The following is a roundup of election results thus far in some key metro Atlanta school board races. None of the results are official until the state ratifies them. Visit ajc.com for more coverage of election results.
Cobb County
A Cobb County School Board member is close to avoiding a runoff in Tuesday’s primary election.
Republican incumbent David Banks is leading the three-way contest with Matt Harper and Shelley O’Malley in the race for the Post 5 seat.
With 96% of the precincts reporting, unofficial results show Banks leading with 55% of the vote, compared to O’Malley’s 24% and Harper’s 21%. The Post 5 seat encompasses parts of northeast Cobb County.
On the Democratic side, Julia Hurtado leads with 59% over challenger Tammy Andress, who is polling at 41%.
Two Democrats also went to battle Tuesday to see who will challenge Post 1 incumbent Republican Randy Scamihorn in the Nov. 3 general election. Vickie Benson is leading that race with 68% of the vote with 95% of the precincts reporting results. Challenger Lynn Lafferty trails with 32%. The Post 1 seat includes northwest Cobb.
Scamihorn, along with Post 7 Republican incumbent Brad Wheeler, did not face primary opposition. Wheeler will face Democratic challenger Lindsay Terrebonne, who had no opposition, in the November election. Post 7 represents parts of west Cobb.
Democrat Leroy “Tre” Hutchins faced no opposition in the primary for the Post 3 race. With no Republican challenger in the general election, Hutchins is the school board member-elect for the seat. He will replace longtime board member David Morgan, who did not seek re-election. That seat encompasses parts of south Cobb.
DeKalb County
Voters were set to elect two new DeKalb County Board of Education members on Tuesday while an incumbent who faced a challenge seemed on her way to victory.
Certified public accountant Anna Hill was leading the race for the District 1 seat currently held by Stan Jester, who decided not to seek another term. She faced entrepreneur Andrew Ziffer in her race. Efforts to reach Hill were not successful Wednesday morning.
Deirdre Pierce appeared set to emerge from a four-way District 3 race to replace Michael Erwin, but could face a runoff unless she reaches 50% of the votes. With 80 of 100 precincts reporting, she had 44% of the vote.
With half of precincts reporting, board member Vickie B. Turner appeared set to surge to victory over three challengers for her District 5 seat. Joyce Morley was unopposed for her District 7 seat.
New board members typically begin board service at the start of the next calendar year, but it is unsure that will happen in District 3. Erwin announced earlier this year he intends to vacate his seat at the end of June, when his family relocates from metro Atlanta.
Gwinnett County
Louise Radloff, the longest-serving member of a board of education in the state, ended her run on the Gwinnett County school board Tuesday with a two-to-one defeat by educator and activist Tarece Johnson.
The 44-year-old Johnson will become the first black woman to serve on the county’s school board. There are no Republicans in the race for the District 5 seat.
Karen Watkins and Segun Adeyina were neck-and-neck in the race as the Democratic contender for the District 1 Board of Education seat. Even though all precincts are accounted for, the margin is so slim that absentee ballots could decide who will take on Republican Carole Boyce, the incumbent, in November.
Radloff, who has been on the board for 47 years, is currently the chairman. Before the election she said this would be her last run for office.
