Some Nebo School District residents might have been concerned about increased taxes the past few years, but not enough to change the makeup of the Nebo School Board.
Incumbent Richard Lamar Wilson was elected to his second term on the board in Nebo Precinct 4, edging out challenger Danielle Hyatt in a close race. Board member Bonnie Palmer ran unopposed in Precinct 5 and will return for her third term.With only a few districts reporting, it looked like Hyatt was going to pull an upset. The Woodland Hills homemaker and mother of five led for much of the night. Hyatt is an active member of Citizens for Common Sense, a Nebo watchdog group, and she definitely would have shaken things up on the board.
But when the results from the final two districts came in, both from Wilson's hometown of Payson, the incumbent pulled away to a 251-vote victory.
"I expected it to be close," Wilson said early Wednesday.
During his next term on the board, Wilson said overseeing completion of the district's building program will be his top priority. The district bonded for more than $50 million to build several new schools.
Wilson, an education professor at Brigham Young University, also said key district programs are those that stress safety and self-reliance among students.
Palmer, a Springville homemaker, says she will push the writing-assessment program.