The Lammersville Unified School District appointed Chris Cunningham on Monday, April 16, to serve as the replacement for James Hiramoto, who retired from the board in March.

In a 3-1 vote, the board favored Cunningham out of a field of five applicants.

No stranger to the school district, Cunningham previously served as a member of the Lammersville Elementary School District board for almost 13 years. She retired from the board in 2011.

At her first district school board meeting Wednesday, April 18, Cunningham said it was good to be back.

“I wanted to come back because of the people,” she said. “I missed it.”

The decision to choose Cunningham was difficult, said the board’s president, Matt Balzarini, because of the pool of candidates. He said trustees ultimately decided it was best to choose someone with the experience Cunningham possessed.

“They all brought different skill sets,” Balzarini said. “We know Chris. We know what she is about. We know what she brings (to the table).”

Superintendent Dale Hansen said he sat in on the candidate interviews conducted by the board. He said it was exciting to see the type of people who applied to fill an interim position.

Hansen described Cunningham as a very intelligent woman who does her homework.

“She’s been there for the development for three of our schools out here, and she lives in the community,” Hansen said. “She brings a wealth of information.”

Cunningham works part time as a gynecologist for Kaiser Permanente. She will fill the position until November, when the board seat will be up for election, with the winner serving the remaining two years of Hiramoto’s term.

Cunningham said she is not sure if she will pursue the seat in November.