I can’t tell you which of the seven candidates the Ann Arbor school board will choose Wednesday night as the newest trustee.

I could give you an educated guess, but the odds of me being wrong are probably higher than me being right.

What I can tell you is a bit about the kind of candidate the board is looking for.

The last candidate to be interviewed by the board last week was Andy Thomas. Responding to a question he asked, board members detailed their general thoughts about what made a successful board member, and by extension, what they're looking for in a person to join them at the board table.

In short, board members want someone who will fit with the board, someone who won’t be “divisive” and someone who supports the current administration.

That should come as no surprise to those who have been watching this board for the last several years. The bulk of the board - except for Irene Patalan and Adam Hollier - have been together for several years.

And this board is definitely a reaction to previous boards - where chaos, controversy and argument often ruled the day.

Current board members have spoken, both publicly and privately, about not wanting to be the type of board they say reached its splintered heights during the term of Rossi Ray-Taylor’s superintendency.

The board will decide between Simone Lightfoot, Jack Panitch, Kim Callahan Lijana, Christine Stead, Elizabeth Nelson, Margy Long and Thomas, as their first action during Wednesday night’s meeting. It will be held at 7 p.m. in the downtown Ann Arbor library.

Also on the agenda for the evening is the changing of the election date for the school board. Early indications are that a majority of board members favor switching to an every November election, instead of the board’s current May election.

Other news

I might sound a bit like a broken record, but the other big news this week in education circles will once again be money.

Saline Superintendent Scot Graden will gather the community tonight at 6:30 p.m. at Liberty School to discuss the district’s budget and cuts the district is considering to make up shortfalls.

In Lincoln, the board will meet at 7 p.m. tonight at Brock Elementary. On the agenda is cuts to the district’s transportation and other budget reductions.

Ypsilanti will also meet tonight at 7 p.m. in the district’s high school. On the agenda are staff layoffs and the approval of a deficit elimination plan.

As always, if there’s something I should be writing about, feel free to call me at 734-623-2534 or e-mail me at davidjesse@annarbor.com.