Election night school board and tax measure results, how DeSantis’ candidates did, and more

Primary election results: Tuesday was primary election night in Florida. School board seats were on the ballot in most state districts, and several districts had school tax issues for voters to consider. In nonpartisan races such as school board seats, candidates who received more than 50 percent of the vote won the seat outright. In races where no one received a majority, the top two vote-getters advance to the general election Nov. 8. In the governor’s race, Charlie Crist crushed Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and two other candidates to win the Democratic nomination. He faces incumbent Ron DeSantis on Nov. 8. There was also other education-related news in the state on Tuesday. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:

Governor’s recommendations: Gov. DeSantis made the unusual decision this year to endorse local school board candidates. He said they are “committed to advancing a bold education in Florida,” and that “parents can rest easy knowing that these candidates will fully support their rights, support good curriculum and ensure that students reach their full potential in our K-12 system.” Most of them — at least 21 out of 30 — won their races in Tuesday’s primary voting, and eight of his picks unseated incumbents. Politico Florida. Florida Politics. WUSF. WKMG.

Miami-Dade: One longtime school board incumbent was edged in a close race Tuesday. District 8 board member Marta Perez lost to Monica Colucci by a margin of about 54 percent to 46 percent. Perez had held the seat since 1998. In District 2, incumbent Dorothy Bendross-Mindingall won more than 75 percent of the vote against La-Shanda West. Roberto Alonso won the District 4 seat with about 57 percent of the vote over Maribel Balbin and Kevin Menendez Macki. And in District 6, incumbent Mari Tere Rojas got almost 64 percent of the vote to defeat Sandra Manzieri. Miami Herald. A student at Palmetto Senior High School was airlifted to a hospital with traumatic injuries after reportedly jumping off the third floor at the school Tuesday. A witness said the student was standing near a railing on the school’s third floor and then jumped. WSVN. WFOR. Miami Herald. WTVJ.

Broward: A measure that will double school property taxes was approved by Broward voters by a 57 percent to 43 percent margin. The tax is projected to raise about $267 million over the next four years to pay for teacher raises and hire additional school safety and mental health staffers. Six school board seats were also on the ballot, and two of the three incumbents were easily re-elected. In District 7, incumbent Nora Rupert got 59 percent of the vote against Merceydes Morassi, and incumbent Lori Alhadeff received about 61 percent of the vote in her race against Kim Coward for the District 4 seat. The third incumbent, Donna Korn in District 8, won just 30 percent of the vote against three challengers and will meet Allen Zeman in the runoff after they finished in front of Raymond Adderly III and Mourice Hilton. In District 1, Rodney Velez received 41 percent of the vote and will pair off against Marie Murray Martin in the runoff. Paul Wiggins finished third. Jeff Holness and Ruth Carter-Lynch won more votes than Antonio Burgess, Clifford Coach Sr., Jeff Holness, Nathalie Lynch-Walsh and Jimmy Witherspoon, and will run head-to-head Nov. 8. Also heading to a runoff are Steve Julian and Brenda Fam in District 6. John Canter finished third. Sun-Sentinel. Miami Herald. WPLG. More testimony describing Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz’s troubled childhood was presented to the jury Tuesday. Even when he was in day-care, he got into fights, was described as intellectually slow, barely spoke and occasionally acted like an animal, said the director of the preschool he attended. The defense is arguing that Cruz was damaged even before birth because of fetal alcohol syndrome, as they attempt to convince the jury to sentence him to life in prison instead of death. Sun-Sentinel. Associated Press. WPLG. WTVJ. Summarizing what happened Tuesday in the sentencing trial of Cruz. Sun-Sentinel. Palm Beach Post.

