POWELL — The Olentangy Local Schools Board of Education is back to a five-member board after members nominated Brad Rellinger to fill a vacancy at Thursday’s special meeting.
The vacancy came after the board announced Kevin O’Brien would be resigning after 17 years on the board at the Feb. 26 meeting.
After a two-week period of accepting applications, and another two-week period of going through the applications and scheduling interviews, the board landed on Rellinger.
“We really appreciated that there were so many candidates that came forward,” board president Brandon Lester said.
Lester said the board received 24 applications and only opted to interview three candidates, whose names he did not share.
During that process, Lester said the board collectively sought a candidate who is committed to defending public education, dedicated, hard-working, community-oriented and can bring a unique perspective.
They found Rellinger fit those requirements, especially with his background in education.
Lester shared some sentiments he found particularly important from Rellinger’s cover letter:
“I understand the school board is one part of a larger organization working toward a common goal. Each person has their role, and only be being aligned as a district can we truly provide the maximum impact to teaching and learning and to the community at large.”
All board members voted to appoint Rellinger, except for board vice president Libby Wallick, who chose to give a no vote “in recognition and honor of the other incredibly strong candidates we considered,” she said.
Rellinger was then sworn in and assumed his seat among the board members.
“I do feel the responsibility because I know this is much bigger than one person. And I will do my best to fight for every kid in Olentangy,” Rellinger said.
Who is Brad Rellinger?
Rellinger is the chief technology officer at Northern Buckeye Education Council, a non-profit organization that offers collaborative administrative support to educational institutions in the greater northwestern Ohio region, according to its website.
He is also a father to two children who attend Olentangy Schools. In fact, Rellinger moved to the area so his kids could attend Olentangy Schools, he said.
Rellinger has a bachelors of science in management information systems and a masters in classroom technology, both from Bowling Green State University.
He said he chose to apply for the position because he believes in public education.
“I’ve had the opportunity to build a career in the last 22 years of serving K-12 and falling in love with not only public education, but the staff and the students and the focus,” he said. “And I thought, humbly, with my experience maybe I can have a bigger impact.”
Rellinger is only serving a partial term that will expire at the end of 2027, but he already knows he wants to seek reelection when that time comes.
“I didn’t want to step in the role thinking that this is going to be something short-term. I’m absolutely committed to it,” he said.
Rellinger told Delaware Source he plans to listen and learn from his fellow board members and the community members he serves.
