Wallace School District to interview school board candidates

SILVERTON — The search for a new school board trustee is progressing well for the Wallace School District, as three candidates have thrown their names into the ring.

After the unexpected passing of longtime trustee Dave Rounds last fall, the WSD admittedly knew they would have a difficult time finding a replacement, as Rounds was a valued member of the community with extensive knowledge of the district and was focused on what was best for the students.

WSD currently has one applicant who resides within Zone 4 and has also received interest from two candidates outside the zone. The three applicants are Amy Lynn, Joshua Westby and Joe Hill.

“There are some specific guidelines/expectations written in district policy and Idaho Code when it comes to the selection of a candidate from within a zone or those that reside outside a zone. The board is not obligated to select a person from the vacated zone. We can consider anyone from any zone as long as we meet the timeline parameters of doing so. A candidate that lives outside the vacated zone can only serve as a trustee from another zone for the appointed term. They would not be able to run in an election for an additional term in that zone unless they were to move within that zone. If a board wanted to stay consistent and not have to train new members over and over, it would be advantageous to consider a candidate from the vacated zone,” explains WSD Superintendent Todd Howard.

The interview process for these candidates will be conducted in a panel format and the interviewed applicants will participate in a question-and-answer session simultaneously.

Interviews will then take place at a scheduled board meeting, and all activities, discussions, and decisions must occur during the open session.

A vacancy like this one on a small school district’s school board can take a toll on the other members, and it is essential to have all positions filled.

"The WSD wants to ensure that the board equally represents all-district constituents. Each zone has a specific board member representing the district's defined area. Because of the vacancy, Zone 4 is currently not represented," Howard said.

As part of their responsibilities, trustees are asked to make decisions on a wide range of school-related topics. This is why Howard believes that having a complete board with additional points of view, backgrounds and understanding of different subjects is crucial.

The board currently has four active members, which has made things complicated when a majority vote is needed. With four people on the board, the decision can end in a tie and have no motion taken.

The term for the newly appointed WSD board member will begin immediately following their selection and will continue for the entire remaining length of the four-year term. Unlike most elected positions in similar situations, there will be no interim title and the chosen candidate will be an appointed board trustee.

The interviews for the trustee position will take place on Feb. 14 in the Silver Hills Elementary Library at 6 p.m. as part of the regularly scheduled board meeting.

The Shoshone News-Press will continue to follow this story and update it as more information is released.