Lone Tree

With the recent resignations of school board president Jennifer Eden and board member Carrie Ronan, the Lone Tree School Board has spent the past several meetings working to fill the two vacancies.

During its June 10 meeting, the board scheduled a special session for June 24, rather than waiting until its next regular meeting on July 8.

Last Wednesday, board members Alex Ogren and another board member attended in person, while Christina Magruder participated virtually.

At the June 10 meeting, the board chose to fill the vacancies by appointment rather than through a special election, which officials estimated would cost the district between $4,000 and $7,000.

The district then opened the application process to the public, giving interested community members until 4 p.m. on June 22 to apply. Applicants were asked to answer a series of questions explaining how they could help improve the district.

When the board met Wednesday, Acting President Alex Ogren announced that seven people had applied for the two open seats, a level of interest he said was unusual and encouraging.

“I think it’s awesome that we had seven applicants for two spots. Usually, we’re lucky to have even one applicant for an opening. I think that shows a lot of interest, and it makes me excited to see so many people wanting to be involved with the school.”

The board then entered a closed session to discuss the applicants. After returning to open session, members voted to appoint Vida Wollrab and Alex Lorack to the vacant seats, and both were sworn into office.

Special election

However, on Thursday, a petition was filed seeking a special election. The petition is currently under review. Under Iowa law, the petition requires signatures from approximately 30 percent of the voters who participated in the last regular school election. If enough valid signatures are verified, the district will be required to hold a special election.

If the petition is determined to be valid, Lorack and Wollrab will continue serving until the special election is held. If the petition is not determined to be valid, they will remain in their appointed positions until the next regular school board election in 2027.

Next meeting

The Lone Tree School Board's next regular meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, July 8, at the library.