Open slot is upcoming for Madison Board of Education

MADISON – One seat on Madison Board of Education or MBOE will be open in early summer, and adults who satisfy the qualifications can apply for the slot.

The board seat for Luis Ferrer will revert to open in June. Ferrer can apply to remain in his slot on the board. The deadline to apply is April 4.

After candidates submit their applications, Madison City Council will review the forms and decide on which candidates to interview. After several rounds of interviews, City Council selects the board member. MBOE members do not run for office, and an election is not held.

The Governance Act of 2012 established most of the minimum qualifications for board member service.

A MBOE member must fulfill several requirements:

* Be of good moral character, never convicted of a felony and never convicted to national Sex Offender Registry.

* Holds a high school diploma or equivalent.

* Lives in Madison City Schools district.

* Not on governing board of a private elementary or secondary school.

Serving on the school board impacts many different areas of a board member’s personal and professional life, according to the MCS website (madisoncity.k12.al.us). While pursuing a board position, applicants should attend MBOE meetings regularly for familiarity with protocols, procedures and state requirements.

How do the current board members interact with Superintendent Dr. Ed Nichols? What duties does each board member need to fulfill? Applicants should find the answers to those types of questions.

Applicants should learn limits on the authority of an individual school board member. In brief, individual board members have no authority. They only have authority together as a whole.

For relatives and friends who work for MCS, a board member must distance himself/herself from various issues of a personal nature. Board members who have children enrolled in MCS should interact more neutrally with employees in all levels of the school system.

For example, board members could decide to ask their spouses to attend parent/teacher conferences. A dynamic PTA leader or volunteer will need to step back.

The board works at the governance level — not the advocate level.

MBOE members serve five-year staggered terms that expire on June 1 of each year. Currently, board members are Travis Cummings, Vice President Luis Javier Ferrer, President Tim Holtcamp, Greg Hulsey and Alice Lessmann.