Mary Groeper and Austin Jones have won re-election to the Wright City R-II School Board after a close race against two challenger candidates. Following the results of last week’s voting, the two longtime board members are reflecting on what they should learn from this election as the district prepares to build a new high school.

Groeper and Jones both said they’re grateful for the community’s enthusiastic support for two ballot propositions that will provide financing for construction of the new school and several other facility projects. The propositions will supply a combined $52 million, and were approved with overwhelming voter support.

Groeper commented that she was confident in the propositions after speaking with many community members and hearing little negative feedback.

“When we canvassed ... (almost) everyone we talked to was very excited about the opportunity to build the new school,” Groeper said, adding that good planning gave voters confidence. “I think we’ve been good stewards of taxpayer money. We’ve been able to pay off bonds early. And also to have purchased that land (for the new school) years ago.”

Despite the hugely positive vote for the funding propositions, voting for the candidates themselves was much closer. About 2 percent of votes was the difference between the second and third place candidates in the four-way race for two board seats.

Jones said it’s important to acknowledge the viewpoints of community members who supported the challengers in the election, Elizabeth Dean and Frank Zykan. Bullying, communication with parents, and the content of instruction about race, sex and history were all topics of concern raised by potential voters.

“The question we need to ask is, ‘Is that a valid concern?’ And if it is, what’s the fix for it?” Jones commented. “I’m not saying everything that’s been brought up is correct. But at the end of the day, my responsibility as a board member is to communicate that I heard what you said, explain my decisions, and reinforce that I understand their point of view.”

Another concern was transparency, Groeper added. She said board members are discussing how they can provide more frequent updates about what the board and district are doing.

“Especially with the building project coming up, to let people know where we’re at, how it’s going, and how we’re staying on budget,” Groeper said.

This election also highlighted the presence of a growing number of new residents in the Wright City area, who bring more diverse perspectives and expectations to the school district. The two board members, who have each served for more than two decades, said they need to actively engage with more of these new community members to learn about their perspectives.

One other facet of this election that Groeper has made particular note of is a perceived increase in outside political influence in local school elections. On more than one occasion, Groeper has commented that some of the issues in the election were based on outside political talking points, rather than the reality of the Wright City School District.

“We’re going to make decisions based on what’s best for kids, not based on our political affiliations,” Groeper commented. “(Board members) don’t always agree with each other, but we respect that each of us are there for the good of the kids, not for the good of a political party.”