Former Fayette R-III Board of Education member Tim Jackman will return to the board in May. He was selected from a pool of three candidates who applied for appointment to the board after board president Skip Vandelicht stepped down abruptly last month due to health concerns.

Vandelicht had two years left on his term and had served as board president for the last six years. Following his departure, first-term board member Wes Friebe was elected BOE president, and the district announced it would accept applications until April 27 from anyone interested in serving on the board who resides within the school district.

Jackman, along with retired public school teacher and counselor Lisa Pruitt, attended Monday night’s special meeting. The third candidate, Aron Saylor, was not present.

“From the feedback, we elected not to do formal interviews,” said Fayette Superintendent Brent Doolin.

Friebe said that having three candidates for the vacant seat is “a good problem to have. I’m very grateful to all three to be willing to give their time and stress. We have three qualified candidates.”

Board vice president Shauna Young said that regardless of the vote, she hopes the interest in serving on the school board remains high.

Board member Aaron Bentley nominated Jackman, which was seconded by new member Max Hilderbrand. The vote was unanimous in favor of his appointment.

Jackman, a retired insurance executive, arrived on the school board by appointment in 2000 and served for 17 years. A longtime community leader, he also serves on the Board of Trustees at Central Methodist University and the board of Commercial Trust Co., spearheads Fayette’s long-running Juneteenth celebration, and is a member of Fayette Together and St. Paul United Methodist Church.

“You’ve had years of experience, so we’ll lean on some of that wisdom,” Supt. Doolin said to Jackman upon the conclusion of the vote.

Jackman will be the second new member to the board. Hilderbrand was elected along with Young and Bentley, both incumbents, in the most recent election on April 7.

Jackman will be sworn in at the board’s next regular meeting in May and will serve until the next school board election on April 6, 2027, at which time voters will decide who will finish out the remaining year of the term.

The school board meets at 6:30 p.m. in the high school library on the third Wednesday of every month except July. Meetings are open to the public, agendas are published in advance on the district’s website, and the public is invited. The board’s next meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 20.