John Lyman will be the new Columbia School Board president.
The school board voted on new leadership in a reorganization meeting Monday night.
Lyman previously served as the vice president for the school board. He now begins a two-year term as president, and will take the place of former president Suzette Waters.
"John Lyman is the logical choice because he's the vice president now," said Waters. "He's been exposed to a lot of the leadership meetings and discussions."
The board also voted on other positions, such as the vice president. Here is an updated list of the newly selected school board leaders.
- President: John Lyman
- Vice President: Paul Harper
- Treasurer: Heather McArthur
- Secretary: Noel McDonald
Additionally, the school board welcomed newly elected member Erica Dickson. She replaces outgoing member Blake Willoughby.
Dickson was elected and Waters reelected to the school board in the April 8 municipal election.
After the board selected new leadership, the board held it's regular session.
There, CPS updated the school board on a new compensation proposal. They are recommending a $10.1 million increase to the 2025-26 operating budget. The majority of this would go towards increasing employee salaries and benefits.
The district estimates that the average employee salary for the 2025-26 school year will be just under $60 thousand dollars. This would be a nearly $3,000 increase from this year's average.
