Board defers chair election after tie; approves depository, newspaper and administrative delegations

At the organizational session on Jan. 12, the Brainerd School Board opened nominations for 2026 officers and recorded nominations for Director D.J. Dondelinger and Director Sarah Spear for chair. A roll-call produced a tie; the board deferred finalizing the chair election and agreed to revisit the slate at a future meeting.

In other business the board moved and approved several routine governance items by roll call: designation of the official depository and authorization for the superintendent or director of business services to invest surplus funds, approve grants and execute contracts under $100,000 (transcript reference to a state statute in discussion); designation of the Brainerd Dispatch as the district's official newspaper; and reaffirmation of the district's primary legal counsel with authority to retain additional counsel if specialized expertise is required.

Why it matters: The unresolved chair election leaves the board operating with acting officers until the item is revisited; the financial and administrative delegations clarify who may execute time-sensitive fiscal and operational tasks during the search and budgeting season.

Noted votes and procedure: Chair called for roll-call votes on the motions described above; the minutes record individual roll-call confirmations for each approval. One director disclosed an affiliation with a financial institution and abstained from the vote on the depository authorization. The board also approved the calendar of regular meetings for 2026.

Next steps: The chair election will be revisited at the next business meeting or when the board places the slate back on the agenda.