Richland Schools: What Went Into Decision to Select Board Member

Richland Schools newest board member will be sworn in during tomorrow night's (8/31) board meeting.

Lindsay Lightner was selected among three finalists by Educational Service District (ESD) 123.

"At the ESD board meeting last week, the board met in executive session and reviewed all of the applicants and selected three to interview. The interviews took place last (Tuesday) night at a special board meeting." ESD 123 Superintendent Steve McCollough said.

Lightner, Scott Butner and Jeff Estes had already been announced as the three candidates. Each were given nine questions by the ESD board to answer.

"Each candidate had an opportunity to be the first one to respond to a question so that was equally distributed among them about who got to answer the questions first, second or third." McCollough said.

Subsequently, the ESD board returned to executive session and voted to appoint Lightner to the vacant Richland School Board position #3.

"All of the candidates that applied were really high-quality candidates. And they all probably could have done a very, very good job," McCullough said. "The board looked at the totality of their written applications and their interviews and they selected who they thought would be the best fit."

Lightner's stay on the board will be short. Her last day is November 28.

So why not simply wait until the general election to fill the seat by a vote of the people?

"With the recall, the original school board went from five members to two members. And with only two members, you do not have a quorum, so the board could take no action until the ESD appointed a board member." McCullough said.

And without a quorum, the board would not have been able to pass payroll for this month nor could they make decisions such as hiring and budget extensions.

Voters will have the opportunity to select Lightner's replacement November 7th.

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