The Kent School Board will have public interviews with the four finalists for the vacant board seat at 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 1 at the Kent School District Administration Center Boardroom, 12033 SE 256th St.
The current four board members plan to select one of the finalists to fill the District No. 2 position and be sworn in at the Sept. 14 regular meeting.
Interviews were switched to Thursday from Wednesday after one finalist had a scheduling conflict, said Board President Leslie Hamada at an Aug. 29 special meeting.
The board finalists are Andy Carter, Meghin Margel, Jo Woods and Matthew Stoner. Fifteen people applied for the position and the board selected the finalists from applications.
Fred Struck had been selected as one of the four finalists but declined to move forward in the process, Hamada said.
After Struck dropped out, the board voted 3-1 at its Aug. 29 meeting to add Stoner to the list of finalists. Hamada, Tim Clark and Awale Farah voted to add Stoner to the list. Joe Bento voted against the addition of another candidate just because one of the initial four dropped out.
A district spokesperson declined to release any biographical information about the four finalists to the Kent Reporter.
Michele Bettinger resigned June 21 from the five-member board. She said she no longer felt professionally or personally safe asking questions, trying to get items on the agenda for discussion or while attending executive sessions. Voters elected Bettinger to a four-year term in November 2019. Her term expires November 2023.
The appointee will serve until the next regular school district election (in 2023), at which time a successor shall be elected.
Applicants had to live in District No. 2, which is in the northeast section of the Kent School District near Lake Youngs. Schools in District 2 include Kentridge High School, Northwood Middle School, Meeker Middle School and several elementary schools.
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