The Grosse Pointe school board election was held on Tuesday, Nov. 8 and ushered three new members into the selective group.

The three candidates are Valarie St. John, Sean Cotton, and Ginny Jeup. The race for school board was close, with Jeup securing her place by just 14 votes. With her campaign out of the way, St. John is excited to begin positively impacting students’ lives, believing it a worthwhile experience for what she hopes to achieve.

St. John wants to focus on funding. Even though the state of Michigan controls funding for the schools, her goal is to prioritize teacher salaries.

“Definitely want to prioritize the teacher salaries and make sure they feel appreciated and valued so that all teachers stick around,” St. John said.

Similarly, Cotton wants to learn more about the students and what they are struggling with in their school activities.

“I intend to engage with students through one-on-one meetings,” Cotton said, “in order to learn more directly from students.”

Cotton thinks that the best way to learn from mistakes is from those meetings with the students.

“Meeting with students is where I will start to identify how we can grow and improve,” Cotton said.

Jeup wants to also work with the students and teachers to help the students succeed in their school activities.

“Our board has a great opportunity to work together to support our kids and staff, and to help set them up for success,” Jeup said.