Though an election Nov. 5 supposedly decided two of the seven seats on the Hopkins Board of Education, one position has been declared vacant.
The school board Monday adopted a resolution to declare vacant the seat won last month by Steven Johnson and to invite anyone in the district who is eligible to submit an application by Jan. 8 to fill the vacancy.
Hopkins Supt. Scott VanBonn said, “One of our recently elected board members failed to sign the ‘acceptance of office’ paperwork within 10 business days after the election results were certified (as required by law).”
State election laws insist that “each school board member-elect shall file an Acceptance of Office with the school board secretary within 10 business days after notification of election to the school board by the school district Election Coordinator.”
Johnson, who was a state representative for six years in District No. 72, apparently failed to complete that task in the time allotted.
The Hopkins Board of Education will accept applications until Wednesday, Jan. 8, and during a special meeting on Monday, Jan. 13, will interview applicants and appoint someone to this position.
Johnson actually collected the most votes in a three-way race for two seats last month. He polled 2,434 votes, veteran incumbent Karen Ryan earned 2,379 and incumbent Ian Gibson 2,182.
The former state representative, who was term limited at the end of 2022, used to live in Wayland, but moved to Dorr Township and became a constituent in the Hopkins Public School District. A graduate of South Christian High School and Hillsdale College, he never attended public school.
One of his key issues in running for the school board is prohibiting teachers and staff from grooming students. He has been identified as a strong supporter of the”Moms for Liberty” campaign.
