IUSD has a new school board member this evening.
Ira Glasky, an attorney and a member of the district's finance committee, was selected Thursday to serve the remainder of Dr. Gavin Huntley-Fenner's term.
The appointment was made by the four sitting Board of Education members who are now Glasky’s colleagues, following a series of interviews with four finalists for the open seat.
In addition to his work with the Finance Committee, Glasky has been a member of the Northwood High School Athletic Boosters, and he sat on the school site councils of Sierra Vista Middle School and Canyon View Elementary School. He was also active with Canyon View’s PTA.
Glasky has a bachelor’s degree from USC and a law degree from Loyola. He currently has two children enrolled at Northwood High.
After Huntley-Fenner announced his intent to resign effective Nov. 21, the rest of the board opted to complete his term by way of an appointment, rejecting the more costly option of a special election. A total of 13 hopefuls submitted applications by the Nov. 8 deadline, and board members reached consensus on four finalists a few days later.
The other finalists were Betty Carroll, an attorney and member of the Irvine Public Schools Foundation’s Board of Trustees; Hugh Hewitt, a law professor, broadcast journalist, lawyer and author who previously sat on the IPSF board; and Cyril Yu, a deputy district attorney who chairs the City of Irvine’s Green Ribbon Environmental Committee.
The Board of Education is the chief policy-making body for the Irvine Unified School District. Each of its five members are usually elected by Irvine voters to serve four-year terms.
Glasky’s term expires in about a year, though he could run as an incumbent in the November 2014 election.
(Update: Here's the official announcement that was published in the Orange County Register on Nov. 27 and Nov. 28.)
