By Howard Packowitz

NORMAL – Unit 5 School Board President Barry Hitchens is looking for new board members who are committed to the district’s mission, which is teaching each student to achieve personal excellence.

Friday, David Fortner became the third board member in recent weeks to resign, all accepting jobs away from the Twin-Cities. Last week, the board interviewed four applicants to take Jim Hayek’s seat.

Hitchens wants to see how the candidates present themselves in public, and how they interact with board members.

“When you combine each member’s individual strengths together, you end up with potential greatness,” Hitchens said.

“So, we may be looking for people who complement the skills already on the board,” Hitchens added.

The board is expected to pick Hayek’s replacement July 11th. The three who are not selected will be in the running with other applicants to fill a vacancy created when Joseph Cleary resigned.

The four candidates who applied to replace Hayek were Alan Kalitsky, Amy Roser, Silas “Rex” Morrow, and Melissa Engle.

The board has 45 days to find Fortner’s replacement. All three vacant seats will be up for election next April.

Hitchens said Unit 5 has had a good track record of long-serving board members, which makes the current situation seem strange. Last year, Gail Ann Briggs retired after serving about 41 years on the board.

Howard Packowitz can be reached at [email protected].