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Forest Lake school board narrows vacancy field to three finalists, rescinds Nov. 20 resolution
Summary
At a Dec. 4 continuation meeting, the Forest Lake Area School Board eliminated several applicants and named three finalists (Cornier, Hanson, Pease) for a vacant seat, rescinded a prior Nov. 20 resolution governing the selection process, and said it will bring finalists back for consideration at the Dec. 18 meeting.
Forest Lake Area School Board members on Dec. 4 narrowed the field of applicants for a vacant board seat to three finalists and voted to rescind a Nov. 20 resolution that had governed last week's selection process.
Chair moved to remove applicants Dobensinski, Smith and Derangu from consideration because they had not secured majority support the prior week; that motion carried. Board members then indicated support, by roll-call-style responses, for the remaining five candidates. The chair explained the process: a candidate would move forward for further consideration only if a majority of board members (four) indicated support.
After the roll-call checks, the board reported sufficient support to advance Cornier, Hanson and Pease. The chair formally moved to eliminate two additional applicants (recorded in the transcript as 'Redford' and 'Tewat'); that motion carried. A member then moved to rescind the Nov. 20 resolution that had constrained the prior process; the board approved rescission, which the chair said would "simplify things moving forward." The chair said the board and public would have time to reflect on the three finalists and that the chair and Member Corcoran would work to set the Dec. 18 agenda, with a public posting to follow.
Members used the meeting to address the fallout from the prior, late-night meeting. Member Christensen said the previous meeting "was incredibly difficult, unnecessary, and a lot of trust has been broken," and urged apologies to candidates and each other. Several members echoed that sentiment and emphasized the need for clearer procedures to prevent similar impasses.
The chair characterized the Dec. 4 session as a step toward restoring a workable process: "Now that we have no resolution in place, we are not required to take any action on any specific items on the eighteenth. We can set our own timeline," the chair said. The board will return to the finalists at its Dec. 18 meeting, after a public notice of the agenda.
Actions recorded in this meeting included motions and votes to eliminate specific applicants from consideration and the formal rescission of the Nov. 20 resolution. The board did not make a final appointment at the Dec. 4 continuation meeting.