Hillsborough: A measure to raise property taxes by 1 mill to increase pay and help recruit and retain teachers and expand art, music and physical education programs appears to have failed by about 925 votes out of 221,000 cast, but school officials said they are hopeful it will be close enough for an automatic recount. Three school board races also were on the ballot. In District 2, incumbent Stacy Hahn received almost 64 percent of the vote to easily beat Damaris Allen. In District 4, Patricia Rendon avoided a runoff against either Hunter Gambrell or Danielle Smalley by collecting 53 percent support. Incumbent Karen Perez is trying to avoid a runoff in District 6. Unofficially, she received 50.7 percent of the vote, compared with 37.5 percent for Alysha Legge and 11.7 percent for Roshaun Gendrett. Tampa Bay Times. WUSF. WTVT. WFTS. A Hillsborough High School student has been arrested for bringing a gun to school, according to Tampa police. The gun was found after another student tipped off the school resource officer. WFLA. WTVT. WFTS. A second teacher from the Children’s Land of Imagination Academy preschool in Odessa has been arrested and accused of child abuse. Tara Ballou joins school owner Rong Lui in being charged. WFLA.

Orange: A special 1-mill property tax was renewed by voters Tuesday by an 82 percent to 18 percent margin. The tax will pay for teachers’ salaries and arts, sports and activities for students for the next four years. Four school board seats also were on Tuesday’s ballot. Teresa Jacobs won re-election to her chair position with 69 percent of the vote, besting Demensio Barton and Carl Brewer. In District 1, incumbent Angie Gallo was supported by 63 percent of voters to defeat Rachel Kirby. Maria Salamanca and Heather Ashby are moving on to the runoff for the District 2 seat, and in District 3, Allican Farrante and Michael Daniels were the two top vote-getters and meet again in November. Orlando Sentinel.

Palm Beach: Two school board incumbents won handily but a third appears headed for a runoff in November. District 3 incumbent Karen Brill easily beat challengers Connor Frontera, Bailey Lashells and Kristen Stevenson, and in District 4, incumbent Erica Whitfield whipped Angelique Contreras. But in District 6, incumbent Marcia Andrews appears headed for a runoff because the unofficial results gave her about 48 percent of the vote. Her opponent will be Jennifer Showalter. In District 7, Edwin Ferguson and Corey Smith each won more than 40 percent support and will meet again in November. Christopher Persaud finished a distant third. Palm Beach Post. Sun-Sentinel. WPTV. WPEC.

Duval: Voters narrowly approved a property tax increase of 1 mill that will be used to improve pay for teachers and fund arts and athletics programs. About 53 percent of voters supported the tax. Two school board races were also on the ballot. In District 2, April Carney upset incumbent Elizabeth Andersen with a little over 52 percent of the vote, while incumbent Charlotte Joyce received almost 59 percent of the ballots cast to defeat Tanya Hardaker. Florida Times-Union. WJXT. Florida Times-Union. A spokesperson said this week that the school district has worked with state officials and has corrected the errors in underreporting school crimes, noted in the report from the statewide grand jury. In the report, the grand jury was critical of former district police chief Micheal Edwards. WJXT.

Polk: Incumbent District 3 school board member Sarah Fortney was edged by challenger Rick Nolte in Tuesday’s primary election by a vote of 51 percent to 49 percent. In District 5, the longest-serving board incumbent, Kay Fields, slipped past Terry Clark with about 53 percent of the vote. Justin Sharpless narrowly defeated Sara Jones in District 6 with 51.4 percent of the vote, and District 7 incumbent Lisa Miller collected 42,4 percent of the vote and meets Jill Sessions in the runoff. Lakeland Ledger. Lakeland Now. WFTS.

Pinellas: Two school board races were decided Tuesday and two others are headed for runoffs in November. Incumbent Lisa Cane received almost 56 percent of the vote to retain her District 2 seat outright. Brad DeCorte ran second and Bronson Oudshoff third. And in District 7, incumbent Caprice Edmond got 57 percent of the vote to hold off Maria Solanki. Keesha Benson and Dawn Peters received about 40 percent and 38 percent of the vote in District 3, respectively, and meet again in November. Carl Zimmermann was a distant third. And in District 6, Stephanie Meyer was the leading vote-getter with about 47 percent, while Brian Martin got 39 percent to qualify for the runoff. Kimberly Works received 13 percent. Tampa Bay Times.

