Spokane district names 7 finalists for vacant school board spot

The Spokane Public Schools board of directors selected seven finalists this week to fill a vacancy left by Kevin Morrison’s resignation last month.

Candidates will be interviewed next week by the board, which is scheduled to make a selection before its next regular meeting on Sept. 9.

The appointment will expire in November 2021.

Here are the seven finalists, along with information provided by the district:

• Karl Boettner, administrative law judge for the Washington State Office of Administrative Hearings.
• Jessica Box, director of Field Services for EdReports, an independent nonprofit designed to improve education by providing reviews of K-12 instructional materials.
• Brian Davenport, most recently associate dean for honors and community engagement for Eastern Washington University.
• Erin Georgen, owner and operator of Erin Georgen Graphic Design and a physical therapist assistant for St. Luke’s Rehabilitation.
• Michael Kirk, most recently a chief operations officer and financial officer for a community-building and marketing startup in Spokane.
• Harry Rosenkrantz, a private, licensed mental health counselor and child mental health specialist, and a Circle of Security consultant.
• Aryn Ziehnert, a lecturer in psychology at Eastern Washington .

Georgen ran for the same position last fall, losing to Morrison in the general election.

Kirk also has run for office, losing in 2018 to incumbent Spokane County Clerk Timothy Fitzgerald.

The person eventually chosen will be the fourth to hold the position.

Paul Schneider won a six-year term in 2015, but resigned two years later.

Brian Newberry was appointed in September 2017 to hold the position until the next regularly scheduled board election, in 2019. Newberry declined to run for reelection and Morrison won the spot last November.