The Iowa City Community School District Board of Directors President Sally Hoelscher resigned by email last night, June 24, 2014. While I'm as surprised as anyone and wish her well, I do believe that without her authoritarian, controlling style, citizens will be more comfortable approaching the board to voice their opinions. Of course, that depends on who becomes board president in her absence and what that individual's personal style is.
Who will temporarily replace Sally Hoelscher? According to the Gazette, the ICCSD board will choose her replacement. If they don't choose her replacement within 30 days, a special election will be held and citizens can vote for her replacement.
I would prefer a special election. We have too many deferential, rubber-stamp voters on the board already, and I would expect the board to pick one of those. I don't want more yes-men or yes-women on the board.
Board member Jeff McGinness, for instance, said he prefers to defer to "educational experts like Steve Murley," the superintendent, because he, Jeff, "[isn't] qualified" to make decisions on the board.
Now that he's voiced his opinion that he isn't qualified to make board decisions regarding the education of our young, here's hoping that Jeff McGinness, who was absent at the last board meeting June 24, 2014, is the next board member to resign.
This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.
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