Lee: Incumbent District 5 school board member Gwynetta Gittens was turned out of office Tuesday by Armor Persons, who had 55 percent support from voters. In District 1, Sam Fisher and Kathy Fanny received 43 percent and 25 percent of the votes, respectively, to move on to the Nov. 8 runoff. District 4 incumbent Debbie Jordan is in a runoff against Dan Severson, and in District 6, Jada Langford Fleming and Denise Nystrom also will meet in the runoff. Fort Myers News-Press.

Pasco: About 59 percent of voters agreed Tuesday to increase their taxes by 1 mill to boost salaries for teachers and other school employees as a way to be more financially competitive for workers. “I am pleased the community understands the necessity for this and has responded,” said teachers union president Don Peace. In school board races, In District 1, Al Hernandez and James Washington finished 1-2 and will meet again in the November runoff. Stephen Meisman finished third. Incumbent Cynthia Armstrong comfortably won a fourth term by beating Matt Geiger, a Catholic school administrator. In District 5, incumbent Megan Harding easily bested retired chiropractor Charles Touseull. Tampa Bay Times. WTSP. WFTS.

Brevard: Newcome Megan Wright soundly defeated incumbent District 1 school board chair Misty Belford in Tuesday’s election with 60.5 percent of the vote. Belford had been on the board since 2014. District 5 incumbent Katye Campbell got 57.7 percent of the votes to get re-elected over Kim Hough. In District 2, Erin Dunne and Gene Trent received the most votes among the four candidates and move on to the runoff. Florida Today.

Osceola: District 1 school board incumbent Teresa Castillo avoided a runoff by collecting 52.8 percent of the vote in defeating Jennifer Arguello and James Nickles. In District 5, Erika Booth beat Debbie Mann with 54.3 percent of the vote, while District 4’s election is headed to a runoff between Will Fonseca and Heather Kahoun. Orlando Sentinel.

Seminole: Kristine Kraus cruised to re-election in the District 1 school board seat by receiving 55 percent of the vote against Deborah Bauer. The other two seats are headed for runoffs. In District 2, Kelley Davis and Sean Cooper moved on to the Nov. 8 ballot, while Eric Monte and James Evans were eliminated. In District 5, Autumn Garick got 42 percent of the votes and will meet Dana Fernandez in the runoff. Joshua Memminger and Agar Quinones-Aristone also ran. Orlando Sentinel.

Volusia: District 5 school board incumbent Ruben Colon barely held onto his seat with 51.5 percent of the vote against challenger Fred Lowry. The other two races are headed to November runoffs. District 1 incumbent Jamie Haynes received 43 percent of votes cast and will meet Albert Bouie in November, while Jessie Thompson and Justin Kennedy advanced in an extremely tight District 3 race. Thompson got 33.8 percent of the votes, Kennedy 33.6 percent and Kim Short 32.7 percent. Daytona Beach News-Journal.

Manatee: Incumbent school board chair James Golden was knocked out of his District 5 seat by Richard Tatem by a margin of 50.5 percent to 33 percent. In District 4, incumbent Chad Choate got about 55 percent of the vote to defeat Sean Conley, and the District 2 race is headed to a runoff between Cindy Spray and Harold E. Byrd Jr. Bradenton Herald. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

Collier: All three school board races are headed to the runoff election Nov. 8. In District 1, incumbent Jory Westberry finished second Tuesday with 33 percent of the vote and goes to the runoff against Jerry Rutherford, who got 44.6 percent. The same pattern held in districts 3 and 5. In District 3, challenger Kelly Lichter received 46.6 percent of the vote and incumbent Jen Mitchell got 38.2 percent, and in District 5 incumbent Roy Terry had 27.4 percent support while Timothy Moshier got 39.6 percent. Naples Daily News.

