Applause echoed through the rotunda of Baltimore City Hall as Mayor Brandon Scott swore in new members to the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners on Wednesday.

New members Emily C. Ames-Messinger, Stefan L. Lallinger and Ashiah S. Parker were appointed by Scott and took the oath of office Wednesday as new board representatives replacing Ateira Griffin, Durryle Brooks and Vernon Reid.

Scott also swore in Dylan Rooks, the elected student commissioner, and Khalilah Slater Harrington and Andrew Coy, current members who were reappointed. Commissioners serve three-year terms, with the exception of the student representative who is on the board for one year.

The mayor appoints nine out of 12 commissioners.

The Mayor’s Office of Children and Family Success reviews applications for the position, scheduling follow-up interviews with a community panel. From there, recommendations are sent to the mayor, who conducts interviews and makes the final appointments. The new commissioners were selected from one of the largest applicant pools in years, Scott said.

“It is no secret that our young people mean the world to me and that they are our most precious resource,” Scott said. “When we deal with these roles, we look for the best of the best to serve the students of Baltimore.”

The appointments come days after Baltimore City Public School System CEO Sonja Santelises’ previous contract expired. The school board agreed with Santelises after delayed negotiations for her to continue in the position under a one-year contract with an annual salary of $349,989, despite her asking to stay longer.

School commissioners do not receive any pay, a city schools spokesperson said. But that may change.

A task force was established by state law to examine compensating the city’s school board members. The group’s March report recommended $20,000 per year for the board’s chair, $18,500 for the vice chair, $18,000 for other commissioners and $15,000 for the student member, which could take the form of compensation and/or a scholarship.

After raising their right hands and repeating the oath Wednesday afternoon, each commissioner signed the oath book, and Scott placed a pin onto them. While the newly appointed commissioners have different experiences, all of them have children in Baltimore City schools.

Parker serves as the director of the No Boundaries Coalition, a community organization in West Baltimore, and has more than 20 years of experience in public administration, Scott said. She grew up in Baltimore County and attended public schools.

“[There’s] a lot of work that needs to be done on the school board, so I’m just excited to make an influence,” Parker said.

Lallinger, a nonprofit executive and policy expert, has experience as a teacher, principal and district leader, Scott said. He also served as an adviser to school boards nationwide.

Ames-Messinger has a similar background, starting her career as a teacher at Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High School before transitioning into other roles in social work and serving as a community school coordinator. She now works as the assistant director for the Intensive Climate Cohort at the University of Maryland School of Social Work.

Being a school board member wasn’t something Ames-Messinger had been thinking about for a long time, she said in an interview. She said it was a quick process, only applying for the position in May, but she learned a lot.

“I felt that I brought a different voice and a different perspective and decided to jump in, and I’m delighted to be able to serve,” Ames-Messinger said.

Ames-Messinger said she hopes to bring her expertise and connections to the role, helping to facilitate conversations with different organizations and “asking lots of good questions and being prepared to listen to what the answers are.

“We have a lot of really brilliant problem solvers in Maryland and Baltimore,” Ames-Messinger said. “One of my favorite things about being in Baltimore is that they’re just people that are always looking to solve the next problem in any way.”