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Saint Paul school board elects Ward chair, approves routine annual resolutions
Summary
At its Jan. 6 organizational meeting the Saint Paul Public Schools board elected Uriah Ward chair and approved a slate of annual housekeeping resolutions — appointments, banking and investment delegations, meeting schedule and committee assignments for 2026.
The Saint Paul Public Schools Board of Education elected Uriah Ward chair and completed a slate of routine organizational business at its Jan. 6 annual meeting.
Ward won the chair election by roll call amid one abstention, after Director Allen nominated him. The board also elected Erica Valiant vice chair and re-elected Carlo Franco as treasurer; Director Chantel Allen was chosen clerk. Each of the officer votes carried with six yes votes and one abstention.
The board moved through several standard annual resolutions in short order. Members unanimously approved appointments of Tom Sager, executive chief of financial services, as assistant treasurer and Sara Dahlke as assistant clerk for 2026. The board also named official depository banks and custodial banks for pledged securities, authorized the assistant treasurer to invest surplus funds under Minnesota law and district policy, and designated brokerage firms to handle securities transactions.
In addition, the board confirmed its official newspaper (read into the record as the Saint Paul Legal Ledger/Minnesota Lawyer), adopted the board policy manual, and approved the 2026 meeting schedule. The committee-of-the-board meeting dates in February, August and November were noted to fall on Wednesdays rather than Tuesdays for planning purposes.
Chair Ward thanked outgoing leadership and urged members to sign the annual policy-review forms required for board members. The board moved quickly through routine adoption votes, reflecting the organizational meeting’s customary focus on governance housekeeping.
The board set committee rosters and school focus-area assignments at the meeting, with members volunteering for policy, evaluation, sustainability, equity, and external boards including MSBA and the Minnesota State High School League.
