Byron school board split on vice chair

Byron’s school board held its annual organizational meeting last week, electing every officer except the vice chair.
David Wernimont was elected board chair, Carrie Delaney the clerk and Jeremy Aagard the treasurer for 2026. The vote for vice chair ended in a 3-3 tie between Lisa Jessen and Kelli Crary, with Wernimont not in attendance. The board will vote again at their Jan. 20 meeting.
Committee and board representative assignments for 2026 include Alisha Eiken and Jessen for Legislative Liaison, Crary and Delaney for Early Childhood Family Education, Jessen and Aagard for Community Education Advisory Council, Wernimont and Crary for Policy Committee, and Aagard for Minnesota State High School League. Wernimont, Eiken, and Nadia Poluhina will serve on Facilities; Eiken, Poluhina, and Delaney on Budget; Aagard and Crary on Hall of Fame; Jessen with City Council; and Delaney for ZED.
Auditor for the year is Smith, Schafer Associates; Legal Counsel is Ratwik, Roszak & Maloney PA. The board named Ehlers as financial advisor, and First Security and MN School District Liquid Asset Fund and TD Ameritrade as legal depositories.
A decision on the designated legal newspaper was moved to the Jan. 20 meeting after a question was raised about whether to appoint the Dodge County Independent, which is a weekly newspaper in Dodge County, or the Rochester Post Bulletin, which is a daily newspaper in Olmsted County.