Filling School Board Vacancies
As you know, we currently have an open School Board Member seat. The primary issue is that a change in State Statute 123B-095 that took effect on July 1, 2015, does not allow ?Äúappointment?Äù of board members. This change in statute requires a special election take place to fill the vacancy and the school district would then incur the cost of hosting a special election. Due to the August time frame of our EV-W board member resignation, filling the vacancy at our Nov. 3 special election for the referendum does not meet the required time frame to be included.
We are not alone. According to MSBA, there are an estimated 25 board member resignations that take place in Minnesota each year. At an average cost of $10,000 for a special election, the new law has proven costly for the state?Äôs school districts. Think about it, Minnesota school districts are spending approximately $250,000 every year on elections instead of kids in the classroom. Keep in mind there is no funding for this new law; it comes out of the classroom.
After visiting with our school attorneys last week, I?Äôm convinced there are conflicting statutory obligations regarding the filling of school board member vacancies. Apparently, there are two separate provisions that address when and how a school board must fill a vacant seat. One law (Minn. Stat. 205A.05, subd. 2) simply provides that ?Äúspecial elections shall be held in school districts in conjunction with school district primary and general elections to fill vacancies in elective school district offices.?Äù This issue becomes complicated with the revisions (Minn. Stat. 123B.095) that became effective July 1, 2015.
The revisions to 123B.095 clarify that the School Board cannot appoint someone to fill the vacant seat, as it would have been able to do in the past. Instead, 123B.095 now states that ?Äúif one year or more remains in the unexpired term, a special election must be held under subdivision 1.?Äù Subdivision 1 states that the school board may call for a special election to be held according to the earliest of three time schedules. The time schedules are:
?Ä¢ Not less than 120 days following the date the vacancy is declared, but no later than 12 weeks prior to the date of the next regularly scheduled primary election.
?Ä¢ Concurrently with the next regularly scheduled primary election and general election.
?Ä¢ No sooner than 120 days following the next regularly scheduled general election.
Remember, 205A.05 mandates that school boards hold special elections to fill vacancies in conjunction with primary and general elections and 123B.095 requires school boards to hold special elections in accordance with the earliest of one of the three ?Äútime schedules.?Äù If the earliest of the three time schedules under 123B.095 is anything other than the next regularly scheduled primary or general election, these two statutes conflict with one another.
In addition, the Secretary of State?Äôs Office does not provide an opinion or direction on the conflicting statutes, and is convinced legislative action will take place during this next session to address the issue. We currently have six dedicated board members serving the EV-W School District. Please be patient while we seek legal advice and work with law-makers to resolve conflicting state statutes and find a more cost-effective measure to fill our vacant board seat.
Development of Good Readers
One of our most important goals as educators and parents is to develop lifelong readers. As you know this takes resources, work, and a commitment from all of us in the EV-W school-community. As a general rule of thumb, students are learning to read through third grade, and then, reading to learn for the remainder of their lives.
In a recent Administrator article written by Caralee Adams, the author provides five effective strategies to cultivate a love of reading in our children. In summary, the five strategies include:
?Ä¢ Make Books Readily Available ?Äì The more chances students have to be enticed by a book, the better
?Ä¢ Model Reading ?Äì Don?Äôt just talk about reading with your child, let them see you reading and discussing books
?Ä¢ Create Time for Reading ?Äì ?ÄúPractice doesn?Äôt make perfect. Practice makes permanent,?Äù says Donalyn Miller, author of Reading in the Wild
?Ä¢ Include Parents in Literacy Programs ?Äì Develop a partnership with parents to keep their children reading when school?Äôs not in session
?Ä¢ Drum Up Excitement Around Reading ?Äì Consider free books, incentives, and community events around reading
Reading has to be a major part of students?Äô lives as it provides us with the necessary skills to learn as adults. Remember, the more we read, the better we read. More reading resources can be found at:
?Ä¢ Guided Reading Success ?Äì bit.ly/Guided_Reading
?Ä¢ Common Core ?Äì bit.ly/Close_Reading
?Ä¢ Reach Every Reader ?Äì bit.ly/Every_Reader
Winter Hazard Awareness Week
Stearns County Emergency Management is promoting Winter Hazard Awareness Week during the week of Nov. 2-6. This is an opportunity to raise awareness for our district residents of the winter weather ahead and what we can do to be adequately prepared. Following are some valuable tips worth remembering:
?Ä¢ Know the warning signs of hypothermia ?Äì uncontrollable shivering, memory loss, slurred speech, and drowsiness
?Ä¢ Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated
?Ä¢ Keep extra food and supplies at home in case a storm prevents traveling
?Ä¢ Have a battery operated radio to listen to updates during a storm
?Ä¢ Create a home and car survival kit for you and your family
?Ä¢ Keep your gas tank at least half full to prevent the gas line from freezing
?Ä¢ Always wear a hat and mittens
Check out the following websites for more winter safety tips:
www.co.stearns.mn.us/LawPublicSafety.
www.winterweather.state.mn.us.