People Are Asking: School Board Vacancy

As you may know, the Iowa City Community School District has a new vacancy on the school board.

The intent of state law is for the school board to appoint a new member to serve until the next school election, which in this case is September 8, 2015.  This is what happened in the summer of 2011 when board member Michael Cooper resigned. Jan Leff was appointed to a very short term, and the vacancy was filled in the September 2011 election. Similar vacancies have happened in the county’s other districts in recent years.

There is no option for the public to petition for a special election, as there is with vacancies in city or county office. There is also no direct option for the school board to vote in favor of holding a special election.

The only way a special election would occur would be if the school board fails to make an appointment within 30 days of Hoelscher’s resignation (by July 24), either through inability to reach consensus or through inaction. If a special election would be required, the likely date would be Tuesday, August 26. The cost of the election would be paid by the school district.

The ICCSD school board has scheduled a special meeting for 8:30 AM Tuesday, July 1 to discuss the vacancy.  Questions about applying for the vacancy should be directed to the school district.