The man that Sam Fant tapped to replace him on the school board will get the opportunity to do exactly that.
Eric Duncan Sr., a youth football coach in Weston Ranch, will be sworn in tonight as one of two new board members who were elected last month in a cycle that saw five seats up for grabs for the first time in recent memory.
And it’ll also be the first in at least 30 years that there will be four trustees on the school board with less than two years of experience each.
Joining Duncan Sr. will be newcomer Bob Wallace – who will replace outgoing Board President Deborah Romero for Area 7 – along with trustees Stephen Schluer and Kathy Howe, both of whom were elected to serve the remaining two years of the four-year terms that they were appointed to less than a year ago.
Michael Seelye, who represents Area 3, will get another full four-year term – his third – to round out the crop of those who will be sworn in tonight at the Manteca Unified Administration Building, located at 2271 W. Louise Ave.
Both Wallace and Schluer were shoe-ins after nobody challenged them in the election, and Howe was overwhelmingly elected with more than 73 percent of the overall vote. Seelye beat out newcomer William Klump 52.2 percent to 47.8 percent, while Duncan had to wait until the last round of ballots were counted before it was clear that he was officially on the school board. Only 75 votes separated him and challenger West Walker.
Alison Ordner came in third in the contest.
There are no board action items on tonight’s agenda. 
After the five board members are sworn in, the new board will vote on the new president, vice president and clerk and will vote on a pair of resolutions concerning the structure and administration of the board. They will also adopt the board meeting dates for the 2017 calendar year, and assign members to committees and commissions.

To contact reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.