Trotwood school board member resigning; board seeks applicants

Trotwood-Madison school board President Adrienne Heard is resigning from the school board Dec. 31, and the school district is now accepting applications to replace Heard for the remaining two years of her term.

Heard was the top vote-getter in a competitive election in 2011 and was re-elected in 2015. She had previously served on Trotwood’s school board from 2000-03. In addition to her role as board president, she has served on the district’s finance committee and district leadership team. She could not be reached for comment.

RELATED: Trotwood superintendent Bell to retire in late 2018

Heard is the second Trotwood school board member to resign this year, following Beth Engelhardt, who said she was moving out of the district. Myra Bozeman was appointed to Engelhardt’s seat in August.

Trotwood-Madison schools are at a crucial point, as the district faces the threat of takeover this summer by an Academic Distress Commission if state test scores do not improve this spring.

Within a span of three months this fall, the district placed last of Ohio’s 608 school districts in state test scores, Madison Park Elementary won a state award as a High Progress School of Honor, and Superintendent Kevin Bell announced he will retire in December 2018.

AUGUST: Trotwood names Bozeman to fill school board seat

District residents who are interested in applying for Heard’s seat are asked to contact Trotwood-Madison Treasurer Janice Allen at 854-3050, ext. 1137, to get an application. The application and a resume must be returned to Allen by Jan. 22.

A district news release this week said the rest of the five-member school board will review all applications and name the replacement within 30 days of Heard’s departure. In January when the decision is made, the other four board members will be Denise Moore, who was re-elected last month, Vanessa Jeter-Freeman, who is in the middle of a four-year term, and Bozeman and Norman Scearce, who were newly elected in November.

Barring takeover by a Distress Commission, the school board member appointed to Heard’s seat will serve through December 31, 2019, with the next school board election scheduled for November 2019.

RELATED: Trotwood candidates propose school changes

About the Author