Chippewa Falls board completes officer elections, routine designations and moves to executive session

The Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District Board of Education held its annual reorganizational meeting and confirmed a full slate of officers before moving the regular meeting into executive session to consider employment and compensation matters.

The board approved the meeting agenda and then conducted the reorganizational business required under Wisconsin law. Jeff Holmes, superintendent of schools, was appointed to preside over the reorganizational portion of the meeting. The board adopted a standing policy that a secret ballot may be used if more than one person is nominated for a given office.

Nominations and results: the board elected Dave Chek as board president by voice vote after he accepted the nomination and no other candidates were offered; Peggy McKillop was elected vice president after Sharon McLem declined a nomination; Sherry Jasper was nominated and elected as board clerk; Dennis Spear was elected board treasurer; and Angela Fields, the district's executive assistant to the superintendent, accepted the position of board secretary.

The board also approved routine administrative designations. It designated the district's public depositories and local government investment funds—including the Wisconsin Investment Series Cooperative signatures for disbursements—and named the Chippewa Herald (including its online edition) as the district's official newspaper. The board moved and approved the appointment of the executive assistant to serve as District Elections Clerk.

Committee rosters were not finalized; the board voted to postpone committee appointments to the regular May meeting and asked members to communicate preferences by e-mail. The board also adopted a schedule of regular monthly meetings to continue on the fourth Tuesday of each month (with the April meeting on the fourth Monday).

After adjourning the reorganizational portion, the board approved the executive-session agenda for the regular meeting and voted to move into executive session pursuant to Wis. Stat. a7 19.85(1)(c) to consider employment, promotion or compensation matters. A roll-call vote was recorded with each listed member recorded as voting "Aye." The board then prepared to conduct confidential personnel deliberations in executive session.

Votes at a glance: - Approve agenda: motion by Martina; second by Fear; voice vote, motion carries. - Appoint Jeff Holmes as chair of the reorganizational meeting: moved and seconded; voice vote, motion carries. - Adopt secret-ballot rule for contested elections: motion moved; voice vote, motion carries. - Elect Dave Chek as Board President: voice vote, elected. - Elect Peggy McKillop as Vice President: voice vote, elected. - Elect Sherry Jasper as Board Clerk: voice vote, elected. - Elect Dennis Spear as Board Treasurer: voice vote, elected. - Elect Angela Fields as Board Secretary: voice vote, elected. - Designate public depositories and Wis. Investment Series Cooperative signatures: voice vote, motion carries. - Designate the Chippewa Herald as official newspaper: voice vote, motion carries. - Appoint executive assistant as District Elections Clerk: voice vote, motion carries. - Postpone committee appointments to May meeting: voice vote, motion carries. - Set regular meeting dates (fourth Tuesday; April on fourth Monday): voice vote, motion carries. - Approve executive-session agenda and move to executive session under Wis. Stat. a7 19.85(1)(c): roll-call vote recorded as Aye by members present; motion carries.

The board did not finalize committee assignments at the reorganizational meeting; members were asked to submit preferences ahead of the May meeting. The next procedural step recorded in the public minutes was the board's entry into executive session for personnel matters.