Tuesday’s elections were held for the District 428 school board with many of the candidates in agreement that the board faces some important decisions in the near future.

There was a small number of votes separating the third and fourth place finishers; 222 of the 17,493 votes cast to be exact.

Jennifer Hayes, Andy Small and Mike Verbic defeated Joyce M. Lieberman , Misty Haji-Sheikh, Michael Welsh and M Cecil Smith. Hayes, Small and Verbic collected 18, 16 and 15 percent of the vote, respectively.

The time spent going door-to-door to win over voters was an unforgettable experience for some.

“I was going door to door for months,” Verbic said. “Now I look forward to serving on the board.”

There are serious issues that the school board is facing, he said.

“The growth and development of the district is an issue that needs to be addressed,” Verbic said.

How the school district will deal with finances is also at the forefront for other newly elected board members.

“Finance and facilities is a huge issue that we need to address and that is where my experience is,” Hayes said. “I am ready to get started.”

Diversity, especially at the high school, is an area that returning school board member Small would like to see addressed.

“We need to make sure that it is a warm and welcoming community,” he said.

In the future, DeKalb is going to have to address issues about a referendum to fund the schools, he said.

“I am a tax payer, and I do not want to see my taxes go up,” he said. “But we as a community have to decide what our priorities are.”

Smith predicted the school board would be in good hands with its new members.

“I have no regrets,” Smith said. “The school board will be well served.”