Shorthanded Wenatchee School Board Selects Timeline for Open Positions

The Wenatchee School Board decided their process for appointing both of their open seats Tuesday night.

After Tim Larson submitted his resignation at the beginning of the meeting, the board found itself at 3/5 capacity, barely enough for a quorum.

Superintendent Dr. Paul Gordon later presented the school board with two different timelines for selecting their newest members. Seats #2 and #5 will be filled simultaneously.

Option 1 would have seen the process completed before the district's winter break. Option 2 would follow the same steps, but the timeline would be extended to early January.

Ultimately, the board chose Option 2, which is a process almost identical to the one former board member Karina Vega-Villa went through this time last year. She was appointed in early January to fulfill the remainder of Dr. Walter Newman's term after he resigned.

"By moving to January and waiting until after winter break, the board really felt like that gave people the time they needed." Communications Director Diana Haglund said, "To talk it over with their family, fill out the application, be thoughtful and really spend some time reflecting on whether or not they wanted to take the step to apply for the board."

Both positions will be two-year terms, meaning both seats will be up for election in November of 2021.

"There's one application, but there is two open positions." added Haglund, "So anybody can apply through that one application process for either one of the positions."

Applications are already being accepted and can be found on the district's website.

The application deadline is January 6th at 5:00 pm. At that time the board will select the five or so candidates they wish to interview.

Interviews are set to be held at 5:00 pm, January 9th and will be open to the public. A community-wide announcement will be sent out the next day to inform the public of the board's choices.

All applicants must be a legal US citizen, registered to vote, and live within the Wenatchee School District's service district.