Board amends school‑closure committee membership amid contested debate over nominees
Summary
The board voted to add a third board co‑chair to the school‑closure committee but rejected an amendment that would have barred employees, relatives or November board candidates from serving as community nominees; the meeting featured heated debate about optics and precedent.
At the Sept. 17 meeting the board amended the superintendent’s resolution establishing a school‑closure committee to add a third board co‑chair, naming Board Members Adrianna Zulich and Janita Everhart plus Sharon Belton Cottman as co‑chairs; the board recorded that Belton Cottman’s co‑chair role would end if she left office Dec. 31.
The meeting then considered a second amendment proposed by Vice President Scott to restrict committee nominees so they would not be district employees, relatives of board members or candidates for the board in the November election. That amendment was debated at length and failed on a recorded vote.
Board members who opposed the restriction argued it would disenfranchise community members, employees and prospective board candidates and raised legal concerns about inserting a new eligibility restriction into the committee resolution. Members who supported the restriction cited concerns about perceived conflicts of interest and election‑year optics.
Legal counsel advised that the resolution could include restrictions but that doing so could be open to challenge; counsel recommended addressing specific legal questions in executive session if the board desired. Several members said they would instead identify independent community nominees. The board approved the amended superintendent resolution (with the additional co‑chair) and directed staff to solicit committee nominations from board members by Oct. 1 and to seat the committee after the Oct. 15 meeting.
Board president Emmons Brown said the district staff will proceed with preparatory work to meet state deadlines for any potential school‑closure process while board members provide nominee names for the committee.
