Whitley BOE selects new board member to fill vacancy

The vacancy on the Whitley County Board of Education has been filled.

The board met for a special-called meeting Thursday evening to interview two candidates for the third-district board seat, which has been empty since former board member Malorie Cooper resigned in December 2022. The interviews were conducted during a closed executive session.

Once returning from their executive session, the board announced their selection of Kelly Bryant to fill the vacancy.

Bryant is a former longtime employee of the school district, having previously been a teacher at Whitley County High School until her retirement two years ago.

Following Cooper’s resignation in December, the board had 60 days to fill the seat. Notices of the vacancy were placed on the school district’s website and the newspaper. Applicants seeking appointment for the vacancy were required to file a letter of intent with the board along with a lengthy application.

Board attorney Tim Crawford confirmed that only two applications were received.

For more details regarding the board’s selection, see the Feb. 1 edition of the News Journal.