Irvine : Talk to Be on Filling Education Board Seat

The Board of Education tonight is scheduled to discuss how to fill the seat being vacated by board member Greg Smith, who was elected to the City Council earlier this month.

The board could appoint someone to fill the one year remaining on Smith’s term or call for a special election.

Petitioners could force an election if they collect about 900 signatures, which represents 1.5% of registered voters in Irvine.

Smith will resign from the school board in early December, when he is sworn in as a councilman.

Irvine Unified School District officials tonight will provide board members with an overview of the appointment and election process, including the cost of holding a special election.

Smith said he might support appointing someone to the seat if the process is public and fair. “We need an extremely open process that all segments of the community can participate in,” he said.

“In a really open process, I think we can come up with a candidate that pleases everyone and makes an election unnecessary.”