By Dave Fidlin
Correspondent
After one month with a full, fresh-faced, five-person School Board in place, Washington-Caldwell officials are going back to familiar territory.
The search is on for a new board member.
Yvonne McGilvary, who was elected April 1 to fill one of two vacancies on the school board, resigned Monday.
“It is with regret and much agonizing that I resign from the Washington-Caldwell School Board, effective immediately,” McGilvary wrote in a letter to school officials.
“I will be moving from the district before the end of my term and felt that someone who could fulfill their obligations freely and completely would better suit the position,” McGilvary added. “I had looked forward to working with all of you.”
At a special board meeting held Monday night, Superintendent Mark Pienkos said the District will embark on a vigorous search for a new board member in the next week.
“We have a process in place that we plan to follow,” he said.
The District is inviting interested residents within Washington-Caldwell’s boundaries to submit letters of interest. A deadline of 3:30 p.m. next Friday, May 16, has been set.
A decision about McGilvary’s successor could then be made by Monday, May 19, during the School Board’s regular monthly meeting.
The open call for board candidates is familiar policy territory at Washington-Caldwell.
Two seats were open in last month’s general election after incumbents Tim Baker and Dan Theriault did not seek re-election.
McGilvary’s name was the only one on the ballot, and a vigorous search for at least one additional candidate took place throughout the winter months.
Ultimately, two write-in candidates – John Bieringer and Stacey Forkner – made a run after January’s filing deadline had come and gone.
Each received 21 write-in votes; Bieringer assumed the second vacant seat by virtue of a coin toss to break the tie.
McGilvary’s announcement was made official at a special May 5 board meeting.
Board members were to have taken up and discussed several issues, but Pienkos said the issues remain on hold until a fifth board member is seated at the table.
In other news, tThe Washington-Caldwell School District is in the process of finalizing the District’s goals for the 2014-15 school year. Updating and setting goals has been done annually in the District within the past five years.
The goal-setting document now in process outlines a number of issues, including student achievement, building maintenance, budget management, community relations and harnessing technology.
As planning for the next school year gets underway, Superintendent Mark Pienkos said goals about building maintenance will receive a fair amount of attention.
This summer, Washington-Caldwell could use 2014-15 budget dollars to resurface and repair the school parking lot and playground. The project was to have taken place last summer, but was put on hold because of Highway 164 construction.
The District also plans to use building maintenance funds to address restroom upgrades and other routine maintenance. Also, the school is planning to add hands-free faucets in the nurse’s office restroom.
“Otherwise, I don’t anticipate anything huge taking place,” Pienkos said. referring to potential revisions to the goal-setting document being prepared.
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