THE Dos Palos Joint Union Elementary School Board will receive a new member at its December 8 meeting according to results of the November 3 election.

Kuldip Mahal led the elementary race with a total of 573 votes from the Merced and Fresno County voters. He will be filling the seat of incumbent Lynn Skinner who was defeated during the election with a total of 425 votes overall in ‘both counties.

Incumbents Will George and Jim O’Banion were reelected into Office, George with 526 votes overall, O’Banion with 528,

Two other “candidates in the elementary race fared well. Elementary teacher Clint John receiving total of 478 votes, housewife and mother Dorothy Robertson receiving 254 votes,

“I feel great about the election”, Mahal said. “The credit (for his win) goes to all the people who worked for me and the public at large. They are the ones who did it for me”.

Mahal said he believes the public was making a number of statements by granting him the number ‘of votes he received during the election.

“Number one they don’t want a new school”, he said. “They also ‘want the school environment improved, they want a board to be responsible to the community and they are concerned with the superintendents salary travel expenses, credibility and how he deals with the teachers, classified staff and public’.

“Feel the original intent of the board members was to serve without compensation and till serve without any compensation at all”, he said. “I would rather see that ‘money spent on the children”

‘Mahal said he believes the new ‘board’s main goals will be to look at how to improve the curriculum, review personnel’s salaries, find a solution to the overcrowding situation and learn to spend funds in an efficient manner.

“The board needs to spend money as if it was their own money”, he said. “More carefully, like they do with their own at home”.

O’Banion said he was pleased with the outcome of last week’s election,

“I think it’s going to be an enjoyable situation,” O’Banion said. “I’ve talked to Kuldip (Mahal) and I think I will enjoy working with him?

‘O’Banion said he believes his past performance on the board is what assisted him in his win.

Article extracted from this publication >>  November 27, 1987