WATERTOWN — Division continues in the Watertown Unified School District as the school board appointed a new member Monday night to fill one of several vacant positions after multiple resignations in recent months.
TMJ4 reported on multiple resignations last week.
The special school board meeting was packed with community members who came to hear from four candidates hoping to fill one of the vacant positions.
"I want you to pick a critical thinker. I want you to pick someone who's an advocate for making our public schools better," one resident said during public comment.
There were a handful of supporters for the board.
"I support you and I am pleased with the work that you put forth," a community member added during public comment.
The board asked each candidate several questions, including one from board member Dan Voeltner that sparked controversy among attendees: "How many genders do you believe there are?"
Only one candidate, Julaine Appling, answered that question. Appling, a former board member, was voted back onto the board to fill one of the spots left vacant.
"When channel 4 shows up here and is asking questions, what's going on…that is not a good reflection on our district," another resident commented during the meeting.
Charity Chandler is one of the board members who resigned after only four months on the job.
"I chose to step down because it felt like it was an environment where we had school board members that weren't being heard," Chandler said.
Chandler told TMJ4 she didn't take the decision lightly.
"I cried more tears last week than I probably have in a long time as I was debating the decision," Chandler said.
WATCH: Watertown school board appoints new member amid community division and board resignations
She was met with support from community members who protested before the meeting.
"These are the people that needed a voice and wanted a voice and looked to me to be their voice," Chandler said.
The school district stated they "regret the recent resignation of board members" and they are working "towards being better leaders."
This story was reported on-air by Megan Lee and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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