Lisa McCoy to resign from Greencastle School Board

Tuesday, May 21, 2019

Less than a year after she was appointed, Lisa McCoy is set to leave the Greencastle School Board.

McCoy submitted a letter to school board president Mike White prior to Monday's school board meeting, though no public announcement was made. The resignation is effective June 30, which will give McCoy exactly 365 days on the board.

Though she was not present for Monday's meeting, McCoy issued a simple statement regarding the decision.

Lisa McCoy

"I thought this was best for my family in this time of transition," she said.

That time of transition was brought on with the recent announcement that McCoy's husband, DePauw University President Mark McCoy, will step down from his post at the end of the 2019-20 academic year.

White expressed his regret at losing McCoy just one year into her four-year term, especially given her background as a classroom teacher in Greencastle and other locations.

"I think Lisa's year on the board was marked by a couple of unpleasant situations and she handled everything well," White said. "Her experiences in the classroom were very useful to other board members. She brought a different perspective that the rest of us did not have."

Those unpleasant situations included a mold issue that kept students out of Tzouanakis Intermediate School for more than a month, as well as a pair of contentious employment issues.

"She will be missed and I want to thank her for the time, effort and energy she put into being on the board," White said.

The board will now turn its attention to finding McCoy's replacement. Although the position is appointed by the Greencastle City Council, by state statute it is the school board's responsibility to fill a vacancy in the middle of a term.

The board has 30 days to fill the position after McCoy vacates it on June 30, so White is hoping for applications prior to that date.

Interested applicants should mail their letters of interest and resumés to Greencastle Schools Central Office, C/O President Mike White, 1002 Mill Pond Lane, Greencastle, IN 46135.

The letters should be received by July 1.

Applicants must be at least 21 years old and reside within the city of Greencastle.

While the board is scheduled to meet in a regular session on Monday, July 22, it is likely that a special meeting will be required during July to interview interested candidates.

All of these proceedings will be open to the public.

Any interested and qualified city residents are encouraged to apply.

McCoy also recently resigned from the Putnam County Public Library Board, though that resignation came prior to the announcement that her husband would be stepping down at DePauw.

On Monday, PCPL Director Brian Briscoe appeared before the Putnam County Council, recommending the council appoint Greencastle resident Barbara Boese as McCoy's replacement.

Boese was unanimously approved.

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  • What a waste of an appointment . You had a good person you should of left on the board.

    -- Posted by Falcon9 on Tue, May 21, 2019, at 7:10 PM
  • Agree completely. City council needs to remember the old saying “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush”. Bad choice a year ago that cost the community a dedicated and conscientious school board member. At least the school board gets to fill the position this time. I trust their choice far more than city council, who made it a political choice last year, based upon the spouse of their appointee.

    -- Posted by 3m50 on Wed, May 22, 2019, at 9:42 AM
  • *

    3m50 - surely you are not suggesting that the Common Council of Greencastle (with several DePauw faculty members as members and with other deep roots in the college) would make an appointment to the local school board based on that appointees ties to the college. I am shocked. (Cue Captain Renault - prefect of police, Vichy France.)

    -- Posted by dreadpirateroberts on Wed, May 22, 2019, at 10:22 AM
  • One more reason this Board SHOULD NOT be appointed !

    Rather, the Greencastle School Board should be ELECTED BY THE VOTING PUBLIC !

    Take the nepotism and friend-of-a-friend on the board out of these appointments.

    -- Posted by Lookout on Wed, May 22, 2019, at 3:49 PM
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