The appointment Wednesday of a new board member in Falcon School District 49 could mean the board will have a quorum at two special meetings scheduled next week to deal with unfinished district business.

For weeks disputes among board members have stalled meetings.

Board President Tammy Harold appointed Henry D. Allen Jr. to fill the vacant seat. Allen was among eight candidates interviewed for the position last month.

The vacancy was created when then board Vice President Joan Ann Johnson resigned. The board voted to accept her resignation on April 14, which is when the clock started ticking to fill the vacancy. The board never voted to officially declare the vacancy because of the ongoing disagreements that became public in May when board member Christopher Wright and board Secretary Charles “Chuck” Irons walked out of a meeting.

Wright and Irons called for Harold to step down as president in a May letter. They also pushed for other changes such as limiting special meetings, allowing the removal of the board president by majority vote and holding regular open sessions for the public. They said their requests were aimed at improving transparency, and that the open board seat was not a factor.

Last week, the board meeting ended without action because neither Wright or Irons would second a motion to approve the agenda. Wright and Irons said later that they would attend a meeting and vote if the agenda did not contain reference to the vacant seat.

Wright and Irons have said a new member could not be appointed without the declaration of the vacancy, and questioned the board candidate interviews. Irons attended all interviews and Wright attended five.

The Colorado Association of School Boards, a group that supports and helps school governing bodies, addressed the board vacancy in a letter sent Wednesday to D-49 board members.

“The statue prevents perpetual vacancies in office by compelling appointments within 60 days, by the board at a meeting or by the president without the requirement for a meeting if the board cannot or does not act,” the association wrote. “Any other interpretation would mean a tragic event or a political squabble could incapacitate a vital public board for years at a time.”

Harold said she decided to make the appointment when she got indications there would not be a quorum at next week’s meetings, placing a required vote on the 2012-13 budget and other district decisions at risk.

“Staff members were relieved to finally have a resolution on this issue to allow the district to move forward,” Harold said. “We will work together as a board … we need to fulfill our duty.”

Other board members were informed of the appointment via email, she said.

Allen retired from the Army in 1998 and has lived in the district for 14 years. He worked for the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office and has been a school resource officer.

“We have to learn to work together,” Allen told the board during his May 31 interview.

Irons and Wright did not return calls seeking comment Wednesday night.

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