Three Choices for Vacant West Hempstead School Board Seat

As I understand it, the West Hempstead Board of Education has three choices for the vacant Trustee seat. The Board can leave the seat vacant, appoint someone till an election is held on May 15, 2012, or hold a Special Election costing $3K-$10K or so. At last month's meeting, the Board gave Administration the task of finding interested and qualified individuals. Let’s take a look at all of the options and try to understand a little bit more about each.

Leave the seat vacant – Yes, I know Administration is looking for interested individuals, but what if no one in the community shows interest in the Trustee seat or meets the qualifications that the Board seeks. If that's the case, this option comes back into play, so let's briefly look at it now. I guess the question is how many Trustees are required to run the various types of meetings the Board holds? I haven’t read all the By-Laws and Policies, but I would think this isn’t the first time there has been a vacant seat. Also, if left vacant, you might then say; that would still leave six Trustees and a potential “deadlock” (Three Trustees vote "Yes" and three Trustees vote "No") on matters. Well...I can only presume that if leaving the seat vacant is a valid and official option to the Board, then I will further presume that the Board already has existing policies and procedures in place that address having only six Trustees and avoiding “deadlock” situations.

So…my point is, if left vacant, the Board already does and can continue to function with only six Trustees.

Appoint someone – This appears to be the leading option for the Board but in the last meeting, some Board members openly questioned their ethical ability to appoint an individual without a public vote or support. I believe the statement from one Trustee began with something like this, “Who am I to appoint….” Further, some Board members wished to explore appointing an individual and the same members or others inquired about the Special Election costs. I certainly don’t know for sure, but those individuals considered for appointment by Board members might be those that have previous school or budget experience and knowledge, like a past Board of Education member. As I talk to friends and associates, the problem I am hearing with this option, is that a past Board member may have been voted out of office by the public and would now be back on the Board solely because of an appointment. Further, if the Board were to appoint someone, my guess is that some of the Trustees may feel that this individual really doesn’t belong on the Board since they were not the people’s choice. If that's the case, this would cause tension amongst the Board.

Special Election– I think the initial issue here is cost, albeit a small, insignificant cost when compared to the overall budget. (I believe the estimate was based upon number of voting booths and workers needed.) This option certainly is the most democratic and would allow the public to vote and select a new Board Trustee; again, assuming individuals choose to run. (If you recall from the May 2011 elections, two incumbents ran unopposed.) I can’t speak further on this issue because I am unfamiliar with the policies, time-frame and guidelines involved, but we would all learn more if this option actually comes into play.

So…Let's give it some time and see if Administration can find someone who is interested in the vacant Trustee seat...Stay tuned.

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Take care and see you around town.

Manny