When a vacancy opened up on the Fort Dodge Community School District Board of Education a few weeks ago, the board received significant interest from members of the community to fill that seat.

On Monday, the School Board held a special meeting to interview six candidates and consider the appointment.

Dan Altman, a pastor at New Covenant Church, was ultimately chosen to be appointed to the board. The appointment will be approved at next week’s regular board meeting.

“We appreciate the fact that when you do this, you kind of put yourselves out there,” Board President Stu Cochrane said to the candidates. “Just the fact that you’re here and interested in serving the community and students and staff of this district is commendable.”

Other candidates at the meeting were Keenan Schuur, Jen Fitzgerald, Brad McIntyre, Nick Lara and Jeremy Munden.

Schuur, a real estate broker in Fort Dodge, has two children who are in Fort Dodge schools. He told the board that initially, he and his wife had sent their kids to a private school, but later made the decision to enroll them in Fort Dodge schools.

“It’s been one of the best decisions that we’ve made,” he said. “They’ve excelled far past our expectations and I think that speaks a lot to the teachers and administrators because we’ve seen firsthand that they actually care about the kids’ wellbeing and making sure they’re on track.”

Schuur also said he believes the community and the school board need to work hand-in-hand on recruiting and retaining teachers in the district, showing them what the Fort Dodge community has to offer.

Munden is a youth pastor at Northfield Church of Christ and told the board that his background in working with kids — including two years as a school teacher — as well as several years working in banking and earning a master’s degree in accounting, make him a prime candidate for the school board.

“Strong schools lead to strong communities and that’s something to leverage as we look to grow our community,” he said.

As an assistant Webster County attorney, McIntyre said his job gives him insight on issues that the community faces that can bleed over into the schools.

“I’m seeking the appointment because I really do strongly believe in public education, I believe in this district,” he said. “It’s been just 15 years since I walked across that stage with my now-wife at graduation, and I know it’s a difficult time for a lot of public school systems in the state, but I also know a lot of good about this community and that’s why my wife and I came back here after I graduated law school.”

A lifelong Dodger, Lara, who works as a mechanical engineer at Georgia-Pacific, feels the need to serve the community he raised his family in.

“It’s more about legacy and giving back to the community that I’ve been proud of my whole life,” he said.

Fitzgerald, a sales director at Fort Frenzy and the Cardiff Center, makes being involved in her community a priority. She and her family have also hosted several foreign exchange students throughout the years, which she said she likes to do because it brings new cultures into the community for students and teachers to experience.

Altman previously served on the school board after being appointed in July 2020 to fill a vacancy. He served just a few months, until losing his seat in the September 2020 school election.

“I’m passionate about the community,” Altman told the board. “I moved back to Fort Dodge specifically because I wanted to make a difference in the community.”

All of the current board members said they were impressed with the six candidates, adding that they felt all of them were extremely qualified to serve on the board.

“I don’t think there’s a bad choice to have here,” board member Angie Tracy said.

After a brief deliberation, the board members took a vote, ending with a three-way tie with Munden, McIntyre and Altman, each with two votes. The board continued its discussion and took a second vote, this time with Altman receiving four votes and McIntyre receiving two.

Tracy encouraged the candidates to run for the school board during the next school election, even if they aren’t selected for this appointment.

“So often our board elections are unopposed, and I don’t know why,” Cochrane added. “Every one of you brings tremendous assets to the community, so remember that when we do have a board election.”

The board vacancy was created on Feb. 14, with the resignation of former board member Dan Hansen. Hansen resigned for “personal reasons,” he said.