After serving roughly seven years on the board as well as one year as board president, officials announced that Humble ISD trustee Angela Conrad resigned from the school board, effective March 27. According to the agenda item, Conrad stepped down from Position 3 to move to her "dream home."
During the meeting, Conrad thanked the other trustees for letting her be herself and leading the way she wanted to lead.
"We know it's not about statuses or titles; it's about recognizing potential in people and ideas and just having the courage to development that potential," she said. "I would just ask that you chose courage over comfort as you continue to serve the community, and I thank you for allowing me to serve."
Trustees also thanked Conrad for her time and leadership.
"I think you can honestly lay down tonight and know you left this community better than you found it; you left this board better than you found it," trustee Robert Sitton said. "You have taught me ... how to be a better board member."
After Conrad left the meeting, the board unanimously approved filling the vacant seat by appointment rather than an election, as officials said an election would be too costly. Sitton said holding a special election would cost the district roughly $200,000, so trustees chose to instead appoint former board member Brent Engelage to fill Conrad's position.
"I don't think in the current economic environment [a special election is] in the best interest at this point, so I think this is a wise decision to move forward with another appointment," he said.
Engelage, who was on the board from 2008-17, will serve the remainder of Conrad's term that expires in May 2021, district officials said.
Other agenda items:
- Trustees approved a second resolution declaring a public health emergency. Trustees first approved the resolution at the March 24 meeting, which allowed Superintendent Elizabeth Fagen to respond to changes that could arise from the coronavirus crisis without the approval of the school board and apply for federal, state or local grants as well as educational waivers with regulatory authorities. The new resolution, which adopted policies from the former resolution, gave Fagen more abilities during the coronavirus outbreak.
Correction: The article has been updated to state that Brent Engelage was appointed. Conrad's quote has also been edited for clarity.
