Board appoints Russell Dool to vacant Columbus School Board seat after interviews

The Columbus School Board appointed Russell Dool to fill a vacant trustee seat after interviewing two applicants and then approved the appointment by voice vote.

The first applicant, identified in the meeting as Ashley, described moving to Columbus five years ago for a smaller community, starting a volunteer program called Paws to support teachers and families, and said she has seven children, five of whom are in the district. "We started Paws ... how can we help? What can we do to support the teachers, the staff, kids, and the families?" Ashley said during her interview, adding that she wanted to learn more about district operations rather than assume how things work.

The second applicant, identified during the meeting as Russell Dool, described a background that included graduation from Joliet High School in 1984, 36 years of military service and church involvement, and volunteer work as a chaplain for the county sheriff's office. He told the board he applied in part because the vacancy is a short-term fill that fits his schedule and said trustees should bring collaboration, preparedness, adaptability and a willingness to learn to the role. "Collaboration ... is how you find wisdom," Dool said. He added, "We have to come to the board prepared" and emphasized working closely and honestly with the superintendent and business manager.

Dool also raised concerns about the circumstances that led to the vacancy, saying he would want to discuss the matter if appointed. "I wonder what the hell happened," he said, criticizing behavior he described as allowing someone to be mistreated and saying he had "no tolerance" for turning meetings into a circus. The transcript records his remarks but does not record a specific response or factual resolution on that point during the meeting.

After both interviews and short deliberations in which board members praised the classroom work of one candidate and the leadership experience of the other, a member moved and the board voted by voice to appoint Dool. The transcript registers the voice vote as unanimous ("Aye"), with no roll-call tally in the public record excerpt.

Board members told both applicants they expected to make the decision that night and that the next regular meeting would be Sept. 10 (the second Tuesday of September). The board then recessed to meet with legal counsel at 5:30 p.m.

The board did not record a roll-call of votes or additional implementation steps for the appointment in the meeting transcript.