COVER PHOTO: (From left) Eric Curry, Don Fontaine and Laura Foster

The Martin Board of Education Monday evening selected Eric Curry to the seat abruptly vacated earlier this month by Trustee Rodney Pillars.

Curry, a 2003 graduate of Martin High School, will serve at least two years and will be eligible to finish the four-year term in the 2024 election.

The board interviewed three candidates for the post in open session. The other two were fellow 2003 grad Don Fontaine and 29-year Wayland school teacher Laura Foster.

Curry currently works as a mechanic at USG and formerly was in management at Borgess Hospital in Plainwell, which he said helps him understand budget issues for a non-profit entity. He has three children who attend Martin schools and he has helped with the local youth wrestling program.

His wife teaches in the Otsego public school system.

Foster had three children who went to Martin, but all have graduated. She said she has made a lifetime commitment to public education.

Fontaine works at Pfizer in Portage and has two children in the local school system.

There wasn’t really much difference between the candidates’ answers to questions from school board members. All of them expressed a “wait and see’ attitude toward any kind of infrastructure bond proposal in the future, all stressed the important for working together to solve problems despite differences of opinions, and all recognized the importance of communicating effectively with one another.

Curry was the first choice for four board members, Vice President Vince Tuinstra, Treasurer Jeff Brinkhuis and Trustees Teri Beilby and Jason Dykstra. Foster was the first choice for President Melanie Conley and Trustee Austin Marsman.

Curry will be sworn in at the board’s next regular meeting in February.

There still was no comment about why Pillars resigned after being elected Nov. 8 and sworn in at the board’s reorganizational meeting Jan. 9.

In other business Monday evening, the board:

• Accepted the resignation of elementary music teacher Jessica Lonsway, but stressed she won’t be succeeded by a full-time employee and she is welcome to apply again for the job next fall.
• Recognized students and faculty of the month Emory Peebles, Harper Stuart, Johanna Steffes, Emily King, Karyn Blackburn, Sally Momany and Jen Veltman.