During a special appointment held by the Iowa City Community School District school board Sept. 15, Attorney and ICCSD parent Audrey Moeller was chosen to fill the seat left by former board director Jayne Finch.

Finch resigned during a public work session Aug. 21, citing a “toxic environment the board’s leadership has enabled.” The board decided to appoint Finch’s successor rather than hold a special election. During the Sept. 15 meeting, the 13 candidates had the opportunity to share their qualifications and visions for the school board.

During her speech, Moeller emphasized her experience across commercial real estate and civil litigation. Moeller has 10 years of experience in law and five years of commercial real estate experience. She also focused on her support of public schools.

“I am a strong believer in public schools. I myself am a product of public schools … My own father served on our hometown school board for 30 years. I saw him treat it as an act of public service,” Moeller said.

Moeller also recognized the complexity of school board decisions and claimed she would avoid political motives to the best of her ability during her speech.

“It’s not always popular. It’s not always fun. It’s not always easy,” Moeller said. “But you take the reality you are given and you treat it responsibly.”

The school board appointed Moeller based on a ranked choice vote, where each member could cast votes for up to three candidates and points were tallied from the results. Behind Moeller, retired attorney Jennifer Struthers and University of Iowa associate clinical professor Rose Schroedl both tied for second place.

Moeller will serve in the position until the next school board election takes place November 2027. The next elected board member will fulfill the remainder of Finch’s term, which is set to expire November 2029. 

The appointment comes at a contentious period as the school board navigates additional budget adjustments following an $8 million loan withdrawal and reevaluation of ICCSD enrollment areas. Moeller will also take part in the school board search for a permanent superintendent.

Your donation will support the student journalists of West High School. Your contribution will allow us to purchase Scholarship Yearbooks, newsroom equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.

About the contributors