Iowa City school board accepting applications to fill vacancy

IOWA CITY — The Iowa City school board is looking to fill a vacancy after vice president J.P. Claussen announced his resignation effective June 11.

The board is taking applications — due by 4 p.m. on Friday, May 31 — to fill the position by appointment. Those who are interested can complete the application online and email it to board secretary Kim Colvin at colvin.kim@iowacityschools.org. The application can be found at iowacityschools.org/our-district/school-board.

Applicants will be given time to address the school board during a special meeting June 3, at 5 p.m. at the Educational Services Center 1725 N. Dodge Street, Iowa City. The new member will be appointed and administered the oath of office June 11.

The new board member will replace J.P. Claussen, who resigned for a teaching job in the Iowa City Community School District, which conflicts with his role as a school board member.

The position would begin at the regular board meeting on June 25, and end in November 2025, which is when Claussen’s term would have expired.

Iowa Code allows the school board to fill vacancies by appointment. A replacement must be appointed within 30 days of the vacancy. The school board is choosing to appoint a school board member instead of holding a special election, for which the district would have to pay.

Johnson County residents could prompt a special election by filing a petition signed by at least 30 percent of the turnout of the last school board election. The petition would have to be filed within 14 days of Claussen’s resignation.

Claussen was a special education teacher at West High School for a decade beginning in 2004. He currently teaches at Washington High School in Cedar Rapids.

“I’m a big supporter of public education,” Claussen said in an interview with The Gazette. “That’s what I’ve been doing in my career. I decided I wanted to have an impact in a different way.”

Claussen’s role at West High will be to support special education teachers.

“I’m just as passionate about supporting teachers as I am students. It’s an effective way to have an impact by making sure teachers have what they need and the skills they need to do their jobs,” he said.

Applicant names for the vacant school board seat are posted on the district’s website. As of Wednesday at noon, the only applicant is listed: Shawn Eyestone, a former Iowa City school board member who stepped down in August 2022 to pursue a teaching degree.

Eyestone was first elected to the school board in 2017 and reelected in 2019. His term would have expired in 2023.

In his application, Eyestone listed that he his currently working as a quality control manager at the University of Iowa Center for Biocatalysis and Bioprocessing.

Iowa City school board member Molly Abraham replaced Eyestone by appointment. She was elected to the school board in November 2023.

Comments: (319) 398-8411; grace.king@thegazette.com