Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District trustee Juliette Weaver-Reese resigned her post Tuesday after serving on the school board less than two years.
The Starkville Board of Aldermen has set a 5 p.m. Sept. 4 deadline for applications to the vacated, city-appointed seat. Only Ward 6 Alderman Henry Vaughn opposed the motion.
A new appointee is expected to fill out Weaver-Reese’s term, which expires in 2019.
School district minutes show Weaver-Reese has not attended a school board meeting since June 9. Since that date, the board has met 11 times.
In a letter from Weaver-Reese read aloud by Alderman Starkville Wynn, the former school board members said she first began contemplating vacating the seat in early July. Weaver-Reese then contacted SOCSD Superintendent Lewis Holloway with similar concerns in the middle of the month, Wynn said while reading the letter.
“I hope this explains my absence from meetings in July and August,” Weaver-Reese said in the letter.
Wynn also said that Weaver-Reese asked the alderman to inform the city of her resignation first before contacting the school district.
The former school board member also returned a $400 stipend for July and August, which will be transferred back to the school district.
School board members declined to comment on the resignation. None of the school district officials contacted by The Dispatch were aware of the impending move.
How the Starkville Board of Aldermen handled Weaver-Reese’s February 2014 appointment yielded public criticism and an Open Meetings Act complaint.
That night, aldermen appointed the newcomer to a five-year term after denying Starkville School District Board of Trustees President Eddie Myles an opportunity to interview and continue serving in his capacity.
Aldermen, led by Wynn, denied Myles’ attempt to rejoin the board because he was late with his application.
Myles was appointed to former trustee Eric Heiselt’s position when he resigned this summer, and the former school board president immediately reappointed to his leadership position.
His seat expires next March and becomes an elected position.
The Open Meetings Act complaint filed by former Alderman Mary Lee Beal focused on Wynn’s comments from that meeting which insinuated the board handles business outside of the public’s purview.
“Sometimes as board members, we have to make decisions behind the scenes that some of you may not understand, and they are quite difficult. Tonight was one of those,” she said last year.
The Mississippi Ethics Commission dismissed the complaint and stated no evidence exists proving the vote was pre-arranged, and the group has no legal authority to investigate prior meetings for potential violations.
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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