Lake: Jim Miller ran slightly ahead of District 2 school board incumbent Tyler Brandeburg, but neither got 50 percent of the vote so they’ll meet again in November. Ludy Lopez came in third. District 5 incumbent Stephanie Luke won her election outright with 59 percent of the vote, outdistancing Marie Aliberti and Peter Tarby. Orlando Sentinel. Daily Commercial.

St. Johns: Incumbent school board member Kelly Barrera overwhelmingly was re-elected to her District 4 seat with 69.3 percent of the vote against Yvonne Lockbaum. The other two races are headed to the November runoff. District 1 incumbent Bev Slough got 37.55 percent of the vote and will meet Racheal Hand, who got 32,51 percent. Nancy Tray finished third. In District 3, Lauren Abell and Jennifer Collins advance to the general election over Rita Baldwin and Douglas Russo. St. Augustine Record. WTLV.

Sarasota: Conservatives swept the three school board races Tuesday. In District 1, incumbent Bridget Ziegler got 57 percent of the vote against Dawynelle Singleton. In District 4, Robyn Marinelli received 53 percent support to defeat Lauren Kurnov, and in District 5, Timothy Enos got 53 percent of the vote to edge past Nora Cietek. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. A lawsuit filed against the school board over alleged sexual content in school books has been tossed out by a judge. Robert Craft, who filed the suit, did not have the standing to do so, ruled County Judge Maryann Olson Boehm. Craft said he will appeal. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. WWSB.

Marion: District 3 incumbent Eric Cummings was re-elected to a second term Tuesday over challenger Steve Swett with 63 percent of the vote. He’ll be joined on the board by two newcomers. District 2 will be represented by Lori Conrad, who got 72 percent of the vote to swamp Joseph Suranni, and Sarah James received 65 percent support to defeat Taylor Smith for the District 5 seat. Ocala Star-Banner.

St. Lucie: School board incumbents Debbie Hawley (District 1), Donna Mills (District 3) and Troy Ingersoll (District 5) all won re-election Tuesday. Hawley received 54 percent of the vote, Mills 58 percent and Ingersoll 59 percent. TCPalm.

Escambia: One incumbent won on Tuesday, one lost, and a third is headed for a runoff. In District 1, incumbent Kevin Adams beat Connor Mann. But District 3 incumbent Laura Dortch Edler lost to David Williams, who received 56 percent of the vote. In District 2, incumbent Paul Fetsko got about 45 percent of the vote and will meet challenger Raymond Guillory in the runoff. Pensacola News Journal.

Clay: Two incumbents lost and one was re-elected Tuesday. Erin Skipper upset District 1 incumbent Janice Kerekes with 54.6 percent of the vote, while Michele Hanson knocked off incumbent Tina Bullock by getting almost 55 percent of the vote. District 5 incumbent Ashley Gilhousen easily won re-election with 69.4 percent against Gerald Beasley. Supervisor of elections.

Leon: Alva Striplin, the District 1 school board incumbent, received almost 54 percent of the vote to defeat Marianne Arbulu and Anthony DeMarco. The other board race, for District 4, is headed to a runoff between Alex Stemle and Laurie Cox. Stemle received 46.5 percent of votes cast, and Cox 42 percent. Tallahassee Democrat. WFSU.

Okaloosa: All three school board incumbents were re-elected Tuesday. District 1 incumbent Lamar White had the closest race, edging Jerry Buckman 52 percent to 48 percent. Linda Evanchyk got almost 62 percent of the District 3 vote to win re-election over Darrel Barnhill, and District 5 incumbent Diane Kelley got nearly 66 percent of the votes against Cara Marion. Northwest Florida Daily News.

Alachua: Voters elected four women to the school board on Tuesday, turning it into an all-female board. Incumbent Tina Certain got 60.5 percent support to defeat Daniel Fisher in District 1, while Diyonne McGraw got her District 2 seat back by beating incumbent Mildred Russell with 57 percent of the vote. McGraw was removed from the board in 2020 by Gov. DeSantis when it was discovered she didn’t live in the district. DeSantis then appointed Russell to the seat. In District 3, Sarah Rockwell got 58 percent of the vote to turn back Ray Holt, and Kay Abbitt received 54 percent support to fend off Prescott Cowles in District 5. Gainesville Sun. Mainstreet Daily News. WUFT.

