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Ellison resigns from YS school board
- Published: November 12, 2021
Yellow Springs school board member Sylvia Ellison has resigned, according to a press release from the district on Friday afternoon, Nov. 12.
Ellison resigned at the end of an executive session that followed the school board’s regular monthly meeting Thursday, Nov. 11, according to district Superintendent Terri Holden.
In an email response to the News Friday night, Holden wrote that Ellison, an epidemiologist, has taken a job with Greene County Public Health, and that a position on a local school board is incompatible with a position on a county board of health.
An earlier version of this story posted online said that no reason was given for Ellison’s resignation. Holden took issue with that statement, noting that the press release indicated that Ellison is going to work for the health department. A call to Ellison’s home late Friday afternoon was not returned.
Ellison’s term, her third on the board, expires Dec. 31, 2023.
Ohio law requires a replacement be named within 30 days of a board resignation. According to the press release, the district is seeking candidates to fill Ellison’s unexpired term. Applicants are asked to send a statement of interest and list of qualifications to district Treasurer Tammy Emrick by Friday, Nov. 19. The board plans to name Ellison’s successor during a previously scheduled meeting Tuesday, Nov. 23.
Sylvia Ellison
Ellison most recently worked as a community data coordinator with OSU Wexner Medical Center, according to the press release. She and her husband, Craig Mesure, have two sons who attended Yellow Springs public schools.
In the press release, board President Steve Conn is quoted as saying: “It has been a real pleasure to work with Sylvia. She has been dedicated, thoughtful, and her public health expertise has been particularly valuable to us during this pandemic. More than that, though, she has been the best kind of cheerleader for our students and therefore the best kind of steward for our schools.”
The release also quoted Superintendent Terri Holden. “Sylvia Ellison has been a dedicated board member who took her responsibility seriously,” Holden said. “During my time in the district, she fulfilled her primary role as a board member in helping the district craft health and safety policies as we navigated the most significant challenge public schools have seen in decades: the COVID-19 pandemic. She has been a tireless supporter of the school system. Her absence on the board will be deeply felt. I would like to thank Ms. Ellison for her dedicated service to Yellow Springs Schools.”
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