NEW GLARUS - The New Glarus school board provided insufficient public notice that it planned to vote for a new member Wednesday, but there isn't much that can be done about it.
Bob Dreps, a lawyer for the Wisconsin Newspaper Association, said the agenda item on the posted public notice of the meeting should have said the board intended to take a vote. Instead, it said only the board planned to "interview board candidates for the recently vacated seat."
"A notice should inform the public that they plan to take action," Dreps said. "Unless it said they were going to select a replacement, the public would assume that all they were going to do was interview."
The board voted Wednesday, April 15, to place Mary Ann Oemichen on the board to replace Chris Bowie, the board's former president who stepped down April 3 to take an out-of-state job.
Board Vice President Marty Andersen said it always was the board's intent to vote for a replacement at Wednesday's meeting. Board member Janet Sherven told the Times for an April 14 story that the board likely would vote.
Dreps also said the board should have publicly notified district residents who the candidates were. The meeting's agenda did not list the five candidates. Andersen said he wasn't sure if their names were posted. He referred questions to Superintendent Barbara Thompson, who didn't return calls to her office Friday.
"When an elected office is to be filled, the public wants to know who the candidates are," Dreps said.
Dreps said a district resident could bring a complaint about the meeting, but said it's unlikely anything would change.
"Action at the meeting could be undone, but it only works if the outcome would be different. The board could listen to a complaint, post the meeting again, and select the same person," Dreps said.
The names of the candidates were provided to The Monroe Times and published in the April 14 story. Other candidates were Kim Bright, Nathan Johnson, Robert Yeiser and Tom Christensen.
The candidates were interviewed in open session Wednesday, Andersen said.
In January, attorney Kirk Strang of Davis and Kuelthau in Madison told the board it needs to distinguish between general topics and specific issues when it composes its agendas.
"The subject matter needs enough specific information to let the public know what you will talk about," Strang told the board then.
Bob Dreps, a lawyer for the Wisconsin Newspaper Association, said the agenda item on the posted public notice of the meeting should have said the board intended to take a vote. Instead, it said only the board planned to "interview board candidates for the recently vacated seat."
"A notice should inform the public that they plan to take action," Dreps said. "Unless it said they were going to select a replacement, the public would assume that all they were going to do was interview."
The board voted Wednesday, April 15, to place Mary Ann Oemichen on the board to replace Chris Bowie, the board's former president who stepped down April 3 to take an out-of-state job.
Board Vice President Marty Andersen said it always was the board's intent to vote for a replacement at Wednesday's meeting. Board member Janet Sherven told the Times for an April 14 story that the board likely would vote.
Dreps also said the board should have publicly notified district residents who the candidates were. The meeting's agenda did not list the five candidates. Andersen said he wasn't sure if their names were posted. He referred questions to Superintendent Barbara Thompson, who didn't return calls to her office Friday.
"When an elected office is to be filled, the public wants to know who the candidates are," Dreps said.
Dreps said a district resident could bring a complaint about the meeting, but said it's unlikely anything would change.
"Action at the meeting could be undone, but it only works if the outcome would be different. The board could listen to a complaint, post the meeting again, and select the same person," Dreps said.
The names of the candidates were provided to The Monroe Times and published in the April 14 story. Other candidates were Kim Bright, Nathan Johnson, Robert Yeiser and Tom Christensen.
The candidates were interviewed in open session Wednesday, Andersen said.
In January, attorney Kirk Strang of Davis and Kuelthau in Madison told the board it needs to distinguish between general topics and specific issues when it composes its agendas.
"The subject matter needs enough specific information to let the public know what you will talk about," Strang told the board then.