Nicki Russell, Doug Moeller and Jason Paulsmeyer were elected for three-year terms on the Blair Oaks R-2 Board of Education in Tuesday's municipal election.
Moeller received 328 votes (26.03 percent), Russell received 373 votes (29.60 percent) and Paulsmeyer received 330 votes (26.19 percent).
Tina Lear received 225 votes (17.86 percent).
There were 1,260 votes cast in the election, including four for write-in candidates.
Russell, the board's current treasurer, is the chief auditor at the Missouri State Employees' Retirement System and a parent of two Blair Oaks students. She also volunteers as a parent advisor for the district's counseling team and with the FFA alumni.
Russell said the students are her top priority and construction of the new high school should be the board's primary focus. She said there needs to be space at the new high school for an adequate learning environment and to free up space at the other schools. She also hopes the district eventually can get a preschool.
Russell said the board must also continue to make plans in regards to COVID-19.
"Figuring out what is the best move for our community and for our school and for our students, that's going to be something else that the board is going to have to address," she said.
Moeller, a current board member, has been a farm assistant on Carver Farm for Lincoln University for the past 18 years. Moeller said his top priorities are that the new high school is built in a timely manner and students receive an education on a wide variety of topics.
He hopes the new high school will encourage growth of the fine arts and agricultural and industrial program opportunities.
"It feels good to proceed on to give the community three more years of volunteer time," he said. "Blair Oaks is a wonderful, wonderful school to be involved with."
Paulsmeyer served on the Board of Education from July 2018 to April 2019. He was one of five candidates who ran for two open seats on the board in last April's election.
He is the chief counsel for the Missouri Local Government Employees Retirement System. He has lived in the Wardsville area for about 10 years. He has a daughter in seventh grade and a son in second grade at Blair Oaks. He is a member of the Wardsville Lions Club and the Missouri Bar, and he coaches various sports for Parks and Recreation and the YMCA.
Paulsmeyer said his top priorities are monitoring and evaluating construction of the new high school and planning how to reopen the school buildings in the summer and fall.
"Touching base on where we are as far as being able to restart in person - both during summer school and in the fall - is definitely going to be a hot topic right off the bat," he said.
Lear said she hopes the candidates' first priority is getting students back to school in the safest way possible by consulting with local health experts and getting input from parents.