Time to file for a seat on the school board

Candidate filing for both Weston County School District No. 1 (Newcastle) and Weston County School District No. 7 (Upton) opened on Aug. 7 and will continue through Aug. 26, according to Weston County Clerk Becky Hadlock.

Celo Dickey, the Newcastle district’s executive secretary, told the News Letter Journal that five seats are up for grabs this year. Those seats are now held by Tina Chick, Dana Mann-Tavegia, John Riesland, Billy Fitzwater and Paul Bau.

Bau is the only candidate who was not elected. He was chosen to fill the remainder of Ronnie Mills’ four-year term after Mills’ resignation in 2022. He was officially appointed to the board on Dec. 7 that year.

In the Upton district, two seats are open this year, according to Superintendent Clark Coberly. Those seats are held by Curtis Rankin and Diana White.

School district seats are at-large seats, according to Coberly, and anyone living within the school districts is eligible to run for trustee.

Individuals wishing to run for office, he said, must register with the Weston County Clerk’s office by the end of business on Aug. 26. School board positions are non-partisan.

Voters will choose trustees for their respective districts during the general election on Nov. 5.