Library programming coordinator to join Dixon school board

DIXON — Kathleen Schaefer, programming coordinator at Dixon Public Library, was unanimously selected Friday to fill an unexpired term on the board of education for Dixon Public Schools.

The board conducted interviews Friday with five candidates in a five-hour long executive session, then voted on their choice, Superintendent Margo Empen said.

The other candidates interviewed by the board were Cory Lance, Maura Harrison, Aaqil Khan and Jim Grot.

Schaefer will be installed at the May 18 meeting. The term lasts until May 2023.

Schaefer currently serves on the board’s community engagement committee. In February she was one of several committee members who presented the board with their findings on the school start time survey that showed a sharp divide among respondents on the subject.

[ Community sharply divided over moving Dixon schools start time ]

Her part of the discussion centered on the anxiety held by the community over the availability of child care services should the district adopt a new schedule — a decision the board postponed. She shared her own experiences in early childhood education and explained how child care services are stretched thin by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The vacancy was created by the departure of board Vice President Rachael Gehlbach, whose family is moving to the Madison, Wisconsin, area.

Because Gehlbach is an officer, the board must also reconfigure the slate of officers.

This year, Gehlbach and board member Jon Wadsworth served on the community engagement committee with Schaefer.

Special meeting on Monday. The board has called a special meeting for 5:30 p.m. and recommends a closed session for the purpose of discussing a student disciplinary case.