Lawrence USD 497 school board

The Lawrence school board on Monday will meet with the 19 official candidates vying to fill Kristie Adair’s open seat. Monday’s meeting will be at 6 p.m. at the district offices, 110 McDonald Drive.

In preparation for the meeting, the board has asked each candidate to give a brief presentation outlining qualifications and reasons for applying, district spokeswoman Julie Boyle told the Journal-World, after which board members “may have questions for the candidates.”

Candidates applying for the position vacated by Adair last month include: Mary Loveland, Margaret Weisbrod Morris, Fatima Khan, James Hollinger, William “Bill” Roth, Steve Wallace, Mitzi Robinson, Syed A. Jamal, Kyung Hwang, Melissa Johnson, Jo Ann Trenary, Linda J. Sheppard, Jesse Brinson, Daneka Vann, Ruben Flores, John Rury, Lori Hutfles and Norine Spears. The Journal-World has published short profiles on each of the candidates except for Vann, who had not returned responded to interview requests as of press time Friday.

Craig Comstock, one of the applicants, told the Journal-World last week that he planned on officially withdrawing his application during Monday’s school board meeting. In light of ongoing equity issues in the Lawrence district, Comstock said he would instead urge the board to consider one of the several people of color who applied to the position. Two other applicants, Victoria Anderson and Enoch Kaulaity, also withdrew their applications in the last few weeks.

The deadline to apply for the board seat was March 6. All applications are available for public viewing at www.usd497.org.

The board will appoint its new member during a special meeting slated for 6 p.m. March 27. Applicant attendance at that meeting, Boyle said, is optional.