CC/E director districts to remain unchanged

Any changes to Clay Central/Everly's school board election process will have to wait until after the November 2021 election.

According to discussion during the board's meeting May 26, CC/E will have to wait until the results of the 2020 U.S. Census are finalized before making any changes to the way its board of directors is elected. Legal counsel said the district could change the current rules by holding a special election, but advised that members hold off until after the upcoming vote this fall.

"They basically told us that there was no way to change our way of electing board members for this November," Board Secretary Diane White said after the meeting. "It would have to be a vote on the ballot, and if we waited for the decennial census results, then we could just do it through a board hearing and it wouldn't have to be put on the ballot and voted on by all the constituents."

The board in March agreed to move forward with plans to alter how members are elected. Right now, all voting CC/E constituents elect each board member from the director district in which the candidate resides. Members must live in the district they represent.

The setup has made it difficult to find candidates in recent years. In an effort to remedy the situation, the board proposed changing the rules so two members must reside north of county road B24 while two must reside south of B24. The proposal calls for one at-large member.

Under the setup, current board members Allison Goyette and Steve Kracht would represent the south side of the district while Allyn Heikens and Denny Dalen would represent the north. Board Member Brian Schmidt would hold the at-large seat.

Up for election this November are Goyette, of Royal, in Director District 4; Kracht, of Rossie, in Director District 5; and Dalen, of Everly, in Director District 2. Board Member Allyn Heikens, of Everly, holds the Director District 1 seat while Brian Schmidt, of Everly, is Director District 3's representative.