The race for three seats on the Hastings School Board has grown to at least five candidates, giving voters a contested election to decide in November.
Melissa Kinneman filed an affidavit of candidacy Monday, July 20, followed by Kendal Larson on Tuesday, July 21. Their filings came after Carrie Banaszewski Tate, Mark Zuzek and Jessica Dressely entered the race during the opening days of the filing period.
Tate, Zuzek and Dressely are current members of the Hastings School Board. All three are seeking another four-year term.
The three incumbents were the only candidates listed when the Hastings School Board election was covered in last week’s newspaper. The subsequent filings by Kinneman and Larson increased the field to five candidates seeking three available positions.
The candidate filing period was scheduled to close at 5 p.m. Tuesday, July 28, after this edition’s press deadline. Additional candidates could have filed during the final hours of the filing period.
As of 5 p.m. Monday, July 27, the candidates listed for the election were Banaszewski Tate, Dressely, Kinneman, Larson and Zuzek.
Candidates who filed for office have until 5 p.m. Thursday, July 30, to withdraw. The field will become final after the withdrawal deadline passes.
The general election will be held Tuesday, Nov. 3. Hastings voters will select three candidates to serve four-year terms on the seven-member School Board.
The three seats are currently held by Tate, Zuzek and Dressely. Their present terms expire at the end of 2026, and the terms for those elected in November will begin Jan. 4, 2027.
Hastings School Board members are elected at large, meaning candidates do not represent individual wards or sections of the school district. Voters throughout Independent School District 200 may vote for the candidates seeking the three seats.
The addition of Kinneman and Larson changes what had initially appeared to be an uncontested election. With at least five candidates seeking three positions, voters will now determine which three will serve on the board during the next four years.
School Board members are responsible for establishing district policies, approving the annual budget and hiring and evaluating the superintendent. The board also makes decisions involving educational programs, district facilities, staffing priorities and long-term planning.
Members serve staggered terms so all seven positions are not on the ballot during the same election. Four seats are filled during one even-numbered election year, with the remaining three positions decided two years later.
Candidates were required to file an affidavit of candidacy with the school district clerk and pay a $2 filing fee before the July 28 deadline. Filings were accepted at the Hastings Public Schools district office at 1000 W. 11th St.
The next major date on the election calendar will be Friday, Sept. 18, when absentee voting begins. The general election will follow on Nov. 3.
Election results must be canvassed, or formally reviewed and certified, no later than Friday, Nov. 13.
A final candidate list will be available following the close of filing and the July 30 withdrawal deadline. Unless the field changes, voters will choose among three current School Board members and two challengers for the three available positions.