Bend-La Pine School Board just after voting Tuesday on its next step to filling the board vacancy.

Melissa Barnes Dholakia resigned from the Bend-La Pine School Board in April. The position remains vacant today.

In the first go-round to fill the position, members of the school board did interviews with possible appointees behind closed doors. The board then decided to reopen the application process, rather than choose an applicant.

The board announced at its Tuesday meeting that it would be interviewing three candidates at a special public meeting on Nov. 12. That meeting is the kind of transparent and open process the board should use to fill a position for an elected official.