Harris, McDaniel-Browning and Wiener win spots on school board

The+school+board+meets+on+select+Mondays+throughout+the+year+at+6+p.m.+at+the+Willis+Education+Center.+The+full+meeting+schedule+is+available+online+on+the+districts+website.

Kaitlyn Gorsuch

The school board meets on select Mondays throughout the year at 6 p.m. at the Willis Education Center. The full meeting schedule is available online on the district’s website.

Kaitlyn Gorsuch, Editor-in-Chief

The general election took place on November 3, which included the school board election with 5 candidates running for the 3 open spots on the board.
Melissa Harris, Michael Wiener and Jayna McDaniel-Browning won the race. Harris and Wiener each received roughly 23% of the votes and McDaniel-Browning received roughly 20% of the votes.
After Harris found out she won the election with the most votes, she said she couldn’t believe the results.
“[Winning the election] seemed unreal until Mrs. Kegley called me the next morning to congratulate me and welcome me to the board,” Harris said. “I still have that feeling of being unreal from time to time.”
The newly elected members of the board will be sworn onto the board at the first meeting in January. Their term will last for 4 years.
McDaniel-Browning decided to run for school board originally in 2013 after she was co-chair for the DCS Building Levy.
“This was an opportunity to serve our wider school community and get to know our staff, administrators and board members,” McDaniel-Browning said.
Harris said her campaign goal was originally to try to have a clearer connection between the board and what was happening in the district.
“I had the same feelings of being overlooked and unheard that the students expressed when they shared their stories,” Harris said. “I knew I needed to be on the board to ensure each student is being heard.”
Wiener and McDaniel-Browning were both running for re-election. Wiener has been serving on the board since 2018 and McDaniel-Browning has been serving on the board since 2014.
“I was so impressed by our leadership team and their dedication to our DCS family that I was inspired to stay involved,” McDaniel-Browning said.
Harris said she wanted conversations to be focused on the students and how to better help them, not on a person’s own political beliefs.
“I kept repeating my message and focus on student and teacher needs,” Harris said. “The voters in our district respected my commitment which was evident in their votes.”
In addition to McDaniel-Browning, Harris and Wiener, Matthew Weller and Ted Backus serve on the board as well. Both their terms will end in 2023.
“I was, and am, incredibly grateful to the many people who supported my candidacy through words and deeds,” McDaniel-Browning said. “I am humbled by their trust that I will continue to work in the best interests of our students, staff members, and our school community.”