KELSEYVILLE, Calif. — The Kelseyville Unified School District is inviting interested community members to apply to become provisional board members in the wake of two board member resignations.
Applications — which can be found on the Kelseyville Unified website or the district office — are due by noon on Friday, Dec. 8.
The district reported that the two board members who resigned are Natalie Higley and Allison Panella.
“One board member is now a Kelseyville Unified School District employee, working as a school counselor, so she is no longer eligible to serve as a board member, and the other resigned from the board for personal reasons. That leaves us with two vacancies we need to fill,” said Superintendent Dr. Nicki Thomas.
Thomas said the board plans to have the vacancies filled by Dec. 19.
Panella told Lake County News, “I have thoroughly enjoyed my time on the board and regret not completing the remainder of my term. I have resigned because I accepted a position as a school counselor for Kelseyville Elementary School, where I look forward to serving our students in a more meaningful way.”
The current elected board members — Board President Rick Winer, Clerk Gilbert Rangel and Mary Beth Mosko — will appoint the new board members, who will serve a provisional term from December 2023 through December 2024.
The role of the school board is to ensure that school districts are responsive to the values, beliefs and priorities of their communities, according to the California School Boards Association.
Boards fulfill this role by setting direction, establishing an effective and efficient structure, providing support, ensuring accountability and providing community leadership as advocates for children, the school district and public schools.
In Kelseyville, the time commitment to serve is approximately four hours per month.
Board members typically attend one regular monthly meeting and occasional special meetings, for which they prepare by reading materials provided in advance.
Meetings usually last about two hours each.
The basic criteria to serve as a Kelseyville Unified board member include residing within the district boundaries, being a registered voter, having no conflicts of interest that would invalidate service (such as being a district employee) and being at least 18 years of age.
Thomas noted that the board would love to find applicants who are familiar with Kelseyville Unified and have an unselfish interest in public schools, the community, and in every child.
“The board hopes to find candidates who demonstrate courage and the ability to explain and enforce necessary rules, even when they are unpopular, and who understand that leadership often involves doing the most good for the most people — which can require garnering support for a feasible policy as opposed to a perfect policy,” Thomas said.
She said the current board members work for the good of the whole based on moral and ethical values and she appreciates that.
Thomas also believes having a sense of humor can help ease the tension when difficult decisions must be made.
Once applications are reviewed, qualified applicants will be invited back for interviews on Dec. 14 and the two applicants chosen to fill the vacancies will be sworn in on Dec. 19.
These provisional board members will serve until newly elected board members are chosen during the November 2024 election.
In November 2024, two positions will be listed on the ballot: one for a full four-year term and another for the remaining two years of an existing four-year term.
Kelseyville Unified School District seeks new board members
- Lake County News reports
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