The Neenah Joint School District Board of Education will hold an upcoming meeting on Feb. 28 to determine the timeline for filling a current vacancy on the nine-member Board. The open seat is due to the immediate resignation of Margaret Murphy on Feb. 5. Murphy’s term was set to expire in April of 2020.
The meeting will be held on Feb. 28 at 5 p.m. at the Administration Building at 410 S. Commercial Street. The Board orginally planned to discuss the vacancy at a special meeting on Feb. 12 that was postponed due to a snowstorm.
Board policy 0142.5(C) indicates “appointment to the Board to fill a vacancy shall be by a majority vote of the existing Board.” The discussion will likely center around whether to fill the seat immediately or wait until after the April 2 election. Eight individuals are currently running for three seats on the Board. Six individuals will comprise the final ballot following a February 19 primary.
To clarify recent comments about the number and length of Board meetings, the Board meetings have averaged two hours, 15 minutes in length since the start of the 2014-15 school year. During that nearly five-year span, 11 meetings have ended after 10 p.m. with six of those due to closed session discussions regarding the District Administrator’s evaluation. No meetings have gone until midnight. Regular Board meetings begin at 6 p.m.
“In order to have a high-performing District, it takes dedicated, hard-working Board members,” said 14-year Board member Scott Thompson. “It's not without the sacrifice and commitment of current and former Board members that our District is recognized statewide. I believe we will find another community member willing to be engaged on behalf of our students, staff and community.”
More information about how to apply for the vacancy will be announced following the Feb. 28 meeting.
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