Four Win Rochester School Board Seats

Incumbents Cathy Nathan, Jean Marvin and Justin Cook joined newcomer Ana Folpe in winning seats in the midterm election.

Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Administration

Live Poll

Do you trust your local school board to serve families well?

Four candidates won seats on the Rochester School Board in the midterm election held November 3, 2026, each to serve a four-year term. Winners were Cathy Nathan, Jean Marvin, Justin Cook and Ana Folpe, all endorsed by the Rochester Education Association.

Why it matters

The board election was held under a purely at-large system, in which all candidates ran against one another and the top four vote-getters won, replacing the former seven-seat alley system. The same election also saw Karen MacLaughlin win the Olmsted County attorney race, and because she cannot hold two elected positions at once, she will leave the school board.

Four winners took the board's four seats with vote shares between 14.77% and 16.51%, under a system that replaced seven alley-based seats. Vote totals for all candidates and turnout figures were not provided in the extraction.

The players

Rochester Education Association

The teachers' union that endorsed all four winning candidates, serving as a major organized voice in Rochester public school politics.

Karen MacLaughlin

A longtime Rochester School Board member who won election as Olmsted County attorney and will leave the board as a result.

The details

Under the former alley system, the board was divided into seven seats and candidates competed only against others running for the same seat. Under the new at-large method, every candidate ran against every other, and the four with the most votes were seated. Karen MacLaughlin's county attorney win means she will leave the board, and Dan Workman, who served 16 years, is not among the winners.

Tuesday, November 3, 2026: Midterm election held and votes counted
Four-year term: newly elected board members serve for four years

Seasonal Patterns

The shift from the seven-seat alley system to a purely at-large method marks a departure from the district structure the board had used, and it changes how every candidate competes for a seat.

Rochester families who follow the school board will now see four newly seated members for four-year terms. The board's at-large election method means any future candidate will compete against the full field rather than only those running for a specific seat.

The takeaway

Voters in Rochester chose a board that will be seated under a new at-large system, and residents who want to track its decisions can follow the four new members' four-year terms. Changes in board membership and election rules are worth watching over the coming years.