BOARDMAN — The local school board has a new member.

The Boardman Local Schools Board of Education on Wednesday during a special session voted to approve the appointment of Tom Varley to fill the seat vacated by the resignation of Frank Zetts on Aug. 6.

A press release states Varley, a human resources director at Compco in Columbiana, is a Boardman parent and active volunteer in many school organizations.

“The board is grateful for the interest and efforts of the Boardman residents who applied and expressed interest in serving the school district. We are very fortunate to have such community support,” board President John Fryda said.

“With three children currently attending Boardman schools, and a fourth who graduated just two years ago, Mr. Varley has a great perspective on the strengths of the district that we can grow, as well as some of the challenges we face and hope to conquer. The board looks forward to working with him,” said Fryda.

Varley’s daughter graduated in 2022, he has two sons in high school, and a daughter at Boardman Center Intermediate School.

“He is really active in the district, and has a lot of good business experience, he understands finances and human resources,” said spokesperson Amy Radinovic.

Varley said he has been grateful for his experiences in the district and is excited to be a part of the board.

“I’ve been around the system for all of my kids’ lives, for the last 12-13 years, and I’ve enjoyed being around the teachers, being around athletics and around all the parents,” Varley said.

“I really want to continue doing what the board’s doing already. They’re doing a good job and I want to be a part of what they’re doing for the community and the kids.

In addition to his business experience, Varley said his enthusiasm is his greatest asset.

“What I can bring to the table to help the board, is an excitement to be part of it and to help the district continue to grow in the direction we need to,” he said.

Varley will serve until Dec. 31, 2025, and will have to run for reelection in 2025 if he wishes to continue on the school board beyond that date, according to the release.

Varley said he plans to do just that.

“It would be my intention to run. For the last couple years, I have talked about the opportunity potentially to run, and the opportunity has never been right, because I have trusted the members already there,” he said. “This opportunity presented itself and I’ll hit the ground running, learn on the job and prepare for a good campaign in 2025.

Zetts resigned from the board, citing personal reasons in a handwritten resignation letter,

after he was arrested on charges of OVI, driving without a license and driving in marked lanes in March. Zetts took a plea deal that gave him a suspended jail sentence, a 12-month license suspension with limited driving privileges, and an order to attend a driver intervention program.

About 20 people expressed interest in the position, Fryda said. Fifteen submitted resumes and the board interviewed 10.

Among those interviewed were Boardman Township Administrator Jason Loree; Thomas Wakefield, chair of the department of math and statistics at Youngstown State University; Debra Mettee, a doctoral candidate in educational leadership at Youngstown State University and former superintendent at Liberty Local School District and Springfield Local School District; Tom Davis, former principal of Carrollton High School, Springfield Local High School and Bell-Herron Middle School; and Jenna Fox, assistant director of enrollment management at Kent State University at Trumbull and an adjunct instructor there.