BOE choice applauded

We commend the board of education on their selection of Barry Richard to finish the unexpired term of Paula Jones. And we commend them on the process by which the appointment was made.

The board would have had a hard time picking a bad candidate from the nine people who had submitted application materials prior to the deadline of 3 p.m. Friday. They included long-time educators, parents of multiple Oberlin school students and graduates, former school employees, and those who have been following the school board closely.

Board president Beth Weiss said she was pleased to have such a large field of applicants from which to choose. And we are pleased so many residents were interested in the students enough to put themselves forward as a board member.

In the end, though, the board could only select one. And the process they used is to be commended as well.

Each applicant was given the same amount of time to answer questions prepared by the board, then the public was invited to ask their own questions. This public input shed light on areas of interest the board might not have considered in preparing its questions.

Following the question and answer session, the board adjourned to executive session to discuss the candidates. When they emerged, they voted unanimously to appoint Richard.

He has been a supporter of the schools since coming to Oberlin eight years ago, serving as president of the Eastwood PTO and working feverishly on levy campaigns. His involvement led to recycling throughout the schools, and ceiling fans at Eastwood to improve comfort and energy efficiency in the classrooms.

His work with a logistics company gives him the skills necessary to see big picture and break it down into manageable steps. In an organization as complex as the Oberlin schools, this skills set will be valuable moving forward with the financial constraints the schools will be facing.

We congratulate Richard on his appointment, and wish him and the rest of the board success in the coming two years.