Both newly minted Austin School Board members took officer positions at the first meeting of the year Monday.

Aaron Keenan and Jeff Kritzer were sworn in yesterday and were respectively voted in as treasurer and vice chairperson. Long-time board member Dick Lees was voted in as school board chair after taking the Oath of Office Monday, as he began a new term.

School board member Diana Wangsness was elected clerk.

In their first action, other than electing officers, the new board again selected the Austin Post-Bulletin as the official legal newspaper of the district.

The district accepted the Post-Bulletin’s bid of $2.95 per column inch to publish legal notices of the district. The bid was identical to that of the Austin Daily Herald’s.

This rate is 9 percent less than that offered and accepted by the Post-Bulletin last year.

“Being that the Post-Bulletin is our current paper, I recommended that we stay with them,” superintendent David Krenz said.

Board member Curt Rude was present at the meeting, making it the first he’s attended since suing former superintendent Candace Raskin and Austin Public Schools in November.

Rude declined to comment on whether he plans to remain on the board for the duration of legal proceedings.

He abstained from voting for a chairperson during the meeting, but did vote for other officers and on the legal notices question.

The board will hold a closed legal strategy meeting — which Rude cannot attend due to attorney-client privilege — Friday afternoon.

The next public meeting of the Austin School Board is Jan. 11 at 6:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers.