The school board’s newest member brings experience from both the classroom and as a parent.

Melissa Johnson, teacher and mother of senior Jazmyne Mcnair, will fill Kristie Adair’s former seat as she was unanimously voted in April 10.

Johnson is a teacher in the Whittier school district as well as a single parent of three students in the district.

“My mom is a person who relates to people very well,” McNair said. “She can look at things not only from a teacher’s perspective but also a parent’s perspective. She knows how certain decisions will affect the daily lives of students as well as teachers, and I think that is something that can at time be overlooked when things are being run by people who don’t have that daily interaction with students in the classroom.”

This isn’t Johnson’s first time joining the conversation.

“I’ve attended board meetings as a constituent for a while,” Johnson said, “And I’ve heard concerns regarding equity, funding and the district’s overall desire to provide students and staff with adequate resources and I wanted to be a part of the conversation and planning.”

With a lot of attention surrounding district decisions on funding and diversity, the school board elections seem more important than ever.

The main election will take place in November, when 4 more board members will be up for reelection.

Johnson had planned on running in November, but was happy to take over from Adair.

“I believe I can offer ideas from a different perspective regarding the decisions we have to make as board members, whether it’s equity, finance or policy,” Johnson said.