On Tuesday night, several teachers gathered in Santa Clara’s China Stix restaurant to watch the results of an election that could tip the balance of power on SCUSD’s school board.

When the results of the election became clear, many teachers and staff breathed a sigh of relief.

Voters had booted out current board members Ina Bendis and Christine Koltermann, who have been at the center of controversy. And they had voted in the three candidates backed by the teachers’ union – Noelani Sallings, Jodi Muirhead, and incumbent Andrew Ratermann.

SCHS bookkeeper Barbara Schofield said that the election results could “take the board back to working for the benefit of students and parents, and the community.”

Bendis and Koltermann, along with current board member Chris Stampolis, were widely perceived by educators as engaging in micromanagement, unfair allocation of funds, and infighting. Two years ago, many administrators left the district, citing the school board’s behavior as a primary reason.

English teacher Elizabeth Molnar said she feared another exodus from the district if the board did not change. “I predicted a mass flight of really good teachers,” she said.

Molnar canvassed for the board candidates supported by the teacher’s union, going door to door with flyers.

According to biology teacher Eric Wozadlo, the board majority formed by Bendis, Koltermann, and Stampolis had a history of “advocating their own agenda and continuing to antagonize teachers.”

The board voted to censure Stampolis after he was given a restraining order barring him from Peterson Middle School’s campus. The order was issued in response to charges from Peterson’s principal Sue Harris, who said that Stampolis had harassed her and other staff members on campus. He still has two years of his term left.

Sallings and Muirhead have both been active as volunteers in the school district. Ratermann, who was re-elected to another term, is a retired music teacher.

Teachers like Molnar and Wozadlo hope that the new board will be able to accomplish “positive change.”

“I don’t know what’s going to happen,” said Molnar, who watched the election closely, “but it felt like someone had opened a window and let some fresh air in.

Reporting contributed by Ellie Houseman