Linn-Mar school board seeks applicants to fill vacancy

MARION — Linn-Mar school board member Rachel Wall has resigned, and the school board is accepting applications from residents interested in joining the board.

Wall resigned in an email to the board president and district superintendent last month, and the school board accepted her resignation at its meeting Monday.

Wall, who was elected to the board in 2017 and re-elected in 2021, did not give a reason for her resignation in the Aug. 23 email, shared with The Gazette this week.

“After a great deal of thought, I have made the difficult decision to resign my position on the school board, effective immediately,” Wall wrote. “The last seven years have been filled with many ups and downs, but I am very proud of the work I’ve been a part of. It has been one of the great honors of my life to represent this community and be an advocate for our children.”

The school board will fill the board vacancy by appointment. Those wishing to be considered can complete an application at linnmar.k12.ia.us. The deadline for applications is 4 p.m. Sept. 25.

Applications and resumes also can be emailed to Linn-Mar school board secretary Jon Galbraith at jon.galbraith@Linnmar.k12.ia.us or dropped off or mailed to Hazel Point Intermediate School, 453 Echo Hill Rd., Marion.

The board plans to appoint a new member at its Oct. 7 meeting. The appointed board member’s term will expire at the time of the next school board election in November 2025.

Residents can force a special election for the seat by filing a petition within 14 days of a school board member’s resignation — or Sept. 26, which is 14 days after Sept. 12 when the public notice was printed.

The petition has to be signed by 30 percent of the turnout of the last school board election, which would be 2,407 signatures. A special election would cost $35,000, the Linn County Auditor’s Office estimates.

This is the second resignation from the Linn-Mar school board this year. In February, Laura Thomas was appointed to fill a vacancy left by the resignation of Matt Rollinger.

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