On Nov. 7, Edina voters had the opportunity to elect four members to the Edina School Board. The School Board’s responsibilities include, “working with the administration to determine the district’s educational goals, interpreting the needs of the community regarding the educational program, and advocating for students with lawmakers,” according to the Edina School Public Schools website. A school board election is held every two years.

Leading up to election day, twelve candidates ran for the four open seats on the Edina School Board. Polls were open until 8 PM Tuesday night and results came in shortly after, revealing the four new board members. Returning members David Goldstein and Lisa O’Brien failed to get re-elected, resulting in the welcoming of four new members: Erica Allenburg, Matthew Fox, Ellen Jones, and Owen Michaelson.

Allenburg was the most popular candidate, garnering 13.6 percent of the votes. She centered her campaign on the foundations of excellence and a passion for education. Allenburg believes in keeping open communication for Edina residents to voice their needs in terms of creating the best education for students of all grades in the Edina Public Schools.

Fox followed close behind with 13.14 percent of the votes and after his victory, posted a message on his election website emphasizing his hopes for the future. “We need strong leadership on our board who will provide the right direction for our schools and communicate with increased transparency,” Fox said.

Jones came in third with 11.94 percent of the votes. Her campaign focused on the tradition of aspiration and excellence in wake of major chances to the district. Jones believes in creating a modern and healthy learning environments for students of all abilities.

Michaelson snapped up the last seat on the school board with 10.69 percent of the votes, having run on a platform of putting education first and focusing on “teaching students how to think, not what to think,” according to Michaelson’s campaign website.

Along with the four candidates, Edina voters voted on the newly proposed levy, to increase the budget on how much money the Edina Public Schools spend on each student in the district. The levy easily passed with the support of 70.5 percent of the voters and will replace the $1,412 per student that will expire at the end of this school year. By 2020 the district will be spending $2,075 per student each year.