Two new International Falls Independent School Board members and an incumbent were sworn into office Monday night during a special meeting in the high school cafeteria.
The new members are Mike Holden, who led all candidates in votes in November, along with Gordy Dault and Michelle Hebner. The only other major item on the agenda was to elect officers but the board instead decided to table the decision until its next meeting, Holden said.
Holden, president of the Koochiching Labor Assembly, said he wants to see teachers and board members finally come to an agreement in negotiations. Teachers have been working without a contract since June 2011 and rejected the board’s last offer in October.
“I want to try to get the board united so we don’t have any tie votes,” Holden said. “I also want to see the contracts approved and sealed so we can move forward.”
Holden said he’s “for the teachers and also the other staff from the janitors to the paraprofessionals.” Moving this issue forward will be a great relief for the board and staff, allowing them to focus completely on other subjects. He said settling the contract also will “be for the kids.” “That’s what this job is all about, preparing for the future,” Holden said.
Hebner, who works for Boise Inc. and has been on the board since 2006, was the only one of three members up for re-election that won. She’s said she wants to focus on making positive improvements in the district.
Dault, a retired Falls High School principal, finished third in the race. He ran on a platform of providing leadership in order to give students the best education possible.
“We’re looking forward to a fresh start,” said Education Minnesota International Falls Local 331 union president and Falls High School social studies teacher John Sandberg. “I just think we’re going to have better relations with these board members than the last group.”
Sandberg said now that the new board is installed, he hopes talks will resume in the new few weeks.
