Saturday’s Eanes school election gave a seat at the table to new member Colleen Jones, unseated six-year-incumbent Mike Monnig and gave interim appointee James (Kal) Kallison a chance to finish the remaining two years of the term he took on when he replaced Gail King last year.

With a bond referendum looming in the future and $125 million in options being discussed as possible items, the school board election took on even more meaning for voters struggling in a down economy.

Jones, who ran on a platform of increased transparency in district administrative activities and stringent community oversight of the bond process, was not surprised at her win in the Place 6 election over Monnig by a margin of 58 percent to 42 percent.

“I think people were more interested in this campaign than usual because of the issues,” she said Tuesday. “Transparency in this district is a huge issue. The bond and the large numbers being discussed in that process stirred a lot of attention. Win or lose, the [election] was a good process. When it gets people communicating and airing issues, it’s a good process.”

Kallison retained his Place 5 seat , edging challenger Sharman Reed with 53 percent of the votes to 47 percent. He said it is impossible to know for sure why people vote the way they do, but that he did take two clear messages home from his campaign time in the neighborhoods.

“I kept hearing that people have a legitimate concern about the financial stability of the district,” he said. “And I heard from some people that they have some concern that the district not just maintain the status quo, but move ahead into the future with a solid master plan in place.”

Kallison said that move ahead could include the possibility of a new elementary facility and better maintenance of current facilities.

“Other people also expressed a ‘hunker down’ sentiment brought on by a tough economy,” he said. “I don’t think those two perspectives are mutually exclusive.”

Kallison said in the near future, his eyes will be focused on the same thing the eyes of the voters seem to be focused on – the bond.

“It’s absolutely imperative the board move forward on a bond package we can put before voters this November,” he said. “We need to clearly decide what goes into the bond and how the items that do go in fit into the district’s master plan.”

Jones said she’ll focus on making board choices and discussions open as the district heads further into the bond process. She wants to make sure that budget cuts are made the furthest distance from the child, she said.

“The more open a school board can be, the more informed communities can be and the more active in the process,” she said. “There is so much we can tap into with our parent resources. We should take advantage of that. The board shouldn’t have to research everything on its own.”

Jones said she already has connections researching the possibility of setting up a bond oversight committee in the district.

“We want to see how that is done in other communities and how that kind of oversight committee could work here as well,” she said.

Jones said she is not against the bond itself.

“I think each item needs to be decided carefully,” she said.

She thinks the school board should pay attention to the recent election results, her win over an incumbent candidate and the closeness of the other contested race. She hopes it will reinforce a message – that local residents and voters are paying close attention to the bond process.

“Hopefully that will influence the board as we go through the process and make sure we have a bond that will pass the voters,” she said.

TOP PHOTO: Place 5 winner incumbent Kal Kallison, left,  greets Trey Dolezal at the Eanes school distirct administration building Saturday.

LOWER PHOTO: Place 6 winner Colleen Jones, left, does last-minute campaigning at the Valley View Elementary School polling place with Trey and Anne Wilfong.