Curated from the meeting located at: Watch on YouTube
Highlights from the Unified School District of Antigo Board of Education Meeting of June 9, 2026
Executive Summary The Unified School District of Antigo Board of Education faced a series of voting deadlocks during its reorganization meeting on Tuesday, June 9, 2026. The board failed to elect a new president and vice president due to consecutive tie votes , and an inconclusive roll call ballot to fill a vacant board seat forced the appointment process to be extended into next week.
The meeting, chaired initially by school attorney and pro tem leader Davis Rundy , opened with the annual reorganization of the board. However, the selection of executive leadership quickly stalled:
Board President Election: The election for board president saw nominations for Mike Parizek and Danny Pyeatt. Three separate rounds of secret ballots resulted in identical 4-4 ties, failing to produce a winner. Pursuant to district bylaws, Danny Pyeatt resumed presiding over the meeting and will continue serving as president until a successful election occurs.
Board Vice President Election: A similar deadlock occurred during the election for board vice president, where Jean Adams and Angela Schreiber were nominated. Three subsequent rounds of voting yielded three consecutive 4-4 ties. Consequently, Kristen Mattmiller will continue in her role as vice president until a future election is successful.
The board conducted public interviews to fill an open seat left by a vacancy on the board. While 12 candidates initially submitted letters of interest , candidate Gloria Pagel withdrew her name from consideration prior to the interviews. The remaining candidates—including Donna Smith, Melissa Cornelius, Bob Wilson, Jeremy Hanky Senior, Ellen Disterhaft, Don McCann, Randy Myers, George Shenners, Rebecca Rank, and Beverly Christ—each answered eight identical questions regarding fiscal responsibility, academic achievement, public scrutiny, and ethical leadership. To ensure a fair process, the questions were kept strictly confidential by the board secretary, Deyonna Shannon, alongside the superintendent and the president prior to the session.
Following the interviews, the board held a roll call vote. To be successfully seated, a candidate needed a majority of five votes from the eight-member board. The single ballot failed to produce any candidate with the required five votes, as one candidate received two votes and the remaining votes were split individually among other candidates.
The decision to halt voting after only one ballot sparked a debate among board members. Some members expressed frustration and suggested narrowing the pool down to the top candidates to reach a majority. President Pyeatt and attorney Davis Rundy clarified that stopping after one inconclusive vote is past practice under district policy to ensure fairness.
Key Action Items and Next Steps:
Interested individuals must submit a letter of interest to Secretary Deyonna Shannon at the district office between Wednesday morning and Thursday, June 11, 2026, at 3:00 PM.
The vacant board seat selection will be placed on the agenda for the next meeting on Monday, June 15, 2026.
The board will be required to utilize completely new interview questions for the next round to maintain confidentiality.
President Pyeatt appointed members and chairs to the board's standing committees for the upcoming school year:
Human Resources and Finance Committee: Chaired by Daniel Nicholson, with Angela Schreiber serving as a member and one vacancy remaining. This committee meets on the first Monday of each month at 4:30 PM.
Buildings and Grounds Committee: Chaired by Angela Schreiber, with Abby Maddock and Jean Adams serving as members. It meets on the first Monday of each month following the HR/Finance meeting, starting no earlier than 5:00 PM. President Pyeatt noted that if a chair is absent, the sitting president serves as chair because the board does not utilize co-chairs.
Curriculum, Instruction, Pupil Services, Technology, and Human Growth and Development Committee: Chaired by Treasurer Jill Mattek Nelson, with Kristen Mattmiller and Mike Parizek serving as members. It meets on the first Monday of each month no earlier than 5:30 PM.
Policy Committee: Chaired by Kristen Mattmiller, with Angela Schreiber and Daniel Nicholson serving as members. This committee meets on an as-needed basis rather than monthly.
Additionally, Jean Adams was appointed to a three-year term as the district's CESA 9 representative, filling a vacancy left by Scott Peterson's resignation. President Pyeatt appointed himself as the delegate for the January 2027 Delegate Assembly after no other members volunteered , and Angela Schreiber was named the alternate delegate. The appointment for the Joint Review and Tax Increment Finance (TIF) district representative was postponed until the next meeting.
The board voted to designate the Antigo Daily Journal as the district's official publication. Board member Angela Schreiber raised concerns that a subscription-based newspaper might restrict community access compared to the free Antigo Times. However, the board noted that state statutes prevent the Antigo Times from qualifying because it lacks the minimum 300 subscribers and proper registration. Journal reporter Chelsea noted that major stories and public meeting notices remain free to the public online. The designation passed via a voice vote.
In personnel matters, the board approved a list of new hires. Board members highlighted the exceptionally strong applicant pool, which included up to 42 applicants for a single position and multiple candidates holding up to 20 years of experience.
Concluding Sentence The next meeting of the Board of Education is scheduled for Monday, June 15, 2026, where the board will attempt to resolve the vacant seat appointment.
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