by Theodore Tollefston

Independent School District 200 in Hastings will be having their biannual election this November for three seats on the district’s school board. The current three members of the Hastings School Board whose seats are up for reelection are board chair Kelsey Waits, vice chair Dave Pemble, and at-large member Scott Gergen. Both Waits and Gergen have filed for reelection to the ISD 200 School Board this fall but Pemble will not be seeking re-election.

The other four candidates who have filed for election are Jessica Dressely of Hastings, Mike Reis of Hastings, Tashina Miller of Hastings, and Carrie Banaszewski Tate of Hastings. Anna Sieben of Hastings had filed for candidacy before the August deadline but withdrew herself from the election.

A forum for the candidates of the District 200 School Board will take place on October 5 from 6:00 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Hastings High School auditorium. The Hastings Chamber of Commerce is looking for questions and topic ideas for the forum that can be sent to the general staff email of the City of Hastings by September 27. These questions and topics will be reviewed by a committee before selections are made.

The forum will also be broadcasted by Hastings Community Television both on channel 16 for cable and streamed on Facebook for those who will not be able to attend the forum in person. There will be a reception for those attending a half hour prior to the start of the forum.

All school board candidates will be in attendance for the forum.