Sharon Van Leer, the South Washington County school board candidate who on election night held a slim lead for one of five seats on the Nov. 5 ballot, had the victory affirmed in a two-day recount that ended Nov. 22.
She will join Katie Schwartz, a full-time student and stay-at-home mom from St. Paul Park, as the two new faces on the seven-member board when they are sworn into office in January.
Van Leer, who works as a multicultural affairs specialist for William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul, entered the recount with a five-vote advantage over Molly Lutz, a middle school PTO president.
During the recount, Van Leer picked up one additional write-in vote, a school district news release said.
She secured one of the four four-year seats up for election. The others went to Schwartz and incumbents Tracy Brunnette and Katy McElwee-Stevens.
Incumbent Laurie Johnson won a two-year term.
Van Leer grew up in the Rondo neighborhood of St. Paul and now lives in Woodbury. She and her husband, the Rev. Thomas Van Leer, raised six children and 30 foster children. The foster children, "many of whom came from broken and dysfunctional homes, were able to receive a quality education," she wrote in a recent e-mail.
Schwartz was the top vote-getter among the 14 candidates seeking four-year seats. She told the Star Tribune in October that she wanted to work to close the achievement gap and "to make sure that all students are ready for life after high school."
