Cumberland County Mayor Allen Foster swore in four members for the Cumberland County Board of Education on Aug. 26.

The board members taking the oath of office were Anita Hale for 4th District, Chris King for 6th District, Scott VanWinkle for 2nd District and Travis Cole for 8th District.

“I’ve always believed that leadership is about service to our constituents, and that’s why I know everybody was here tonight,” said Foster.

Foster, a former school board member himself, gave a few words of advice to the new and returning board members.

“The one thing I would tell you, especially to those that are newly elected, is don’t take a vote personally,” said Foster. “That’s hard to do. Don’t take it personally. You’re going to disagree with different people. And that’s a good thing.”

“That’s how democracy is supposed to work,” said Foster. “That’s how the best ideas are born. But disagreement doesn’t mean you can’t get along. That’s what I’ve always strived to do, even when I was sitting up there as chairman a long, long time ago. So speak up when you have a different opinion. Say what you need to say. Be respectful, vote your conscience and then let it go. Don’t take it personally.”

Foster stressed the importance of keeping the students at the forefront of all of their decisions. Foster said that the board members need to work together for the sake of the students because they are the most important people. He emphasized how important the job of the board members is.

“I know there’s a lot of different backgrounds, a lot of different thoughts and opinions, and I want everybody to understand that that’s a good thing,” said Foster.

Hale and King both ran unopposed in the elections. VanWinkle will be taking the seat of Robert Safdie for the 2nd District. Cole will be taking the seat of Teresa Boston for the 8th District.

The new members will take office on Sept. 1.

The next BOE meeting will be Sept. 10 at 4 p.m. in Central Services