The City of Boston opened applications for one seat on the Boston School Committee, which will become available when Vice Chair Michael O’Neill’s term expires in January.

The seven-member Boston School Committee is selected by Mayor Michelle Wu from nominees chosen by the Boston School Committee Nominating Panel. The new committee member will be set to serve from Jan. 6, 2025 to Jan. 1, 2029.

Michael O’Neill, who was first elected Vice Chair of the Boston School Committee in 2020, was first appointed in 2008 and served four terms on the School Committee.

“Candidates must be Boston residents and should expect that service on the School Committee involves a significant time commitment to connect with school departments and leaders and prepare for and attend biweekly meetings that run into late hours in the evening,” the City of Boston release stated.

Application’s for O’Neill’s seat are due Nov. 15, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. They will be reviewed by a thirteen-member Nominating Panel made up of BPS “parents, educators, school leaders and representatives of the business and higher education communities,” city officials said.

Interviews will then be conducted on Nov.  21 and Nov. 22 in the late afternoon or early evening.

The School Committee is made up of seven residents appointed by the mayor and one non-voting student member from the Boston Student Advisory Council. It is generally responsible for the BPS budget, hiring and overseeing the superintendent, setting district policies and more.

The committee meets about twice a month during the school year to “adopt, review and modify policies and practices that support teaching, learning and improved student achievement,” the city said.

Wu last appointed school committee member Chantal Lima Barbosa, after former member Lorena Lopera announced her resignation in June, 2023. Lima Barbosa served the remainder of Lopera’s four-year term ending on Jan. 1, 2024 and was re-appointed to serve a full four-year term.

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The applications for the mayor’s appointment come years after voters approved a nonbinding ballot question to switch to an elected school committee by 88% in 2021. Boston is the only district in Massachusetts with an unelected school governing board.

School Committee applications are available via the City of Boston website and questions may be directed to scnominatingpanel@boston.gov.