Putting the calendar issue to the side for a meeting, the Albert Lea School Board elected its officers for the year on Monday night.

After swearing in new board member Dave Klatt, the board shifted to elect its officers.

Former Chairwoman Linda Laurie nominated board member Mark Ciota to be chairman. Board member Jill Marin seconded the nomination.

Ciota accepted the nomination and the board unanimously voted him chairman.

“I would be honored to do it,” Ciota said. “It’s a privilege and an honor.”

Laurie nominated board member Bill Leland as vice chairman, and Ciota seconded it. Marin said she believed the board needed a new direction, so she announced she couldn’t support the nomination. However, the rest of the board approved the choice.

Klatt nominated Laurie to the position of clerk, and Leland seconded; and Leland nominated board member Julie Johnson to the position of treasurer, and Klatt seconded. Both of these elections were unanimously approved by the board.

The board also appointed members as committee representatives. All of the board members kept their previous positions, but Klatt was appointed to the policy committee to replace former board member Jeshua Erickson. Klatt was also appointed to the business education committee, replacing Laurie.

In other news, the board:

• Heard from community members in a public forum.

Angie Hanson, who has a third-grade son and teaches special education in the Southland School District, spoke about the proposed calendar and said a modified calendar is not needed to provide remediation. She also said mandatory summer school is a drastic measure and the board should find out why parents are opting out of summer school before making it a mandate. Hanson said there are other solutions, such as offering online opportunities.

Tony Hill, owner of Hill’s Gardens, spoke to the board about taking a community vote about the proposed calendar. Hill said the board is struggling right now and a vote would get a true reading of the community. While the vote wouldn’t be legally binding, Hill said that Cindy Jackson with the Minnesota Department of Education said there is no reason why a community couldn’t vote on the issue.

Approved the board meeting schedule for the 2015-16 school year. Marin suggested pushing the start time of the meetings back to 5:30 p.m. to allow parents who work until 5 p.m. to make it to meetings. The board accepted that change.

Discussed the Minnesota School Board Association leadership conference.