By Raiza Giorgi
publisher@santaynezvalleystar.com
Early results are in for the several school board vacancies for the November General Election. These were the results as of press time, and updates will be posted to the Star’s website if there are any differences.
Bruce Porter
For the Santa Barbara County Board of Education race, early results showed valley residents Bruce Porter and Michelle de Werd taking two seats and Peter MacDougall and Weldon “Joe” Howell taking the other two open seats.
“This is the perfect job for me. The county is the big umbrella for all school districts and we need to do what is best for all those students,” de Werd said. “I want to make sure every dollar goes to help our kids. My job will be to make sure there is accountability and transparency. My focus is on academics and every kids being proficient in reading, writing and math to succeed in the workplace and life.”
She added there will be a good learning curve.
For the Area No. 3 seat, Porter came out ahead of incumbent Richard Fulton, with 10,785 votes to Fulton’s 8,234.
For Area No. 4, results reported de Werd was ahead with 46.5% of the vote with 8,372 tallied, followed by incumbent Roberta Heter with 6,031 votes and Jim Richardson at 3,475 votes.
The Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District had two seats open on the ballot, and the top vote-getters were José Juan Ibarra with 4,419 votes and Stephen Luke with 3,254 votes, according to the County Elections Office.
Jose Juan Ibarra
“We are the role models and mentors for our youth and we have to conduct ourselves accordingly,” Luke said in a statement to the Star. “Going forward, I promise to do my best to bring about more unity and less division, to be a good listener, and always respectful. It is time to start rowing in the same direction in order to not only improve our community, but to give our children the best possible education for their future and ours.”
The BUSD results are also showing the two open positions going to Allison Schwartz with 1,252 votes or 35.42 percent and Christy Nordgren with 1,013 votes or 28.66 percent.
In the College School District, Erica Jane Flores tallied the most with 1,370 votes and Calisse Courtney with 954 votes.
“I am grateful to wake up to encouraging notes and unwavering support from friends from every chapter of my life and from those I have yet to meet, too,” Flores said on her Facebook page. “Thank you for joining this journey with me-what an unexpected ride it has been.”
