Bellbrook schools leader dies; district will meet about replacement

Longtime Bellbrook-Sugarcreek school board member Mary Frantz died Nov. 29, 2020.

Longtime Bellbrook-Sugarcreek school board member Mary Frantz died Nov. 29, 2020.

Veteran Bellbrook-Sugarcreek school board member Mary Frantz died Sunday, according to school district officials.

Frantz had been a member of the school board for 31 years, serving multiple terms as board president and vice president, and spending many years as Bellbrook’s representative on the Greene County Career Center board.

“She was part of the board which saw tremendous growth in the quality of our schools and the construction or renovation of all classroom buildings in our district” said David Carpenter, board president. “She advocated for the good of our students and the best interests of our community.”

Superintendent Doug Cozad said Frantz had not been feeling well, but he said her death was unexpected.

Frantz had also been a member of the church council at Bellbrook United Methodist Church and had served as director of the church’s Happy Child Preschool.

The school board will name a replacement within 30 days to serve out the last year of Frantz’s unexpired term, through December 2021.

Anyone interested in the position is asked to complete the application on the district website, and submit it along with a letter of interest by 4 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 2. Documents can be emailed to school board president David Carpenter at david.carpenter@bss.k12.oh.us or sent to him at the St. Pierre Education Center, 3757 Upper Bellbrook Road, Bellbrook, OH 45305.

The school board will hold a special board meeting at 8 a.m. Thursday to discuss the process of filling Frantz’s seat. The meeting will be held virtually and will be live-streamed, with the link available on the district’s website on Thursday morning.

The school board went through a similar process a year ago when Kathy Kingston resigned, citing health reasons, and Kevin Price was chosen from a group of applicants to replace her.

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