Santa Rosa: Two school board incumbents won re-election and the third seat will be decided by a runoff in November. District 1 incumbent Linda Sanborn received 59 percent of the vote to beat Wayne Patterson, and longtime District 3 incumbent Carol Boston collected about 68 percent of the vote to defeat Alisabeth Janai Lancaster. In District 5, Pete Peters earned about 41 percent of the vote and Scott Peden got 37 percent to move on to the runoff. Pensacola News Journal.

Bay: Ann Leonard defeated Frances Keys Gordon with 56.4 percent of the vote in the only contested school board seat, in District 2. Leonard replaces incumbent Brenda Ruthven, who chose not to run for re-election. Panama City News Herald. WJHG. The first of three phases of the state’s new assessments tests that measure students’ progress periodically throughout the school year are now being administered in Bay schools. WJHG.

Hernando: One incumbent was beaten soundly in Tuesday’s primary, and two others will have to win in the runoff Nov. 8 to retain their seats. In District 3, Jimmy Lodato lost Shannon Rodriguez, who received 60 percent of the votes. In District 1, incumbent Kay Hatch faces off against Mark Johnson in November, and incumbent Susan Duval will again meet Monty Floyd. Hernando Sun. Suncoast News. Supervisor of elections. School board members are considering a proposal that would raise school impact fees on new construction. Fes would go up 50 percent on single-family homes, townhomes, condos and multifamily homes, and 47 percent on mobile homes. Hernando Sun.

Martin: Sixty-eight percent of voters approved an extension of a special half-mill property tax for teacher and staff retention, school safety, mental-health programs, professional development and academic initiatives. It’s projected to raise nearly $50 million over the next four years. Two conservatives were elected to school board seats. Amy Pritchett upset Anthony Anderson in his District 4 re-election bid, and Jennifer Russell defeated Elizabeth Bernstein in District 3. TCPalm. WPTV.

Indian River: One incumbent school board member was re-elected Tuesday but the other is being forced into the November runoff. District 4 incumbent and longtime educator Teri Lee Barenborg beat political newcomer and media consultant Thomas Kenny, and District 2 incumbent Jacqueline Rosario will meet newcomer Cynthia Gibbs in the runoff. TCPalm.

Charlotte: In the only contested school board election, retired principal John LeClair defeated James Barber for the District 4 seat that was vacated by Ian Vincent. The final vote was 57 percent to 43 percent. Charlotte Sun.

Citrus: District 5 school board incumbent Linda Powers finished second to Joseph Faherty in Tuesday’s primary, sending both to the general election runoff. Faherty got 31.36 percent of the votes and Powers 27.74 percent. She edged past Deborah Daniels, who got 25.68 percent. Mary Seader received 15.21 percent. Citrus County Chronicle.

Flagler: Two school board incumbents were voted out of office Tuesday. District 1 incumbent Jill Woolbright lost a close race to Sally Hunt, 51.3 percent to 48.7 percent. In District 4, incumbent Trevor Tucker was beaten by Christy Chong, 55.2 percent to 44.8 percent. The District 2 seat is headed to the November runoff, with Will Furry and Courtney VandeBunte meeting. VandeBunte was the leader in the primary with 43.6 percent, while Furry got 34.2 percent and third-place finisher Lance Alred 22.3 percent. Daytona Beach News-Journal. Flagler Live.

Nassau: Shannon Hogue and Jamie Deonas qualified for the November runoff in the District 1 school board election, with 46.55 percent and 33.78 percent, respectively. Rick Pavelock was eliminated. In District 3, Curtis Gaus finished first with 37.64 percent of the vote, compared with 35.11 percent for Albert Wagner and 27.25 percent for David Dew, sending Gaus and Wagner to the general election. Supervisor of elections.

