Bright Local searching for board member

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The Bright Local School District is seeking a new board of education member.

There will be three open seats on the board during the Nov. 3 General Election and only two people, current board members Mike Ames and Tammy Hauke, have filed to run for re-election.

Current board member Steve Cox is not seeking re-election and board members Angie Wright and Stuart Cox still have time left their four-year terms.

Superintendent Ted Downing, who took over at Bright Local this year, said the board is currently advertising for the school board vacancy which will not occur until Jan. 1, 2006. He said he will not factor into the process of selecting the new board member.

“That is strictly a decision of the board members and they have chosen the process of accepting letters of interest,” Downing said.

The current board will select the person to be appointed, according to Ginger Cox, an administrative assistant at Bright Local.

Downing said the school board will have options when it comes to deciding who to appoint.

He said that if the board can’t reach a consensus, or is deadlocked on a vote, from the applications it receives for the position, it would be left up to the court system to decide who would be appointed.

“But I don’t think it will come to that,” Downing said.

Or, Downing said, the board can look at the applications and decided to interview applicants, or can simply appoint one of the applicants.

The superintendent said that actually the position cannot be filled until 10 days after it is vacated.

Any individual who is at least 18 years old and resides in the Bright Local School District can apply for the position.

The district said in a news release that letters of interest must be submitted to the Bright Local Board of Education by 4 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 9, and that any letters received after that time will not be accepted.

Letters of interest can be dropped off at 44 N. High St., Mowrystown, or mailed to the board office at the Bright Local School District, P.O. Box 299, Mowrystown, Ohio 45155.

Bright Local School Board members are paid $145 per meeting at a maximum of 12 meetings per year, according to district treasurer Blinda Boothby. She said that is the maximum amount allowed by state law.

She said the Bright Local Board of Education usually meets at 7 p.m. on the third Wednesday of each month and that the meetings rotate between Whiteoak High School in Mowrystown and Bright Elementary School near Sugar Tree Ridge. The next regular meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Nov. 18 at Whiteoak and the meeting after that is scheduled for 7 p.m. Dec. 16 at Bright Elementary.

Steve Witham, elections administrator at the Highland County Board of Elections, said that someone else could file to run for the appointed position during a future election provided more than half the unexpired term remains.

Reach Jeff Gilliland at 937-402-2522 or on Twitter @13gillilandj.

Ted Downing
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/33/2015/10/web1_Downing-Ted-mug-shot.jpgTed Downing
Only two candidates running for three open seats

By Jeff Gilliland

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