Copyright Everett Herald
EVERETT — Candidates in three Northshore school board races took strong leads Tuesday night. The county will continue counting ballots throughout the week and will certify election results Nov. 25. District 1 Carson Sanderson took an early lead with 65.7% of the vote. Arun Sharma trailed with 33.3% of the vote. In a September statement to The Daily Herald, Sharma said he had suspended his campaign for the District 1 race. His name still appeared on the ballot. Sanderson is a test proctor for the district and the president of the parents council for the district’s Highly Capable program, which supports students who perform at advanced academic levels. Her top issues are addressing overcrowding and finding creative ways to balance the district’s budget. She also wants to find additional ways to engage with parents. In the primary, Sanderson and Sharma received 55% and 30% of the vote, respectively. As of Tuesday, Sanderson had raised $9,574 for her campaign, state filings show. District 4 Incumbent Sandy Hayes will retain her seat 70.6% of the vote. Newcomer JoAnn Tolentino received 29.1% of the vote. Hayes has served on the school board for 16 years. She’s also a lawyer and has a restorative justice practice. Her campaign focused on retaining experience on the school board, lobbying for state funding and adapting to a tech-driven future. Tolentino is a retired music educator and software sales professional. Her priorities are increasing the district’s focus on academics, eliminating unnecessary spending and banning transgender girls from playing in girls’ sports. In the primary, Hayes led with 58% of the vote. Tolentino trailed with 27%. Hayes and Tolentino both filed as mini-reporting campaigns, so they were not required to report contributions or expenditures unless they exceeded $7,000, state filings show. District 5 Kimberlee Kelly will take the District 5 seat with 71.4%. Lynda Schram trailed with 28.4%. Kelly directs and teaches at an outdoor preschool in Cottage Lake that specializes in serving neurodiverse children and their families. Her campaign focused on finding creative ways to balance the budget, addressing overcrowding and preserving academic freedom. Schram is a parliamentarian. Her priorities include banning transgender girls from competing in girls’ sports, focusing on academics and finding ways to lower state public school spending. In the primary, Kelly led with 64% of the vote. Schram trailed with 24%. As of Tuesday, Kelly had raised $5,729 in campaign contributions, state filings show. Schram filed as a mini-reporting campaign. Jenna Peterson: 425-339-3486; jenna.peterson@heraldnet.com; X: @jennarpetersonn.
