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Lakeville board sets confidential interview process to consider appointment of fourth vote‑getter
Summary
The Lakeville Area Schools Board agreed to interview the fourth vote‑getter, Bridal Nicholson, at a special session and kept interview questions confidential; each board member will submit one question to the chair and vote after the interview; the appointed candidate will likely face an election in November unless a spring special election is scheduled.
The Lakeville Area Schools Board of Education confirmed a process to interview and potentially appoint the fourth vote‑getter to a vacant board seat and voted to keep interview questions confidential for the candidate who will be brought in next week.
Chair Kim Baker said the board would invite Bridal Nicholson, the fourth vote‑getter, to the special session. The board agreed that the working session would begin at 7:00 p.m. for members to prepare questions and that the candidate would be interviewed at about 7:30 p.m.; the board intends to vote on the appointment immediately after the interview.
Board members discussed whether to share interview questions in advance. Some members favored full transparency — making questions available to ensure consistency for any subsequent public application process — while others argued confidentiality preserves candid responses and avoids a scripted performance. "That gives an advantage," one board member said of sharing questions in advance. After debate the board stated the immediate interview’s questions will remain confidential; each member will submit one question to the chair by the requested deadline, the chair will collate duplicates and distribute the set shortly before the interview, and members may ask brief clarifying questions during the interview.
Members also discussed the election date that would be required for the seat after appointment. The chair reviewed statutorily allowed special‑election windows — the second Tuesday in February, April, May or August, and the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November — and noted the district may prefer November to avoid the cost of a separate special election unless the district schedules a spring bond referendum that would already require a special election. Board members asked staff to notify the candidate that the appointed person would likely run in the November election unless the district holds a spring election.
Board members noted constituent emails asking the board to consider interviewing other close vote‑getters or pursue a recount; members clarified that recounts and election remedies differ from appointment rules and reiterated the board’s contingency: if the board does not appoint the candidate, the vacancy would move to the public application and interview process.
Action and next steps: the board will bring Bridal Nicholson in for the interview at the next special session, collect one confidential question from each member in advance, permit clarifying questions during the interview, and vote on the appointment immediately after the candidate’s interview.
