Board members who do not follow the above rules may have their ballots disqualified by the presiding officer, but will be allowed to vote on any motion.

The Board vacancy will be filled at a regular or special Board meeting within sixty (60) days following the effective date of the vacancy.

If the remaining members of the Board of Education do not appoint an individual to fill a vacancy within sixty (60) days of the date on which the vacancy first exists, three board members shall be selected at random to appoint an individual from the full list of Board candidates. Selection of the three board members will be determined by the School Board secretary drawing three board members’ names randomly from a container.

LEGAL REF.:

  • Wisconsin Statutes
    • Sections 17.26 [Vacancies in school boards, how filled]
    • 120.17(238) [School board vacancies]

ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATIONS: None

AFFIRMED: June 8, 1993 (Policy 9111)

REVISED:

  • October 28, 1997
  • July 10, 2001
  • February 24, 2015
  • June 28, 2016