Cooper leaving Iowa City school board, moving

Mike Cooper is stepping down from the Iowa City school board because he is moving to Minnesota to be closer to family.

Board members plan to appoint someone to fill the seat until September's election.

Cooper, who is about halfway through his second term, said his final board meeting will be the last one in June. He is moving in mid-July to the Twin Cities area, where his daughter lives with her husband and son, with another child on the way.

Cooper, of North Liberty, said he and his wife visit them frequently and want to be able to spend more time with their grandchildren.

“They're fleeting moments,” he said. “Next thing you know, they (children) are 10” years old.

Cooper is vice president of national services for Pearson Education. He said he will relocate to the company's Bloomington office but will keep his same title and duties.

By law, the school board must fill the seat within 30 days or hold a special election. If Cooper's resignation had occured within 45 days of the Sept. 13 school board election, the board could have waited for that vote.

Board President Patti Fields said the board plans to appoint someone because of the cost of a special election and how soon the regular election is. The person selected will serve until the board's reorganization meeting after the school board election, Fields said.

The seat will be up for grabs in the September election, with the winner serving the two year's remaining on Cooper's term. Four seats already were up for re-election, meaning Cooper's resignation will put five of the seven spots on the school board in play.