School board election set for June 7

Elections for the New Rockford-Sheyenne School District No. 2 will be held on Tuesday, June 7, and the NR-S school board is primed for a change.

Two seats on the NR-S School Board are up for grabs this summer, and only two candidates are running. One member must be elected from the former New Rockford District, while the other can be elected from anywhere in the district.

Mike Jacobson, current vice president of the school board, has filed for the three-year position from the original New Rockford District he already holds, while Eric Perleberg has filed for the other three-year position currently held by board member Alyson Myhre.

Myhre, however, has not filed for reelection.

“Both of my kids are now grown and out of high school,” said Myhre, when asked why she’s moving on from the school board. “So I feel like I should make room for others who are more actively involved in the school system to serve in that position.”

A member of the board for nine years, Myhre has served on multiple committees and in a variety of roles for the district, including as president and vice president, and she’s grateful for the time she’s spent serving on the school board.

“I really enjoyed being a part of the school board,” she said. “I learned a lot about how the school system works. Coming on to the board, I really had ideas of what a school board does, only to find out that it is actually quite different from what a lot of people maybe assume about how school boards function.”

Among the district’s many accomplishments during her time as a board member, Myhre is particularly proud of the bond referendum passed in 2017 and completion of the school’s remodeling project in 2019.

Looking forward, Myhre hopes the district continues to grow and foster a healthy learning environment for students.

“Our student population is growing, and I hope that continues,” she said. “I hope that our community is able to support that growing population and it’d be awesome to see our school stay in the forefront.

“We really are a forward-thinking district,” she added, “and I think we’re very fortunate in that regard.”

NR-S Superintendent Jill Louters expressed gratitude for Myhre’s years of service on the school board, and appreciation for her focus on students.

“Ms. Myhre's service to the district has been exemplary; she is a thoughtful leader, focused on student success experiences,” said Louters. “She has been a strong proponent for programs that support student emotional health.”

Though she says she’ll miss serving on the board, Myhre is anticipating a bright future for the NR-S School District, and she’s hopeful that future board members will steer NR-S in the right direction.

“I will definitely miss it, but it’s time for some younger people to be able to take over and I’m sure there’s tons of people out there with awesome ideas,” she said, “and they’ll do a great job and take our school forward and it’ll be wonderful.”

The polling place for this year’s school board election will be the lobby of the New Rockford-Sheyenne Public School gymnasium, at the north entrance.

Polls will be open on June 7, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.