Stillwater schools’ newest board member is a longtime former junior high school principal who unsuccessfully ran for a seat in 2016.
Donald G. Hovland was appointed to the Stillwater School board during their July 12 regular meeting with a unanimous vote. He replaces Tom Lehmann who left the board after Gov. Mark Dayton appointed him as judge in the 10th District Court.
Hovland was principal of Stillwater Junior High for 26 years and served one year as an interim assistant superintendent for the district. He has also taught at the University of St. Thomas and in Montana and North Dakota.
“I feel like I owe the district a lot,” Hovland said of his interest in the school board. “I had 27 great years here.”
He was one of 10 candidates who sought a seat on the board in 2016 when the district was divided over school leaders’ decision to close three elementary schools. At the time, Hovland and the majority of other candidates said they were against the closures.
Hovland’s appointment to Lehmann’s seat means a majority of the Stillwater board initially opposed the decision to shutter Withrow, Marine and Oak Park elementary schools. But Hovland said he has no interest in overturning past decisions.
“I’m coming on the board as a unifier, not a divider,” he said.
Board members and district officials have worked hard to move beyond the controversy surrounding the “Building Opportunities to Learn and Discover,” or BOLD, plan that led to the school closures. The board approved the plan as a way to use limited resources more efficiently and equitably.
Parents who opposed closing the schools filed multiple lawsuits, which have since been dismissed, and backed two candidates who won seats on the school board. The seats of other board members who supported the closures are up for election this year.
Jennifer Pelletier, board chair, said nine people applied for Lehmann’s seat, and the board spent five hours interviewing them. She said the school closures didn’t come up once during the interviews.
“We had some truly remarkable candidates all around,” Pelletier said. “The process went very smoothly.”
Pelletier added that Hovland’s longtime commitment to the district and community stood out.
“What struck me, on a personal level, was he kept saying he wanted to give back,” she said. “I think he’s given so much already, and I think he wants to continue to do so. We are so excited to have him.”
Hovland’s first board meeting will be Aug. 23. His term will expire in January 2019.
Hovland said he was interested in running for the seat this fall but hadn’t made a final decision. Candidates for the four seats up for election this year have to file between July 31 and Aug. 14.
