At last night’s special board meeting, the Merrill Area Public Schools Board of Education chose to suspend their policy, 144.3 Conflict of Interest, specifically paragraphs (d) and (f). The policy says that a board member shall not be hired to any full or part-time position in the District, either while serving their elected term or for a period of not less than one year after leaving board service.
On May 26 of this year, Jeff Hetfeld put in his resignation from the Board. When a science teacher position recently became vacant at the high school, there were no candidates available. Shannon Murray, High School Principal, knew that Hetfeld, a retired teacher, would be the best solution for filling the vacancy.
“We are extremely happy that our students will benefit from Mr. Hetfeld’s 45 years of teaching experience,” Superintendent Dr. John Sample stated. “He stepped in during our time of need and we are truly appreciative.”
The Board chose to extend a one-year contract to Hetfeld, with the condition that he would then resign at the end of the 2016-2017 school year.