Melissa Johnson, right, receives a congratulatory hug from Margaret Weisbrod Morris, left, after being unanimously appointed to the Lawrence school board on Monday, March 27. Both were candidates for the seat vacated by Kristie Adair last month.

The Lawrence school board unanimously appointed Melissa Johnson, a teacher and mother of three, as the board’s newest member Monday.

Johnson, 38, was chosen from 18 applicants to fill the seat vacated by Kristie Adair, who resigned last month citing scheduling conflicts with her tech startup business. A former Marine, Johnson entered the teaching profession after graduating with a degree in elementary education from the University of Kansas in 2007, and now teaches second grade at Whittier Elementary School in Kansas City, Kan.

“I’m not one that’s usually brought to tears, but it’s just that I love children so much,” Johnson said minutes after board members announced her appointment — a moment that ended with a few happy tears on her end.

“I love teaching, and I know that every teacher that’s teaching now — they do it because they’re passionate about the kids, and passionate about bringing forth change,” she continued. “So, that’s what I want to do.”

Newly appointed school board member Melissa Johnson, center, talks with school board member Jessica Beeson, left, and school board vice president Shannon Kimball, right, after her appointment to the board on Monday, March 27. Johnson, a teacher and mother of three, will begin her term with an official swearing-in at the board's April 10 meeting, slated for 7 p.m. at the district offices at 110 McDonald Drive.

Johnson has lived in Lawrence since 2005, where her three children attend Lawrence High School and Liberty Memorial Central Middle School. She has also been an active participant in school board meetings over the last several months, and brings “a much-needed and missing perspective” to the board as a person of color, longtime board member Vanessa Sanburn said Monday.

Johnson, who is African-American, joins the school board amid calls from many in the community to diversify the board in response to the Lawrence district’s ongoing equity issues. Sanburn and school board president Marcel Harmon both remarked on Monday that input from the community had largely been in favor of Johnson’s appointment.

“I also believe Melissa has the support of many in the community who have been critical of the board and the district in its handling of equity and transparency relating to the issues over the last several months that we’ve faced,” said Harmon, who also praised Johnson’s leadership skills and ability to collaborate with board members. “And I view her addition to the board as a great opportunity in rebuilding trust with those community members moving forward.”

Board members began Monday’s meeting by discussing their first choices for the position. All but Rick Ingram selected Johnson as their top pick. Ingram initially endorsed Ruben Flores, an associate professor of American studies at KU, but said later that Johnson was his second choice and that he was pleased with the board’s unanimous decision to appoint her.

School board members have said recently that a candidate’s willingness to file for election to the school board — and retain Adair’s seat beyond the end of her term in January — would be an important factor in determining the next board member. Johnson filed to add her name to the ballot earlier this month, and on Monday expressed hope that she’d be able to serve on the board “for as long as I can.”

There are three seats up for election this year — those currently filled by Harmon and Sanburn, and the one left vacated by Adair. The deadline to file for the school board is June 1. A primary election, if needed, will be held Aug. 1, and the general election is slated for Nov. 7. James Alan Hollinger, one of the 18 candidates vying for Adair’s seat, has also filed for election to the board.

Johnson’s term will officially begin after her swearing-in at the board’s next meeting. That meeting will be held at 7 p.m. April 10 at district offices, 110 McDonald Drive.