by David Hill
Editor
Nine individuals applied for the vacant school board position in Thief River Falls. Six decided to participate in the interview process that took place Wednesday, Sept. 6. The successful candidate would fill a seat vacated by Kayla Lian, who accepted a job as dean of students at Lincoln High School.
Following the interviews, the Board of Education offered the position to John Syvertson. Syvertson has accepted. The term would expire Dec. 31, 2024.
The six applicants interviewed Sept. 6 for the one-year term on the Board of education included: Dr. Rene H. Mooney, Luke Stavos, Jared Kainz, Lindsay Gregory, John Syvertson, and Alicia Brereton.
Ryan Walseth, chairman of the Board of Education, said he felt good about the large number of candidates. He said it’s a very rewarding job. He added, however, that members of the Board of Education are very much in the public eye.
The interview process included asking the candidates seven agreed upon questions. Questions ranged from what interested candidates to apply for this position to what would they would do if the Board of Education made a decision they did not agree with, and how they would handle it if the Board of Education had to make cuts because the levy referendum failed.
Each candidate was asked the same question, but a different candidate was chosen to be the first person to answer each question. At the conclusion of the interview process, members of the Board of Education ranked each of the candidates.
Walseth told the candidates that no matter who is chosen, he hopes they will consider running for office during the next election.