MILL HALL — Following a month filled with questions from both its members and the public about the proper methods to fill its vacancies, the Keystone Central School District Board of Directors is taking steps to ensure a smoother process moving forward.

Questions were raised in January, after the board initially elected to not consider two late applicants for its open Region IV seat.

After hearing from members of the public and former board members who stated late candidates had previously been accepted, the board reversed course. Ultimately, it was unable to come to a consensus between the three potential candidates. The board chose to allow the Clinton County Court of Common Pleas to choose a candidate, per state guidelines, as it focused on filling openings in Region IX and VIII.

Last week at its work session, the board ran into another issue with its unclear procedure to fill a vacancy.

At the time, Board Member Chris Scaff questioned why candidate Megan Houser’s request for an alternate interview date wasn’t fully considered by the board. Houser was on a plane that evening due to a work commitment.

Scaff motioned to move the interview of Houser and candidate Roger Kshir II to the following week, before its work session. He also stated the Policy Committee would look into how it can construct guidelines to follow, to avoid future confusion on how the process should work. His motion was unanimously approved by the board on Feb. 5.

At its voting session Thursday night, the board was presented with Board Operation Guidelines (BOG) for filling vacancies.

Scaff said the policy committee, which met earlier in the week, heavily reviewed the BOG prior to presenting it for a vote.

“This is not a policy. What we did was write Board Operation Guidelines to give us some stature and direction when we have appointments to make during a non-election year,” Scaff said. “We went through this heavily. And we followed the laws. Hopefully this will streamline the process.”

The guidelines, which may be viewed on the district’s BoardDocs, included updates including:

— Candidates may be interviewed in-person, virtually or by phone. The BOG notes a candidate must email the school board secretary their preference at least three days before the scheduled interview date.

— When considering rescheduling an interview date, the board must hold a public meeting t o postpone or reschedule. The revised meeting date and time would be published according to the Sunshine Act.

— During the interview candidates will be sequestered as each candidate is interviewed.

Earlier in the voting session, Board Member Dr. Bill Baldino, who attended virtually, spoke briefly about his thoughts on the BOG. Baldino explained he needed to exit the meeting due to a conflicting commitment.

He noted the section of the BOG which states “voting will continue until one candidate remains or the board majority votes to close the vote, the motion fails and the appointment moves to the Court of Common Pleas.”

“That section is against the statute,” he said.

According to state regulations, even if the board fails to appoint a candidate within the first 30 days following a resignation, it may still search. However, the Court of Common Pleas may have the ability to appoint a candidate if those interested in the position petition the court.

“I don’t think we should make a policy to go against a regulation,” Baldino said.

Scaff noted the BOG up for consideration were strictly guidelines and not a policy.

Beyond Scaff’s comments during consideration of the BOG, no further discussion took place.

The BOG was approved unanimously through a motion made by Scaff and seconded by Vice President John Miller.