Minneapolis DFLers endorsed four candidates for the city's school board Saturday, a step that's been tantamount to being elected for a generation.

With two at-large seats up for grabs, delegates at the city's party convention gave the nod to Richard Mammen, 60, the director for citywide recreation with the city's Park Board. Mammen was backed by the Minneapolis teachers union.

In the other at-large school board contest, none of the other eight candidates mustered the 60 percent of delegate votes needed to clinch the endorsement, said Dan McConnell, city party chairman.

Incumbent T. Williams and David DeGrio received the most votes in what McConnell called "a dead heat."

Because of a referendum approved by voters two years ago, this year's election will be the first in which the board will expand from seven at-large seats to nine seats, six of which are elected by district.

Voters in Park Board districts 1, 3 and 5 are electing their own school board members this year.

The District 1 race was the only one with more than one candidate, and convention delegates endorsed Jenny Arneson, 34, a longtime volunteer in the school district.

Hussein Samatar, running in District 3, and Alberto Monserrate, running in District 5, neither of whom has any opposition, also received DFL nods.

No DFL-endorsed candidate for the board has lost in at least 20 years.

Board members will confront a host of headaches. Earlier this year, the board approved a plan to downsize the infrastructure of the district, which has been steadily losing enrollment for years. Schools were closed and students will be moved for next year and bus routes are being contracted.

Bob von Sternberg • 612-673-7184