State College Area School District is accepting applications for an interim school board member, and the board anticipates selecting a candidate on July 1.
The school board on Monday discussed the process for appointing someone to temporarily fill the seat being vacated by Dan Kolbe, who said earlier this month that he is resigning on June 18 after about 18 months into his four-year term because he and his family are moving out of state for work.
Registered voters who reside in the district and are interested in the position should submit a brief resume and cover letter, including background, qualifications and statement of interest in and commitment to serving on the school board. Materials can be submitted until 4 p.m. on June 26 to Lynn Tressler, Board Secretary, 240 Villa Crest Drive, State College, PA 16801, or via email to hlt11@scasd.org.
The remaining eight board members are tasked with appointing an interim member, whose term will last for about five months, within 30 days of Kolbe’s resignation, as required by the state school code.
At a special meeting on July 1, all eligible candidates who have submitted application materials will be permitted to give an oral presentation of up to five minutes. Suggested topics for the presentations include the candidates’ experience and connection to SCASD, why they want to fill the vacancy, any particular issues they are interested in working on during their time on the board and if they see themselves serving the district beyond the interim appointment.
Board members will be able to ask for clarification or follow-up questions after each presentation. They then will make nominations and the first candidate to win a majority will be appointed to the position. If no candidate receives a majority in the first round, voting will move on to a second round. If no majority is achieved during the second round, the candidate with the lowest vote total will be eliminated, and the voting process will continue until a candidate receives a majority.
The selected candidate will be sworn in at the board’s July 21 meeting.
Because Kolbe, who was elected in 2023, will have served less than two years of his elected term, the appointee will fill the role until the Nov. 4 municipal election. The county Democratic and Republican parties will each be able to nominate a candidate to appear on the ballot for a two-year interim position that will begin in December.
