Jennifer Scheets emerged from six candidates Tuesday night as the newest member of the Houston school board.
Scheets, 34, was chosen to fill the vacancy left by longtime board member Sharon Horbyk, who resigned in May. She was nominated by board member Sam Kelley and approved with a 4-1 vote. Leon Slape dissented.
“She is a parent in our community and actively involved in several organizations, so we are very pleased to have her onboard,” Superintendent Scott Dill said. “We think she will be a valuable addition with a unique perspective and voice on the board.”
Six citizens –– Scheets, Bethany Wells, Darren Ice, Todd Haley, Tadd McCloud and Carl W. “Chip” Lange –– filed for the seat and participated in the open session process to fill it. Candidates were interviewed in a panel format during a June 30 special board meeting.
Scheets was voted in, sworn in and participated in her first meeting in the same night.
“We were pleased by the entire process,” Dill said. “There was no poor choice by any stretch. Any of the people who put their names into consideration for the spot would have made good board members. I hope to see all of them in an April election at some point.”
A 1999 Plato High School graduate, Scheets lives in Houston with her husband and HHS graduate Jarid Scheets. She is a realtor at VIP Properties and has five daughters – three who are enrolled in the Houston R-1 School District.
Scheets will complete the remainder of Horbyk’s seat that expires in April 2016.
“I am very excited for this opportunity and look forward to serving my community in helping with the education of our students,” Scheets said. “This is a great honor. I want to say ‘thank you’ to the board members for giving me the chance to give back to a school that has not only done so much for my children, but for the children in our district.”