By Dave Fidlin
Correspondent
The incumbent members of the Waterford Graded School Board agreed Oct. 6 that having five members is better than four while discussing how best to handle a vacancy on the elected panel.
Last month, veteran board member Bob Kastengren formally stepped down from the WGSD board. He suffered a stroke in late August and is at home, recuperating, after a successful surgery.
At a special School Board meeting held Monday night, sitting members Dawn Bleimehl, Tom Hoffman, Dan Jensen and Doug Schwartz unanimously agreed Kastengren’s seat should be filled through next April by way of appointment.
Earlier, at the district’s Sept. 22 annual meeting, electors had voted overwhelmingly to advise the WGSD board they prefer to have the vacancy filled by appointment in advance of the April 2015 spring election.
Kastengren, who had been board president up until his resignation, held a seat that expires in 2016. State statutes require the remaining one-year term be filled in the next general election, which occurs in April 2015.
But local governing bodies do have some flexibility in determining how to address a vacancy from the date it occurs through the following spring election.
During the interim period, local boards can leave a position vacant through the spring election, appoint a person or hold a special election. The latter option is seldom used because of extra costs for printing ballots and other incidentals.
After weighing their options, the WGSD board decided to seek out candidates for the vacancy. Applications will be sought through WGSD’s website, postings at all schools and in local media outlets.
According to a timeline devised by the board, applicants will have through early November to submit paperwork at the district office, located adjacent to Evergreen Elementary School, 817 W. Main St.
Board members will review all applications Monday, Nov. 10, when the district’s next round of committee-level meetings take place. Interviews with candidates will follow in November on a date not yet specified.
Hoffman suggested adding a provision, stating not all applicants are guaranteed interviews with the board. His three elected colleagues agreed.
Jensen, who has been serving as acting board president since Kastengren’s departure, said he would like the appointee to demonstrate institutional knowledge and a historical perspective of the district.
An appointee without historical and current knowledge of the district’s various issues “wouldn’t share any extra insight,” Jensen explained.
While the four sitting board members are looking ahead, they also have lauded Kastengren for his years of service.
“He was a great asset,” Schwartz said. “We’re going to miss him a lot.”
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