Antigo board adopts counsel’s selection process, appoints two members after multi‑round votes

The Unified School District of Antigo Board of Education adopted a structured selection process from district counsel on June 15, interviewed nine candidates, narrowed the applicant pool to four finalists, and appointed two people to fill two vacant seats.

Why it matters: With two board seats vacant, the board used a multi‑round voting procedure intended to produce finalists quickly and to avoid protracted delays. The appointments change the composition of the elected body and may affect forthcoming votes on agenda items the board deferred to a follow‑up meeting.

Process adopted: The board voted to follow a memorandum from district counsel that called for four rounds to reduce nine applicants to four finalists and then majority votes among the finalists to fill individual vacancies. Board members discussed concerns about voting format (voice vote versus electronic device) and whether a secret ballot was permissible; counsel and the chair noted state statute limits on secret ballots for governmental bodies. Board members agreed with the counsel’s structure and an amendment to use roll call procedures throughout the process passed unanimously.

Interviews and narrowing: The board randomized candidate order and used seven interview questions for each applicant. After four rounds following the counsel’s procedure (including a tiebreaker runoff when two applicants tied), the finalists were Randy Meyers, Carol Bardau (listed as Carol Bardau/Bardau in the transcript), Donna Smith and Melissa Cornelius.

Appointments and tallies: In the majority vote for the first vacancy, Randy Meyers received four votes and was appointed; he was then administered the oath of office. For the second vacancy, the board held runoff rounds among finalists; Melissa Cornelius emerged as the successful candidate after runoff voting and was administered the oath as well. The board clerk and several members read the tallies aloud during the process.

Direct quote from counsel and board: District counsel (Davis) answered questions on procedure, explaining that his recommendation was “a reasonable option for the board to consider” to ensure seats could be filled; the board then approved the approach and the roll‑call amendment by recorded device. A board member summarized: “We will use the process laid out to us by our council Davis Ley,” after the roll‑call amendment passed.

What the board did next: With the appointments complete, a motion to postpone remaining agenda items to a reconvened meeting on June 22, 2026 at 7:00 p.m. passed and the board adjourned at 10:40 p.m. The postponed items include other business and consent items that were not reached earlier in the long meeting.

What’s next: The newly appointed board members were given brief orientation and device set‑up instructions; the board will resume consideration of remaining agenda items at the June 22 meeting.

Notes on transparency and procedure: Several board members asked that notes taken during interviews remain private (treated as individual notes) and discussed potential future policy changes to clarify ballot methods for filling vacancies. Counsel and administration framed the process as compliant with state statute and as a one‑time special procedure for tonight’s appointments.