Lakeville Area Schools elects new officers, approves organizational items in special session

The Lakeville Area Schools Board of Education elected Matt Swanson as chair and approved a slate of routine organizational items at a special organizational meeting on Wednesday. The board also elected Paul Carbone as vice chair, Kim Baker as clerk (by unanimous consent) and Brett Nicholson as treasurer, and approved the 2025 meeting calendar, member compensation and designation of legal counsel and official depositories.

Why it matters: organizational votes set who leads the board, how the district will handle routine financial and legal processes and which firms and institutions the district will use for banking, investments and counsel in 2025.

Board members nominated and voted for officer positions after a brief discussion of the roles of chair, vice chair, clerk and treasurer. Director Brian Thompson nominated Matt Swanson for chair; Carly Anderson was nominated by Director Amber Cameron. The roll call produced a 5-2 outcome in favor of Swanson. The board recessed briefly and reconvened with Swanson presiding for subsequent officer elections. Paul Carbone was elected vice chair following nominations; Kim Baker was named clerk by unanimous consent, and Brett Nicholson won the treasurer vote.

On routine organizational business, the board approved the 2025 meeting calendar and agreed that, in cases of inclement weather, meetings would be held the following day at the same time and place. The board approved existing compensation and mileage rates for 2025 (annual board compensation $6,750 and an additional $600 for the chair; mileage at the federal rate, 70 cents per mile for 2025). The board designated SUN This Week as the official district publication for 2025 and reaffirmed three law firms as district counsel: Squires, Wall (Walzberger) & others, Ratwik, Roszak & Maloney, and Kennedy & Graven.

The board approved a package of financial-authority items as a consent group: designation of official depositories and investment vehicles (Wells Fargo Bank and Brokerage Services; Fidelity Investments; U.S. Bank; PMA Financial Network Inc.; and Minnesota School District Liquid Asset Fund); authorization for the executive director of business to use facsimile signatures and handle short-term investments and certain clerk/treasurer duties; authorization for the superintendent and executive director of business to execute leases, purchases and contracts within general budget categories; and authorization to use wire transfers for investments and payments.

Directors asked for more information about investment oversight during the discussion. Superintendent Michael Baumann said Ehlers is the district’s financial adviser and performs comparative analyses of investments; administrators agreed to provide additional detail about investment returns and the district—s processes in a future working session. That request was not a formal direction but a stated expectation for follow-up.

The meeting ended after a short discussion about future agendas and working sessions. The board adjourned by voice vote.