Amy Miller to resign from school board

Fairfield Community School District Board of Directors will have a vacancy and plan to appoint a new board member at its next regular board meeting Nov. 18.

Board member Amy Miller, elected in 2011 to a four-year term, announced she and her family are moving back to Des Moines in December. Board President Jennifer Anderson said Monday she had talked with Miller, and would like to appoint a replacement in November so the new board member could attend the Iowa Association of School Boards? annual convention in November.

?We can choose a former board member, who would step in and know how things work, or we could select someone new,? Anderson told fellow board members Monday.

Iowa law allows an appointed school board member to serve until the next election.

Fairfield school district needs to hold a spring 2014 election to ask for a continuation of a physical plant and equipment levy, PEPL, but an exact date has not been finalized. This would be the next election.

The school board member appointed by the board in November would face election against anyone else who would like to run on a spring ballot four or five months from now. The person winning the spring 2014 school board seat would then serve the remainder of Miller?s four-year term, until the September 2015 regular school board election.

School board elections are held every odd-numbered year.

In September, three of seven Fairfield seats expired; incumbent Anderson was re-elected and two former board members, Bob Waugh and Jeri Kunkle stepped down. Two write-in candidates, Joe Carr and Kate Van Pelt garnered the most votes to win seats on the school board. Anderson, Carr and Van Pelt hold terms until September 2017.

Four seats will expire in September 2015, including the one being vacated by Amy Miller, as well as those held by Jeremy Miller, Jerry Nelson and Rich Metcalf.

?What we need to do is think about people who would be interested in serving on the school board and ask them,? Anderson told fellow board members Monday. ?We might want a brief biography or information about the person and keep in mind we want to keep a balance of representing the community. All of our discussions about candidates will be in open session.?

Anyone interested in serving on the Fairfield school board can contact the district office or a school board member.

The six school board members will discuss in open meeting Nov. 18 the qualities of candidates and vote to appoint one person that night.