Highlands: The two incumbents up for re-election both lost in the primary. In District 4, challenger Reese Martin defeated incumbent Bill Brantley with 51.47 percent of the vote, and in District 5, incumbent incumbent Jill Twist received less than 40 percent of the votes cast in her re-election bid against Nicole Radonski. Supervisor of elections.

Putnam: District 4 school board incumbent Bud McInnis lot to Linda Wagner by less than 100 votes out of 13,000 cast, while in District 5, Phil Leary beat Kevin Whitlow with more than 60 percent of the vote. Supervisor of elections.

Columbia: The District 5 election is headed to a runoff in the general election. Hunter Peeler finished first with 40.88 percent, and Elizabeth Porter received 34.41 percent to join him in the runoff. Zaccheus Paulk was eliminated. Supervisor of elections.

Walton: Both school board incumbents were re-elected Tuesday in close races. District 3 board chair Bill Eddins Jr. edged Gordon Porter by less than 3 percentage points, and in District 5, Jason Catalano got 51.57 percent to slip past M.H. Carr. Northwest Florida Daily News.

Sumter: All three school board incumbents won their races Tuesday. Sally Moss defeated Leslie Russell with almost 64 percent of the vote in District 1. In District 3, David Williams beat Gerald Loomer with 53 percent of the vote, and in District 5, Kathie Joiner eked past Christopher Hileman with just over 51 percent. Supervisor of elections.

Hendry: Two school board incumbents won their races Tuesday night, and another will run again in a runoff in November. District 3 incumbent Amanda Nelson defeated Bianca Ross with 64 percent vote support, and District 5 incumbent Jon Basquin was also re-elected with 64 percent of the vote against Richard Murphy. In District 4, incumbent Stephanie Busin got 49 percent of the vote, but Joseph Whitehead got 46 percent and Richard West 5 percent, forcing Busin into a runoff against Whitehead. WINK.

Monroe: Sue Woltanski held onto her District 5 school board seat by beating Alexandria Suarez, 53.8 percent to 48.2 percent. In District 1, Darren Horan captured about 58 percent of the votes cast to beat Gabrielle Brown. Key West Citizen.

Okeechobee: Christine Bishop rolled to the District 1 school board seat with almost 69 percent of the votes against Leslie Maynor. Supervisor of elections.

Jackson: Chephus Granberry outran Samnatha Angerbrandt and George Welch for the District 1 school board seat with 59.4 percent of the vote. In District 5, Michael Jackson received 66 percent of the votes cast to defeat David Galloway. Supervisor of elections.

Levy: Larry Jones earned the District 5 seat on the school board by collecting 73.5 percent of the votes in his race against Devin Whitehurst. Supervisor of elections.

Gadsden: Both school board races are headed for the Nov. 8 general election runoff. In District 2, incumbent Steve Scott and Rodney Moore got 47.3 percent and 40.1 percent of the votes, respectively. Jefferson Flores was eliminated. Incumbent Charlie Frost will meet Cynthia Hayes-Riley in the runoff. Frost received 37.49 percent, and Hayes-Riley edged Sherita Moore for the second runoff spot, 31.63 percent to 30.87 percent. Supervisor of elections.

Wakulla: District 5 school board incumbent Jo Ann Daniels lost her bid for re-election to Laura Lawhon, 54.92 percent to 45.08 percent. The District 1 race is headed to a runoff between Dod Walker and Eddie Hand. Walker got 37.09 percent, Hand 31.98 percent and Gwendolyn Manning Staten 30.94 percent. Supervisor of elections.

Hardee: The only school board election on the ballot is going to a runoff in November. District 4 incumbent Garry McWhorter finished first with 41.9 percent, and will face Marie Dasher, who had 40.37 percent. Katrina Blandin was third with 17.73 percent. Supervisor of elections.

