Westport Board Of Education Seeks New Republican Member: UPDATE

WESTPORT, CT — With the recent resignation of Vik Muktavaram, the Westport Board of Education this week announced that it is seeking a new Republican member to replace him.

"The successful candidate will serve on the Board of Education from the date of appointment until the Board of Education election scheduled for November 2023," officials said in a statement.

Muktavaram was appointed to the post in 2016 following the resignation of Paul Block, and he was re-elected to the position in 2019. He is resigning now due to professional commitments that require extensive travel, according to the Westport Republican Town Committee. See the Westport GOP's statement below.

According to the board, individuals interested in being considered for appointment initially must meet the following general criteria:

• A registered Republican
• Willing to be interviewed separately by the Republican Town Committee and the Board of Education prior to appointment
• Available for an interview with the Board of Education on Saturday, July 25, Sunday, July 26, 2020, or the evening of Monday, July 27, 2020, and/or other dates as may be needed
• Willing to serve and attend Board of Education meetings immediately upon appointment, which appointment will take place as early as Monday, August 10, 2020

Interested candidates should submit letters of application (in person or by email) to the Board of Education on or before Friday, July 10 at 5 p.m.

Those letters should be addressed to:

Elaine Whitney, Secretary
Westport Board of Education
ewhitney@westportps.org
Town of Westport
Town Hall, Room 307
110 Myrtle Avenue
Westport, CT 06880

The Republican Town Committee, which also is involved in the matter, issued the following release about the position and the search for a candidate to replace Muktavaram:

WESTPORT REPUBLICAN PARTY SEEKS APPLICANTS FOR BOARD OF EDUCATION VACANCY

The Westport Republican Town Committee (RTC) is now accepting applications for those interested in filling the current vacancy on the Westport Board of Education. The Westport RTC’s Board Education Vacancy Committee will interview qualified candidates and make a recommendation to the Board of Education on a replacement for member Vik Muktavaram. Mr. Muktavaram, who has served on the board since 2016, has recently resigned his seat on the Board due to a professional position that requires extensive travel.

Registered Westport Republicans who are interested in being considered for the Board of Education vacancy should contact James Foster, Chairman of the Westport RTC’s Board of Education Vacancy Committee at fosterjim4@gmail.com and provide a letter of interest and a professional resume no later than 5 p.m. on July 10, 2020.

Candidates for the Board of Education vacancy will be given a detailed questionnaire and should be prepared to discuss their skills and qualifications with the RTC’s Board of Education Vacancy Committee in an interview. Interviews will be scheduled the week of July 13, 2020. The candidate selected and approved by the Board of Education will serve out Mr. Muktavaram’s term, ending in November 2023. The successful candidate will begin serving immediately after approval by the Board of Education expected in early August.