By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Hays USD 489 school members debated nepotism for the second meeting in a row Monday night.
The board voted 5-2 to hire Andrea Wilson.
The school board does not interview candidates for positions other than the superintendent but has final approval over personnel transactions. These transactions are usually part of a consent agenda and their approval is considered routine.
The district's nepotism policy reads:
The superintendent shall make reasonable efforts to determine whether a candidate for employment is related to a board member or an administrator of the district. If a candidate is related to a board member or administrator, the superintendent will make this fact known to the board.
In the case of the person that was hired Monday night, that person was the relative of an administrator in the district. The person would not be directly supervised by that administrator. The superintendent notified the school board of the relationship prior to the board meeting on Monday.
District policy does not specifically prohibit administrators' relatives from working in the district. It does prohibit sitting board members' relatives from being hired.
Except in an emergency, the board will not employ anyone who is the father, mother, brother, sister, spouse, son, daughter, stepson, stepdaughter, son-in-law, or daughter-in-law of any board member.
Vajnar, who has a relative working in the district, said he has an issue with family members working underneath administrators.
Board member Allen Park also said he was unsure if the district is following the policy and asked that the board look at it further.
Board President Craig Pallister, whose wife also worked for the district when he was a principal, said he did not understand what portion of the policy the district was not following.
"Ron (Wilson) did exactly what the policy asked last month and this month," Pallister said. "He is following policy."
Board vice president Ken Brooks said, "This is the same discussion we had last month that got out of hand. You should have asked for something to be put on the agenda."
Board member Meagan Zampieri-Lillpopp said there is no violation of policy.
Board member Tammy Wellbrock said if board members want to change policy that should be added as an agenda item.
The personnel transactions were approved 4-2 with Vajnar and Park voting against. Board member Lori Hertel was absent.