NORWICH – Following the March meeting of the Norwich City School District Board of Education that led to the acceptance of one board member’s resignation and the tabling of two others, the NCSD board met again Tuesday for its regular monthly board meeting during which members addressed some of the issues facing the board for the remainder of school year.

The NCSD board was met with one vacancy and two pending vacancies at the end of a board meeting held March 28, when members accepted an anticipated letter of resignation from former board member Joseph McBride and subsequently voted to table two unexpected resignations from Board Vice President Linda Horovitz and Board President Heather Fredenburg. Tabling those two resignations afforded Horovitz and Fredenburg the opportunity to reclaim their seats on the board before their terms officially end, should they so choose.

Fredenburg did rejoin the board Tuesday night, resuming her role in the president’s chair for the remainder of her term, which ends June 30. Horovitz, however, declined, holding to her allegations that the school board violated open meeting rules and procedures during a February board meeting when members entered an executive session that resulted in the renewal of school Superintendent Gerard O’Sullivan’s contract - an action Horovitz said should have been on the meeting agenda. Fredenburg was not present at that meeting, and action should not have been taken as per school board governance regulations, she added.

The first order of business at Tuesday’s meeting was to address the vacancy left by McBride.

“We have three options,” explained Superintendent O’Sullivan. “We can hold a special election ... we can appoint someone ... or we can leave it vacant.”

O’Sullivan noted that the board had received a letter of interest for the position from former Chenango County Judge W. Howard Sullivan. Board members voted unanimously to appoint Sullivan, followed by a second unanimous vote to appoint Sullivan as an interim board member to fill McBride’s seat for the remainder of the term, which ends June 30.

The seat left empty by Horovitz will remain empty; her term also set to expire June 30. The board, with Sullivan taking part, voted to accept Horovitz’s resignation, meaning three board positions will be up for grabs when the community votes on May 21. Two seats carry a three-year term, while the remaining seat carries a one-year term.

Prior to acceptance of her resignation, Horovitz made one last plea that the board “seriously consider” her allegations that they have acted unjustly and that they also limit their closed door meetings.