The Coeur d’Alene School Board hopes to appoint a new trustee by July to fill a vacancy left last month following a trustee’s arrest and subsequent resignation. 

Former trustee Allison “Allie” Anderton, 44, resigned in April after she was charged with suspicion of driving under the influence and possessing drug paraphernalia. 

Anderton represented Zone 1, which covers the west side of the school district including Dalton Gardens, in North Idaho’s largest school district. 

The trustees did not address Anderton’s arrest Monday, instead Board Chair Rebecca Smith thanked Anderton for her service. 

The remaining four trustees then voted to accept applications for the position. An appointed trustee would fill the vacancy from July through December with the position up for election in November. Smith and Vice Chair Lesli Bjerke are also up for re-election in November.

School boards have broad freedom on how they fill vacancies. Coeur d’Alene plans to open an application process Wednesday and close it on June 16. Trustees then will evaluate if a written question-and-answer phase is needed to whittle down the number of candidates. 

Trustee Heather Tenbrink noted there were nine applicants when she applied for her position, far too many to interview, so additional questions could help narrow the field. 

Trustees then will select candidates to interview at their June 30 meeting and likely conduct interviews the next day. The chosen candidate would then be appointed and sworn in at the July 14 regular board meeting. 

Smith encouraged those considering applying to reach out to trustees with questions. 

“We really do look forward to receiving applications,” Smith said. “And if you have any questions I think any of us would be more than happy to answer questions and tell you what it’s like … and what a gift it is.” 

For more information on the application process and trustee zones visit the Coeur d’Alene Public Schools website.