The Whitley County Board of Education has a new member.
The board voted unanimously during their regular monthly meeting last Thursday to appoint JoAnn Jones to fill the vacant fifth district seat left by her late husband and long-time member J.E. Jones, who passed away in January.
According to Superintendent John Siler, the board felt JoAnn Jones would be a great fit.
“She has been a longtime resident of Whitley County there in the Boston area and very active in the Boston Elementary School, as her children attended that school and her grandchildren. So, she’s very well-versed in that community and its needs. And also, she is familiar with the board of education and the duties of a board member,” said Siler.
“We’re just excited to have a board member such as Mrs. Jones, that’s had such an interest in that community and our school district as a whole, and just the love that she has for the students of that district and the county.”
The application from JoAnn Jones was the only one the board received to fill the vacancy, according to Siler.
JoAnn Jones will assume the seat immediately. However, if she wishes to hold the seat, she must run for the seat during the general election in November 2026 to retain her spot.
In other board of education business:
– The Whitley County High School softball team should be able to return to their home field by the time they return from spring break. Ongoing work on the softball field was delayed due to weather over the past several months, though Siler said that the turf began being installed this week.
Work on the baseball field also just recently completed and it has begun being used. A ceremony is being planned for April 7 to formally dedicate the new field in for Head Coach Jeremy Shope’s honor. Shope 2023 team won the state title.
The Colonels are scheduled to take on the Harlan Green Dragons that days, which Siler said has a special significance.
“That’s where Coach Shope grew up and a lot of his family is still there,” said Siler “So, we want his folks and other family to be able to attend and be a part of it.”
Currently, that date is just tentative.
