Appointment vs Special Election; What Will Happen to School Board Seat?
By: Marlisa Goldsmith
Updated: December 11, 2012
Any day now, board member, Dr. Shane Davidson is expected to submit his letter of resignation.
Once that happens, a decision will have to be made as to how his seat will be filled.
Superintendent Heath Burns tells me, "It's truly a board decision. Superintendent and administration will not offer any recommendation in regards to who may fill that position."
Once Davidson's letter is submitted, the board will have 180 days to take some sort of action.
They will either have to temporarily fill the vacancy by appointment until the next regular board election in May of 2014 or the board may order a special election to occur on the earliest election date, which would be May 2013.
"At this point I chose not to speculate as to what they will do but we'll know more in the coming months as the situation unfolds," Burns adds.
The board of trustees may not know what will happen just yet, but some community members are hoping whatever the decision is, it will be fair.
"Why not just let the tax payer decide who needs to be our board member by election? I think that's the best solution to all of it and probably the wisest one," says one community member.
Bill Enriquez has served on several AISD committees and has been very active in the district.
He says there is a difference in desire between someone who is running for a seat on the board versus someone who is appointed, which is why he is encouraging the board to order a special election.
"That individual that wants to be elected and wants to run for the position has a desire to serve the public school system in Abilene, Texas. That individual that wants to be appointed may have that desire also, but i would say if they're not willing to go through the process of an election then we shouldn't be willing to set them there," says Enriquez.
Once that happens, a decision will have to be made as to how his seat will be filled.
Superintendent Heath Burns tells me, "It's truly a board decision. Superintendent and administration will not offer any recommendation in regards to who may fill that position."
Once Davidson's letter is submitted, the board will have 180 days to take some sort of action.
They will either have to temporarily fill the vacancy by appointment until the next regular board election in May of 2014 or the board may order a special election to occur on the earliest election date, which would be May 2013.
"At this point I chose not to speculate as to what they will do but we'll know more in the coming months as the situation unfolds," Burns adds.
The board of trustees may not know what will happen just yet, but some community members are hoping whatever the decision is, it will be fair.
"Why not just let the tax payer decide who needs to be our board member by election? I think that's the best solution to all of it and probably the wisest one," says one community member.
Bill Enriquez has served on several AISD committees and has been very active in the district.
He says there is a difference in desire between someone who is running for a seat on the board versus someone who is appointed, which is why he is encouraging the board to order a special election.
"That individual that wants to be elected and wants to run for the position has a desire to serve the public school system in Abilene, Texas. That individual that wants to be appointed may have that desire also, but i would say if they're not willing to go through the process of an election then we shouldn't be willing to set them there," says Enriquez.
