The City Council and School Committee will meet on Monday, Feb. 7 to select two new School Committee members.
The vacant seats are in Districts 4 and 5. In District 4, there was no candidate on the ballot for the municipal election in November, and no write-in candidates garnered the necessary number of votes to be declared the winner.
In District 5, incumbent School Committee member Henry Wilson, who is facing legal issues, was on the ballot, but declined to take the seat, according to City Solicitor Cheryl Watson-Fisher.
There were also no candidates on the ballot in District 3, but former District 3 City Councillor Naomi Zabot mounted a successful write-in campaign to take the seat.
Anyone who lives in District 4 or 5 (as determined by the district lines in the 2021 election) can drop off a resume in the City Council or school administration offices or email [email protected] or [email protected]. The deadline for applications is Feb. 3 at 4 p.m.
“I think we should do some outreach and make sure folks are available and know what’s going on,” said District 8 Councillor Calvin Brown, adding the notice should be placed in local media and social media to help garner candidates for the positions.
Council President Roy Avellaneda said he also wanted to make it clear what districts the candidates would be representing.
“I know the City Council recently voted for new district lines, however the lines for these seats are the lines from the 2021 election, not the 2022 lines that were changed,” said Avellaneda.
Avellaneda said there will be promotion of the need for candidates, adding he hoped there would be a number of applications for each seat.
During the joint meeting on Monday, Feb. 7, the members of the council and the school committee will interview the candidates and then take a vote on who will fill out the terms for the districts.
“Essentially, they are almost a full two-year term,” said Avellaneda.
Any questions about the positions can be directed to the council or school superintendent offices, he said.