ASHLAND — The Ashland City Schools Board of Education had its first reading Monday of a change to its policy on filling board vacancies.
Current policy — policy 0145 — requires the board to take three steps to fill a vacancy:
- The Board shall seek qualified and interested candidates from the community through the news media, word of mouth, and contacts with appropriate organizations.
- All applicants are to submit a notice of their interest, in writing, to the Board President.
- The Board shall interview all interested candidates to ascertain their qualifications.
The proposed change would strike the final point from the policy, according to Supt. Steve Paramore.
If approved, the board would not have to interview all candidates who apply to fill a board vacancy in the future.
How has the board filled vacancies in the past?
The proposed policy change comes a month after the board filled a vacancy left behind by former board member Rob Wash.
Wash stepped away from the board June 1. According to previous Ashland Source reporting, it was due to a conflict of interest with his work at Spreng-Smith Insurance Agency.
The board invited people to apply for the position between March 25 and April 19. It advertised that the selected applicant would fill the seat until the end of Wash’s term. Wash’s term, which he won via election in November, would have extended through 2027.
That information was incorrect, however. In reality, the selected candidate would only serve until the end of 2025. The individual would have to run for re-election that year to continue serving on the board.
Upon discovering the error, the board reopened applications for an additional period, spanning from May 13 to May 24.
Six people applied to fill the vacant seat over the two application periods. A public records request showed the board interviewed each candidate, per board policy.
Tom Hart, a retiree who worked 37 years at Core & Main, filled Wash’s seat. According to its website, Core & Main is “a leading specialized distributor of water, wastewater, storm drainage and fire protection products, and related services.”
The board approved Hart to fill the vacant seat June 24.
According to Paramore, the proposed policy change will be put to a board vote at the next meeting. The board’s next meeting is slated for Aug. 26 at 5:30 p.m.
