Dyer resident Janice M. Malchow will join Don Basco, of Dyer, and John DeVries, of St. John, on the Lake Central School Board in January.
The 61-year-old director of grants and professional learning for an Illinois school district defeated both incumbent Valentine Lozanowski, 52 of Dyer, and challenger Sandra Lessentine, 42, of St. John.
In the three-way race for Lozanowski’s at-large School Board seat, Malchow garnered 7,182 votes compared with 6,660 for Lessentine and 4,943 for Lozanowski.
During the campaign, Malchow said she understands budget limits which face school districts, but her chief concern is the Indiana Department of Education’s A-F grading system for school districts introduced by state Superintendent Tony Bennett.
Neither Basco, 47, nor DeVries, 71, were unopposed in the races for their at-large school board positions.
Basco received 15,013 votes while DeVries garnered 16,162 votes.
First elected in 2008, Basco said among the chief concerns of Lake Central schools is the loss of more than 100 students has resulted in lower state funding totaling more than $500,000.
DeVries has been a School Board member for more than a decade and said that low state funding is a major challenge.
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