Valley, Carter Elected to Fenton School Board

In a tight race, Tamara Valley and Daniel Carter have emerged as Fenton school board members.

Phillip Price, Charles Colombo, Carter, James Shaw and Valley competed for two open four-year positions on the Board of Education. School board President David Walker and Trustee Roger Ellis' terms will expire in June, and they will not be returning to their posts.

Valley tallied nearly 26 percent of the votes, while Carter compiled more than 23 percent. Price finished with about 22.5 percent, while Colombo collected nearly 15.5 percennt and Shaw had about 12.5 percent.

Valley, a businesswoman with experience in accounting, wants to see high academics standards retained without sacrificing activities such as band and sports.

She spent most of Tuesday evening with her daughters at gymnastics, but she was happy to see she was ahead when she came home.

“I’m excited,” Valley said.  "I think I am going to get real busy real quick.”

Carter has been involved with several Fenton Area Public Schools groups, including the International Baccalaureate Committee and the Fenton Athletic Foundation. Other than the pressing issues of the budget, he feels strongly about parent involvement with children's education.

“It’s a big responsibility, and I’m excited to take it on,” Carter said. “I’m going to do the best that I can. It’s definitely an honor. A lot of people showed their trust in me.”