School board may use taped interviews to help fill vacancy

by Jason Dietrich

The Redondo Beach School Board is using video taped interviews to accommodate candidates with longstanding prior commitments who have applied for the board seat of former board member Zeke Zeidler resigned to take a position with the Juvenile Court.

The school board is holding special meetings to interview applicants Wednesday, July 5; Thursday, July 6; or Friday, July 7 starting at 7:00 p.m. each day. The meetings are open to the public and the board will watch the taped interviews during one of those interview sessions.

Videotaped applicants will be asked the same questions as candidates that chose the live interview. The questions will be chosen by the school board members and candidates will be given a total of 30 minutes to answer them. Applicants will have one shot to get their taped interview right.

Interviews were taped at school district headquarters Wednesday, June 28 and Thursday, June 29. As of Tuesday night, former City Manager Paul Connolly was the only candidate to express interest in the plan.

Twelve applicants have applied to fill the school board seat vacated when Zeidler resigned to take a full-time job with the Juvenile Court System that would conflict with his responsibilities on the school board. Zeidler's term runs through March of 2001. The board is expected to choose Zeidler's successor at a special meeting scheduled for July 10.ER