At the Merrill Area Public Schools Board of Education annual organization meeting Monday night, the nine-member panel selected a newly elected member to be its president for the 2013-14 ending next April.
However, the person they selected, Jeff Verdoorn, had previously served as the board president for three years during a term that ended when he was not reelected two years ago.
Verdoorn was nominated for the position by Brad Kanitz while Loretta Baughan was nominated by Eugene Bondioli and Brad Geiss declined a nomination. The board then voted 5-4 via secret ballot to elect Verdoorn.
Geiss was nominated for the office of vice president by Jen Seliger, while newcomer Nubs Ashbeck was nominated by John Shull. Geiss won the ballot by a 5-4 tally.
Seliger was reelected Board Clerk and Ashbeck was named Treasurer by unanimous votes.
The board named Shull as the MAPS representative to CESA 9 while Ashbeck was named the WASB Delegate with Verdoorn as his alternate.
The board discussed changing the current format of two meetings a month during the school year to one. It was pointed out by Kanitz that the reason the Board went to that meeting format was because a single meeting would often run over five hours. In the end, they decided to leave the meeting format the same. The board only meets once a month during the summer.
The board will be responsible for finishing the 2013-14 budget and presenting it to district electors at the July annual meeting. They will then turn their attention to finding $1.2 million in budget cuts for the following school year.
Verdoorn said he would like to schedule a time where the board could spend 45 minutes discussing what each member considers a priority moving forward and hopes the group can find a common voice.
“I really look forward to working with everyone on this board,” Verdoorn said. “We have a lot on our plates, starting with a new superintendent coming on board in June.”