Eau Claire Area School Board appoints candidate identified as Tau to fill vacant seat

The Eau Claire Area School Board appointed the candidate identified on the ballot as “Tau” to fill the seat vacated by Commissioner Clements during its regular meeting. The board announced the result after a public candidate forum and one round of voting in which the ballot tally showed Tau with four votes and the other three candidates with zero.

All four applicants gave three-minute statements and answered questions from board members and student representatives before the vote. Candidates who addressed the board were Amy Olsen, Molly Boyle Engeldahl (recorded in the transcript as Molly Boyle Bridal/Engel in parts), a candidate who introduced herself as Pata, and Laura Mason Marshall. Board Chair Nordin conducted the process and Superintendent Johnson and Dr. Ellworthy were present during the proceedings.

The candidates described their backgrounds and reasons for seeking appointment. Amy Olsen described a nursing and education background and said she wanted to support the district’s existing work. Molly Boyle Engeldahl said her background in health care and prior board and policy work gave her experience in conflict management and policy development. The candidate who identified herself as Pata described arriving in the U.S. as a child refugee, nonprofit work, budgeting and advocacy experience, and said she would be a voice for families. Laura Mason Marshall described a family of educators, a master’s in counseling psychology, and volunteer work in district schools.

Board members asked candidates about their contributions to racial equity work and about their availability to meet the time demands of board service. Candidates described equity-related programs and experience (for example, a Hmong education bill advocacy effort referenced by one candidate and clinical equity work described by another) and explained how they would balance family, work and board responsibilities. Student representatives asked how candidates would connect with students across the district; candidates said they would be visible in schools and at events and would build relationships with students and staff.

After the candidate presentations and question period, the board opened an online ballot and completed a single round of voting. The chair read the tally: Molly Boyle Engeldahl 0, Laura Mason Marshall 0, Amy Olsen 0, and Tau 4. The chair then declared Ms. Tau appointed and noted that staff would be in touch to arrange oath-of-office and onboarding steps. The chair said the newly appointed member’s first meeting would be next week and that the member would attend the board’s self-evaluation retreat.

The board thanked all four applicants for applying and encouraged them to consider running in a future election. No further formal motions related to the appointment were recorded in the transcript.

The appointment followed the board’s stated procedure for filling vacancies (GC-10 noted in the meeting discussion), which included a random draw of candidate order, three-minute candidate statements, a board question period, and successive ballots until a candidate received four votes.