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2009-11-21

2009-11-18

2009-11-05

Agriculture

Lifestyles

Wednesday, October 21, 2009 12:00 PM

Central Heights School Board selects former coach, teacher as newest member

By VICKIE MOSS, Herald Public Affairs Editor

It took four votes, a lengthy discussion and an elimination round for the Central Heights School Board to pick its newest member.

“This is really hard,” board president Ron Sluder told the three candidates during the multiple votes Monday night. “It just shows we have three really strong candidates.”

In the end, the board decided to seat a former teacher and coach, Kevin Tooley.

Tooley, who retired at the end of the 2008-09 school year after teaching at Central Heights 16 years, takes the seat vacated by the resignation of Tony Johnson in August.

The board appeared stumped when trying to pick between Tooley and two other candidates: Cindi Dryden, who has children attending Central Heights and whose mother was a former board member; and Joel Schauf, a special education instructor at a facility outside the district.

The board voted to appoint Dryden, but that motion failed with only two supporting votes. Then members tried to appoint Schauf, but that motion failed with only three votes in favor. A motion to elect Tooley also failed with just two votes.

At that point, the board decided to eliminate one of the candidates. The result ended in a tie with Dryden and Schauf in the bottom, until one member switched his vote and eliminated Schauf from consideration.

In a vote between Tooley and Dryden, Tooley was appointed by a vote of 5-1. Some board members praised his experience in education and that he would bring a teacher’s perspective.

During the discussion, Sluder questioned Tooley about his ability to remain impartial during such issues as teacher salary negotiations or disciplinary action.

“You’re right about (teachers) being my friends,” Tooley responded. “I would hope that I could do what would be best for the district.

“Whether it was my children or the kids I coached, I always stressed to do the right thing, even if it’s not always easy.”

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Central Heights School Board selects former coach, teacher as newest member

By VICKIE MOSS, Herald Public Affairs Editor

E-mail this story to a friend | Print this article | Enjoy the convenience of home delivery of The Ottawa Herald.

E-mail this story to a friend | Print this article |
Enjoy the convenience of home delivery of The Ottawa Herald.