Baker: Jack Baker Jr. defeated James Curry for the District 2 school board seat with 64 percent of the vote, and will replace the departing Richard Griffis. In District 5, challenger Amanda Canaday received the most votes, at 40.5 percent, and advances to the runoff against incumbent Michele Hodges who had 25.59 percent to finish ahead of challengers Jody Anderson, Diana Chance and Paul Scammacca. Supervisor of elections.

DeSoto: Three new faces were elected to the school board. Jami Schueneman beat Kimberly Shaver for the District 1 seat with 62 percent support. In District 2, Sharon Goodman got 53 percent of the vote to slip past Mary Kay Burns, and Kelly Mercer won the District 5 seat over David Woodrum by almost 20 percentage points. Charlotte Sun.

Washington: Cynthia Brown defeated Ashlynn Marquez with 56.61 percent of the vote for the District 1 school board seat on Tuesday, while Cheryl Ann Williams was the preference over Jasper Carter in District 5, 60.74 percent to 39.26 percent. Supervisor of elections.

Holmes: District 3 school board incumbent Alan Justice was beaten Tuesday by Natalie Miller, 52.34 percent to 47.66 percent. In District 1, Charley Wilson received 57 percent of the vote to defeat Milton Wilson. Supervisor of elections.

Gilchrist: Both school board incumbents were re-elected in the primary. District 3 board member Michelle Walker-Crawford defeated William Mikell Jr., 56.97 percent to 43.03 percent, and  District 5’s Deen Lancaster received 74.48 percent of the vote to turn away William Popp. Supervisor of elections.

Madison: Two incumbent school board members lost Tuesday, and two other elections are going to the runoff. In District 3, incumbent Surretta Bell narrowly lost to VeEtta Hagan, 50.96 percent to 49.04 percent. In District 1, incumbent Suzie Williamson finished third with just 19.94 percent. Marvin Mattair and Katie Knight qualified for the runoff. In District 5, Devin Thompson and Donnell Davis, finished ahead of Carles Medders and George Monreal to qualify for the runoff. Supervisor of elections.

Dixie: District 2 school board incumbent Charles Farmer lost to Amanda NesSmith in the only contested race, 54.19 percent to 45.81 percent. Supervisor of elections.

Glades: Kimberly Lynn Clement won the District 4 school board race over Lisa Beaner with 57 percent of the vote. WINK.

Hamilton: All three incumbents won re-election. Cheryl McCall defeated Phillip Jackson in District 1 with almost 60 percent of the vote, District 4 Johnny Bullard got 54.12 percent to hold off Jamie Bowen Sr. and Larry Ogburn, and District 5 Sammy McCoy received 55 percent of the vote to avoid a runoff with either Cassin O’Cain or Suezette Wiggins. Supervisor of elections.

Liberty: Both school board members up for re-election won their primary races. Darrel Hayes defeated Cathia Schmarje with 67.56 percent of the vote for the District 3 seat, and District 4 incumbent Jason Singletary beat Suzanne Stoutamire with 65.74 percent of the vote. Supervisor of elections.

Lafayette: The only school board race on the primary ballot is headed for a runoff Nov. 8. Marion McCray, the District 3  incumbent, won 45 percent of the vote and will meet Mary McCray, who received 33.2 percent. Scott Jackson got 21.8 percent. Supervisor of elections.

Jefferson: Both school board incumbents lost their primary races Tuesday. In District 3, Brenda Wirik beat board member Shirley Washington with almost 56 percent of the vote. In District 5, Mags Flynt won 53.61 percent of the vote, compared with incumbent Charles Boland at 36.9 percent and Ruby Grantham at 9.5 percent. Supervisor of elections.

Public’s perception of education: A recent public opinion survey of education reveals an increasing partisan divide, and that the public’s opinion of public education has declined since 2019 while support for home-schooling is growing. But the report also suggests that enthusiasm for universal pre-K is growing, and support for more pay for teachers is at its highest level. Education Next.

Education podcasts: Chester E. Finn, distinguished senior fellow and president emeritus at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, talks about the bipartisan history of school reform and its uncertain future. Thomas B. Fordham Institute.


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BY NextSteps staff