Madden resigns school board seat leaving vacancy

District 777 Board of Education Member Jason Madden has resigned from the school board because he has accepted a position with the school district.
He will be a full-time study hall monitor for grades seven through 12. By state law a school board member can’t earn more than $8,000 a year working for that school district, Supt. Dennis Laumeyer told the board of education at its Aug. 21 meeting.
With Madden’s term not running out until Dec. 31, 2018, the seven-member school board has a couple options for addressing the vacancy, he told the board.
Because it is less than 90 days until the next general election date of Nov. 7, a special election is not possible due to deadlines that have already passed.
The board has a “reasonable amount of time” to fill the vacancy by appointment, Laumeyer said. Once a person is appointed, the person has to wait 30 days to be seated.
School Board Member Bill McGeary recommended the school board members talk with people and bring a name or two forward for discussion.  Find out who is interested and get a “yes” from them so they are not surprised when nominated, he added.
It will be a 12 to 13 month term once the person is seated, Laumeyer said. That person then can decide whether or not he or she wants to run for election to a four-year term on the board. “It gives a person a chance to try it out for that period of time to see if it works for them,” he said.
It was agreed to bring some names to the September school board meeting....
 
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