COEUR d'ALENE - School trustees in Coeur d'Alene voted unanimously Monday afternoon to appoint Wanda Quinn to the school board.

Quinn took the oath of office shortly after the board's regular monthly meeting began later at 5 p.m., and participated in the rest of the meeting in her new position.

She is filling a vacancy in the Zone 1 seat left by the resignation of Board Chair Edie Brooks McLachlan.

"I'm truly interested because of the policy issues we're going to be facing," Quinn said, following her appointment. "For a long time, the school district has been focused on school improvement. I think now is the time that we have to be really strategic."

Quinn was selected for appointment from a pool of five candidates who submitted letters of interest in the board position. Quinn and the rest of the candidates - Tony Norris, Christa Hazel, Jim Purtee and Carole Stringer - were interviewed by the current board prior to the appointment selection.

The candidates were asked a series of questions including why they want to be on the board, how they perceive the role of a trustee on the board and in relationship to school staff and community members, and how they would approach controversial issues and make decisions if their opinions differed from that of their constituents.

Quinn said that when a controversial issue arises, a committee should be set up.

"Because you want to have the broadest number of opinions," she said.

The process, she said, should include listening to constituents and reviewing "pertinent data," to provide hard facts, in addition to opinions.

"If you're all focused on what's going to be in the best interests of the students, that's generally your barometer for making those decisions," Quinn said.

Quinn previously served on the board for 12 years, from 1994 to 2006. She works as a program development specialist at the University of Idaho-Cd'A.

She holds a bachelor's degree, a master's degree and a law degree. She has taught in schools and at the university level, and has served on various committees and boards of groups dedicated to education issues at the local and state levels.

Brooks McLachlan, whose term runs through June 2013, announced her resignation May 19, and said, at that time, that her resignation would become effective July 1.

Prior to interviewing the candidates on Monday, Brooks McLachlan announced that the special meeting would be her last.

"I believe it is in the best interest of the district and the board for me to resign after this meeting today," she said. "This will make it possible for the new board member that we choose today to be sworn in this evening at the regular board meeting."

Brooks McLachlan announced her resignation two days after the May 17 school board election in which Tom Hamilton and Terri Seymour were elected to fill the seats in Zones 2 and 3. Hamilton and Seymour will fill seats now held by Bill Hemenway and Stephanie Powers. Their terms do not end until the board's annual meeting in July.

Hamilton and Seymour will take the oath of office during that meeting.

Nearly 20 members of the public, including Hamilton and Seymour, turned out to observe the candidate interviews.