PONDERAY — The Lake Pend Oreille School Board unanimously approved the results of the 2025 November election Tuesday.

The December meeting was the final scheduled meeting for 2025 and the last meeting for Zone 5 trustee and vice chair Tonya Sherman, who did not run for reelection in November. Replacing Sherman as the downtown Sandpoint representative is Mahle Williams, who ran unopposed. 

"If I could pick my replacement, Mahle would be my pick,” Sherman said. 

Mahle Williams moved to Sandpoint in 2013 after being born and raised in Missoula. She currently serves as the outreach coordinator for the Panhandle Alliance for Education and has experience with the Bonner County Mothers Club. 

“We're excited to have you on the board,” Board Chair Lonnie Williams said to Williams. “We got to spend some time with Mahle down at the ISBA conference. She came down and it was great to spend some time as a board all together so that we can hit the ground running in January.” 

To celebrate Sherman’s four years on the board, LPOSD Superintendent Dr. Becky Meyer gifted her a flower plant that will thrive in winter. Meyer thanked Sherman for her work and dedication to the students. 

“Thank you to Tonya for four years,” Meyer said. “Her pay didn't increase; she got no raises the entire time and the benefit to help our kids.” 

In November, Zone 2 trustee Jalon Peters and Zone 3 trustee Lonnie Williams ran unopposed and as such won reelection. Peters was first elected in 2022, earning a second term as a trustee, while Lonnie Williams won a third term after first being elected in 2017. 

Lonnie Williams has served as chair of the board since November 2024 when former Boad Chair Geraldine Lewis resigned but was officially unanimously appointed in January 2025. 

The LPOSD board’s next scheduled meeting is Jan. 13, 2026, at 5 p.m. in Ponderay, where Mahle Williams will sworn in.