New School Board Member to Be Chosen Wednesday

The Alameda Unified School District (AUSD) Board of Education announced the details on how it will select a new board member at its public meeting next Wednesday, July 22.

The meeting will be held in the multi-purpose room of Island High School, 500 Pacific Avenue, and will begin at 6:00 pm.

Five community members applied for the seat left open when Niel Tam died on May 24.

The applicants are: Gray Harris, Hazel Lau, Anne McKereghan, Mike McMahon, and Dorota Sawicka. Their applications are available on the AUSD website.

“I am grateful to these community members for wanting to serve our district and our students,” said Superintendent Sean McPhetridge. “I look forward to hearing more from the candidates next Wednesday night and to learning whom the Board will pick for its next member and to working with the appointee in the year ahead.”

Logistics of the Meeting

The July 22 Board of Education meeting is a regular meeting, which means that the agenda includes several items other than the Board appointment. During the appointment agenda item, candidates will have 20 minutes to give a personal statement (if they choose to) as well as answer questions from the board. Boardmembers will then hear public comment on the candidates, have a discussion about the candidates, and vote for the candidate they believe is best suited for the position.

A candidate will need three votes to be appointed. The appointee will be sworn in that night.

Under state law, AUSD has 60 days from the time a board seat is left open to either appoint a new member or hold a special election so the community can vote on a new member. That 60-day period closes on July 24, 2015. If a new member is not appointed by that time, the district will have to hold a special election.

Public Participation

Because this is a regular meeting, community members can give public comments both at the start of the meeting (which begins at 6:00 pm) or during the selection agenda item itself (after hearing the personal statements and interviews).

Community members can also send their comments to the Board of Education before the meeting. (Boardmember contact information is available on the AUSD Board of Education web page.)