David Bobo was appointed to the Shelby County Schools Board of Education Place 2 to fill an unexpired term in 2017, but a victory in the Tuesday, Nov. 6 election will give Bobo a full term on the Board.

Bobo, running as a Republican, received 57,207 votes, or 70 percent, to Democrat challenger Susan Lehman’s 24,592 votes, or 30 percent, with provisional ballots yet to be tallied.

Bobo, who is the director of community and media relations at Jefferson State Community College, said he was “humbled and honored” by the results.

“My focus has been, all along, that we want continual improvement—every school, every student,” Bobo said. “That’s what we’re looking for.”

Bobo said he is proud that Shelby County School consistently ranks as the top county school system in Alabama but pointed out that rankings are relative.

“We want more than that,” he said. “What I really want us to ask is, ‘Are we being the best we can be?’”

SCS serves students across a wide range of demographics, Bobo said, and officials must ensure they are meeting the needs of all students.

“I think we’ve been doing a good job, but let’s see if we can be even better,” he said.

Campaigning was a new experience for Bobo after being appointed to the Board initially.

The position on the Board aligned with Bobo’s priorities of improving education, which Bobo said was something he would work toward no matter whether he is part of the Board.

“I always want to help students and prepare them for what’s next,” Bobo said.

Lehman congratulated Bobo and thanked her supporters in the election.

“I want to thank everybody who has knocked on doors and made phone calls and helped me to get the word out,” Lehman said. “My campaign was really about the future of our kids, working to make sure all our kids no matter where they live in Shelby County have access to the best education possible.”

Lehman was a teacher for 23 years, and now as a real estate agent has a deeper understanding of just how important schools are to communities, she said and added that she would continue her involvement with Shelby County Schools.

Alabaster and Pelham breaking away from SCS and forming their own systems was evidence there are issues that need to be addressed, Lehman said.

“We live in one of the most affluent counties in our state; unfortunately, my feeling is our schools don’t always reflect that,” she said. “I hope that our school board moving forward will realize that fact and will do everything they can to make all our schools among the best in the state of Alabama.”