MCS seeks candidates to fill School Board vacancy
by Sara Swanson
At the March 20, 2023 Manchester Community Schools Regular Board of Education Meeting, the Board accepted the resignation of MCS Board Trustee Kody Naylor. Manchester Community Schools now has one board of education vacancy which must, by law, be filled within 30 days from the date of the resignation.
The Board of Education is actively seeking interested and qualified community members to apply. The district began spreading the word as soon as the possible after Naylor’s resignation. District families were notified by email of the opening on the Board on Tuesday, March 21 and The Manchester Mirror published a public notice online on Tuesday, March 21 and in print on Wednesday, March 22. The information is also posted on the district’s website.
In order to apply you must submit the following: letter of intent, affidavit of residency, and a resume no later than April 4, 2023 at 3pm. In order to be eligible to be a school board member, applicants must be a citizen of the United States, a qualified and registered voter, and have their primary legal residence within the Manchester Community School District.
In addition to residency, the board is looking for specific qualifications in candidates. These include putting children first, no personal or political agenda, ability to provide leadership, appreciating diversity, understanding budget and finances, knowing educational policy, demonstrating integrity, understanding community outreach, and expecting accountability. These are elaborated on in the public notice.
The letter of intent form, affidavit of residency, and the notice are all available on the front page of the district’s website at https://www.manchesterschools.us/. The affidavit of residency must be completed and notarized, and either uploaded and attached to the letter of intent form or turned in, in-person, to the Manchester Community Schools Central Office, located at 710 E. Main Street, Manchester, Michigan. Notary services are available at Central Office if needed. Please contact Human Resources Coordinator, Laura Neal via e-mail at lneal@mcs.k12.mi.us to make a notary appointment.
All candidates who meet the April 4 deadline will be interviewed, forum style, on Tuesday, April 11 (and Wednesday, April 12 if needed), from 5 to 9pm in the Manchester Jr./Sr. High School Media Center. At the conclusion of the interviews, the board will select a new board member. Interviews and deliberations will be open to the public. The appointee will be sworn in at the 6pm regular board meeting on April 17 with an appointment to fill the position through December 31, 2024. Naylor was elected in November of 2020, so this position on the board will be up for election on November 5, 2024.
Whoever is appointed will be joining Sandra Wiitala who was elected in 2022; Brandon Woods, Ryan Novess, and Corey Horky who were elected to their first terms alongside Naylor in 2020; Michael Tindall who has been serving on the board since in 2018; and Rebecca Harvey who has been serving on the board since 2014.
Please contact Human Resources Supervisor, Laura Neal via e-mail at lneal@mcs.k12.mi.us with any questions regarding these forms and notary questions regarding the affidavit of residence, and contact superintendent, Dr. Brad Bezeau at bbezeau@mcs.k12.mi.us with any questions regarding this vacancy process.
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