Wausau School District board shortlists four applicants for vacant seat; interviews set for Oct. 13

The Wausau School District School Board met Sept. 29 to hear statements from candidates seeking to fill a vacancy for an unexpired term running from Oct. 13, 2025, through April 26, 2026, and selected four applicants to advance to interviews at a special meeting on Oct. 13, 2025.

Board Chair opened the meeting at 5:00 p.m. and explained the process: candidates could make brief statements or submit written material (which, if submitted, would be read aloud by district staff). Board members were instructed to mark three names on secret ballots; an initial vote produced a tie, which the board voided and conducted a revote.

The board advanced four candidates to the interview round: Cody Nikolai; Charles Berger; Michelle Gleeson; and John Huntington. Chair said the four will be interviewed at the Oct. 13 special meeting, and that the current session was for statements only, not formal interviews.

Several applicants summarized their backgrounds and reasons for applying. "I did serve on the board for three years," Cody Nikolai told the board, noting prior service and familiarity with ongoing district matters and saying he plans to run in next April’s election if appointed. Charles Berger described his community roots and professional experience and recounted a family story he said underscored the value of education: "That man was my father," Berger said, referring to his father’s experience and the role education played in his life.

Michelle Gleeson, a lifelong district resident who cited volunteer work with mental-health and child-advocacy organizations and experience in nonprofit and healthcare operations, said she would "bring integrity, a collaborative spirit, leadership, and an open mind" to the board. Liberty Heitman described two decades in higher education and workforce-development work and emphasized creative approaches to reach students whose learning "may not look the same as the student sitting next to them." Kimberly Savilla, joining remotely, described her background in pediatric physical therapy and said she and her family recently moved to the Wausau area.

District staff member Bushman read multiple written letters of recommendation submitted on behalf of candidates, including several endorsing Charles Berger that described years of volunteer work supporting Wausau West athletics and other district programs.

After the revote — required because the board declared the first tally void due to a tie — the chair read the names of the four applicants who will move forward for interviews: Cody Nikolai, Charles Berger, Michelle Gleeson and John Huntington. The board then moved and seconded a motion to adjourn; members voted in favor and the meeting ended.

The next step is the Oct. 13, 2025 special board meeting, when the board will interview the four shortlisted candidates and later decide whom to appoint to serve through April 26, 2026.