The Coupeville School Board will be looking to fill a vacancy in January.
At Monday’s board meeting at Coupeville Elementary School, board president Kathleen Anderson read a letter from at-large board member Carol Bishop, who submitted her resignation effective Dec. 15.
“As I look forward to retirement and travel, I believe the time has come for me to step down,” Bishop said in the letter.
Bishop, a registered nurse at Whidbey General Hospital, has served on the board since 2002, and was re-elected to the position twice, in 2007 and 2011. Her four-year term ends in 2015, but with her resignation, the position will be filled in the 2013 General Election. Board members will appoint a replacement to fill the seat until the election. At that time, the person appointed to the seat may or may not choose to run for the post.
The position is now open to any registered voter who lives within the boundaries of the Coupeville School District. Board members agreed to accept applications for the position through Jan. 4, 2013.
Candidates will be interviewed during the regular board meeting at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 14 and a new member will be chosen by the board. Those interested can find a link to the application online at coupeville.k12.us.
Anyone with questions can contact Janet Wodjenski at 360-678-4522.
In other action, board members heard from Ruby Perez, business manager for the Coupeville School District. Perez went over the financial report, the bottom line of which was good news for board members.
“The general fund is looking great,” Perez said. “Our revenues were higher than our expenses because we’ve been pretty conservative in our expenditures.”
One of the reasons cited for the drop in spending is a decrease in enrollment, which is down again for the 2012-2013 school year. However, Perez said careful planning and conservative spending has enabled the district to come through a tough economic time in fairly good shape.
On a positive note, while overall enrollment is down, the district has the largest kindergarten class it’s had since 2005.
Student board member KT Wynn updated board members on the school’s canned food drive, which was extended through Friday, Nov. 30. All donations will be collected for Gifts From the Heart food bank in Coupeville.
