Onalaska school board members sworn in

Garrity re-elected board president unanimously

Two members of the Onalaska school board were sworn in Monday.

Jake Speed is the new guy with, possibly, some new ideas, while Ann Garrity is the incumbent and re-elected board president.

The two ran against one another other in April’s election, along with Tim Smaby, though only Speed was on the ballot – and easily had the most votes.

Both Garrity and Smaby had to run write-in campaigns because of nomination paper mistakes that left them off the ballot. Only Garrity survived.

All appointments, Monday, were passed unanimously.

Speed and Garrity had differing viewpoints during the campaign.

Speed had said he was running to give the public a different voice.

“I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen a no vote,” he said. “I think it’s been at least five years.

“Every time you watch this stuff, it looks like it’s all pre-orchestrated. (It’s) been going on like this continuously. They just go in and rubber stamp anything the administrators bring forward.”

Garrity, on the other hand, had said she hoped the board’s working relationship could continue.

“At the end of the day, we all have to be supportive of the decision that was made,” she said. “For the years that I have been on the board, it has been a consensus board. We work together very well.”

Garrity was re-elected to board president unanimously, and the board also agreed to keep their meeting schedule of the second and fourth Mondays every month.