By Jennifer Eisenbart
Editor
In the end, it took double the number of meetings – and amount of time – for the Burlington Area School District School Board to determine how it would fill a vacated seat than it did to determine who would fill it.
Five candidates made their case Monday night at a School Board meeting, and after two votes and about 40 minutes of statements and questions, Barry Schmaling earned the four votes necessary to fill the open spot.
Schmaling will be sworn in at the December general board meeting. Larry Anderson, who is vacating his seat, will be at his final meeting next week.
Schmaling was one of two candidates who had formerly sought election to the School Board. In April, Schmaling missed being elected by less than 20 votes.
Also under consideration was Jim Berndt – who has run twice – former School Board member Susan Kessler, and newcomers Pattie Reda and Kristine Gohlke-Lairy.
After each candidate gave a three-minute opening statement – some used the full three minutes, while others made a brief statement – the board worked through a round of questioning.
After the first round of voting, no one had the required four votes (a majority of the six, since Anderson could not vote). Schmaling had three, and Reda, Kessler and Berndt each had one.
After the second round, School Board member Kevin Bird switched his vote from Berndt to Schmaling, giving the latter the needed four votes. Rosanne Hahn voted both times for Kessler, while Phil Ketterhagen voted for Reda.
Board President Jim Bousman, as well as member Todd Terry and Bill Campbell, voted for Schmaling both times.
Among the questions was whether or not the person would be willing to run in the spring to fill the same spot. All expressed their desire to continue on, except Reda, who said she would have to see how the five months as a fill in would go first.
All candidates were also asked by Bousman to pick one of five challenges within the district and how they would fix it.
With choices of declining enrollment, changes in school funding, aging facilities, changing technology and changing curriculum, the five candidates essentially each took a topic. All five candidates also had a chance to give reasons why they felt they would be elected in the spring.
Schmaling said that after running last time, he felt five months would give residents a chance to see the work he could do.
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