Berkley school board applications due Thursday for two seats left open by resignations
Residents have until 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15, to apply for the two Berkley Schools board seats vacated when the president and vice president resigned Oct. 1. Interviews start Monday, Oct. 19.
By OCJ Staff
Berkley Schools residents who want a seat on the board of education have until 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15, to apply. The board is filling two vacancies by appointment after its president and vice president quit on the same day.
The board will interview applicants and may make appointments at 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 19, according to a district press release reported by C&G Newspapers. The release said a second meeting may be needed, depending on the number of applications. If so, it will be at 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 26.
The two seats
- One seat: a two-month term ending Dec. 31, 2026.
- The other seat: a 26-month term ending Dec. 31, 2028.
Applicants must live in the district, which covers Berkley, Huntington Woods, northern Oak Park and a small part of Royal Oak. Application details are on the district's board of education page at berkleyschools.org.
Appointees start after they are chosen. Their first board meeting is Monday, Nov. 2, the day before the election.
Why the seats are open
Board President Michael Tripp and Vice President Sarah Mountain resigned Thursday, Oct. 1. Tripp said he left for personal reasons, C&G reported.
Mountain also dropped out of the Nov. 3 school board race. In a Facebook post cited by C&G, she said she quit after Superintendent Scott Francis and Tripp "lectured and berated" her for contacting a principal about documentation of bullying involving her child.
Board Secretary Barrie Frankel pointed to the board's "Culture Guide," which spells out how members should handle matters that come up as parents. Our earlier story has more on the dispute.
With Mountain out, Katie Chittick and Gregory Sollish remain on the Nov. 3 ballot for the Berkley board.
The district has not said how many people have applied so far.
This story uses reporting from C&G Newspapers and the Oakland County Times.