ISD 191 holds public interviews for board seat after Mersal resignation

The ISD 191 Board of Education held public interviews on Feb. 12, 2025, for three candidates to fill a school board vacancy left by the resignation of Director Mersal on Jan. 7, 2025, Board Chair Anna Werb said at the start of the work session.

The interviews were the final step in a selection process the chair described as an appointment by the board rather than a special election because of a 2024 change to election law. Werb told the room that the board received four applications but one applicant lived outside district boundaries and was ineligible; the board will consider nominations and then roll-call votes at its regular meeting on Feb. 13. Werb said the board will take formal action on a resolution to appoint the selected candidate, and that the appointee would be sworn in at the regular meeting on March 27, 2025, after a 30-day waiting period.

The three candidates interviewed were Samantha Swenson, Jen Boyko and Tyler Saxxy. Each answered the board’s standard set of questions about governance, budgeting, community engagement and time commitment. The board members repeatedly raised district-wide issues during the interviews: declining enrollment, communication with neighboring properties after school closures, budget pressures tied to personnel and benefits, and student safety.

Samantha Swenson, who said she has been a Burnsville resident for about four years and lives in the North River Hills neighborhood, emphasized parental involvement and communication. Swenson described herself as a homeschooling parent of four and said she would need time to learn board procedures if appointed. On the district’s recent property sales and prior school-closing decisions she said she had “openly voiced my opposition” and that she would likely need to recuse herself from votes related to those matters: “I believe that it would potentially be a conflict of interest as I have openly voiced my opposition,” Swenson said. Swenson also cited district enrollment loss and said more parental engagement is needed; she noted she would not be able to attend the Feb. 13 meeting in person but was reachable by phone.

Jen Boyko, a 24-year educator and Burnsville resident of about 20 years who currently teaches third grade, framed her candidacy around classroom experience and the district’s diversity. “The diversity found in this district is the reality of our world,” Boyko said, adding that public schools give students life and social skills beyond academics. Boyko described listening as a central board skill and said she would put board decisions and their reasons forward in community conversations, even when she personally disagreed with a board majority.

Tyler Saxxy said he and his family have lived in Burnsville since 2012 and praised the district’s pathways and career-preparation work, calling them important to keep students “future ready.” Saxxy described private-sector leadership and strategic-planning experience, including leading a multi‑year strategic plan at his employer, and said those skills would help in overseeing the district’s long-term priorities.

Board members used the interviews to press candidates on time commitment and policy vs. management. Several members noted the board’s recurring challenges: funding that does not keep pace with inflation and rising health‑care and transportation costs, continuing declines in student enrollment and community concerns about communication after closures and property sales. Scott Hume, a board member, cautioned that significant budget cuts typically affect people: “Anytime we have to look at cutting significantly from the budget, it has to be at the expense of people,” Hume said. Board members also said safety protocols are in place and that some safety matters must be handled in closed session for privacy reasons; Superintendent Dr. Battle was referenced as the staff lead on those protocols.

No appointment was made at the Feb. 12 work session. The board’s chair described the Feb. 13 regular meeting process: nominations, seconds, roll-call voting for each nominee until a majority selects a candidate, followed by a resolution to appoint. If the board is deadlocked, Werb said, the nomination process would close and the board would reopen applications.

The interviews closed with reminders about the Feb. 13 vote and the March 27 swearing-in date. The board chair advised candidates they did not need to be present at the Feb. 13 vote but recommended they attend in case the board reopens questions after a tied vote.