The Minneapolis school board has a new leader.
Rebecca Gagnon won the seat in Tuesday's officer election at the board meeting. Kim Ellison kept her seat as vice-chair.
Gagnon and Ellison are joined in board leadership by former board chair Jenny Arneson as treasurer and new board member Bob Walser as clerk.
The vote for chair was the first decision of the board with its three new members added Tuesday. It split the board; members KerryJo Felder, Siad Ali, Ira Jourdain, Gagnon and Walser voted for Gagnon, with Walser as the swing vote. Board members Ellison, Arneson, Don Samuels and Nelson Inz voted for Inz as board chair.
The decision for chair was tied before it came to Walser's vote, who briefly thought about his choice at the table before announcing his pick for Gagnon.
Gagnon is in her seventh year as school board member and most recently served as school board treasurer.
Members Felder, Jourdain and Walser were sworn in Tuesday, and Ellison was re-sworn in for her seat. New student representative Gabriel Spinks of Edison High School also took his seat at the board table.
Top: The Minneapolis schools board members (including newly sworn-in members) at the Tuesday, Jan. 10 school board meeting.
