Three new faces to sit on Columbia Board of Education
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Columbia Board of Education will have three new faces when it meets again.
April Ferrao, John Lyman and Paul Harper took the top three spots in the field of seven. The group included only one incumbent -- Chris Horn. Horn came in fifth place behind former state Rep. Chuck Basye.
Ferrao won the election with 11,521 votes. Paul Harper came in second with 9,642 votes, and John Lyman secured the third seat with 8,821 votes.
Ferrao's friends and family cheered with joy as the election results rolled out.
"I really want them to know that I want to serve you know that I want to serve all of them, you know I want them to reach out if they have any concerns or questions I want to be their person," said Ferrao.
"Well, the things I ran on are increasing teacher compensation, changing the culture and the curriculum to improve student outcome, and also financial transparency," said Harper.
Lynman said he is excited to work on the board with his new coworkers and to serve Columbia parents, teachers, and students.
View the results of the election on ABC 17 News' website.
A couple of the more conservative-leaning candidates, including Basye and Potter, watched election results at D. Rowes in Columbia.
Potter opposed Columbia Public Schools' mask policies during the pandemic. He frequents Columbia BOE meetings where he shares his views during public comment.
Basye sued CPS and the Board of Education in the winter to ensure his name got on the ballot. A judge ruled in favor of Basye on Jan. 30, saying the district broke the law by not allowing Basye to file. CPS claimed he missed the deadline to make an appointment to file while schools were closed for winter break.
Basye is also a regular at BOE meetings. The former state representative was interviewed on ABC 17 News on the day of a school shooting in Nashville. He said teachers and volunteers should be armed.
Horn was among board members who supported renewing Superintendent Brian Yearwood's contract while some abstained.
Gordon ran on three words to describe his campaign: Equity, accessibility, and trust according to his campaign website.
Harper is running on the promises of providing teachers with policies and resources to ensure student success and prioritize transparency and fiscal responsibility, according to his campaign website.
Ferrao is looking to address mental health challenges for both educators and students as well as recruit and retain a well-qualified workforce according to the mission statement on her campaign website
