When the Fulton School Board is reformed during its April 13 meeting, it will contain two new faces.
In a close battle between six candidates for three open seats, newcomers Linda Davis and Kevin Habjan and incumbent Scott King came out ahead of incumbent Clint Smith and candidates Kathy Brandon and David (Rob) Hunter.
Davis had a solid lead over the other candidates with 28.7 percent of the vote, Habjan secured his spot on the board with 17.95 and King received 16.76 percent of the vote. Hunter was next with 14.41 percent, closely followed by Smith with 14.13 percent and Brandon with 7.67 percent of the vote. Write-in candidates accounted for the remaining .39 percent.
Davis said she is excited to get started.
"I'm looking forward to working with the school board, teachers, students and community to help move our schools forward in a positive manner," Davis said.
Davis added that she wants to familiarize herself with her new role before taking a stance on issues currently before the board.
"To be honest, I think I need to just go in and get a good handle and awareness of the position and how it works," Davis said. "I like becoming completely informed on anything before I get started or make a decision."
Habjan said he was thankful for the support he has received throughout the election, noting he was "humbled by the results."
"I'm looking forward to getting to know and working with the administrators and doing what I can to make the best decisions for our school district," Habjan said.
Like Davis, Habjan said the first thing he wants to do is get settled into his new role and "educate myself on what we're working on," although there was one issue he said he is concerned with.
"We're going to transition at the high school to a new principal and vice principal next year, and I want to work on making sure that is a successful transition," Habjan said. "Of course, financial planning will also be a big issue."
Attempts to contact King, who is finishing his first three-year term on the school board, were unsuccessful.