Incumbents in several noteworthy school board races in Northeast Ohio Tuesday night managed to hold onto their seats, a pattern that did not hold true in Akron, according to unofficial election results.
Carla Jackson, Akron's board of education president, was unseated as was incumbent Diana Autry, the former board president. In total, eight candidates for the Akron Board of Education had vied to make themselves stand out in a crowded race for four seats, with three incumbents running for re-election and one board member stepping down. Incumbent Greg Harrison won re-election. The four candidates who were elected, in order of vote totals, were Phil Montgomery, the director of finance for Summit County; Harrison; Karmaya Kelly, a mental health advocate and healthcare worker; and Nathan R. Jarosz, who works at an education-focused nonprofit.
The candidates will come onto the board as the district faces financial challenges, with officials saying more cuts are on the way in the coming years despite a levy approved in 2024.
In Lakewood, newcomers Monica Bruaw and Katie Slife Rustad faced off against Board President Nora Katzenberger and Vice President Betsy Bergen Shaughnessy. Bruaw and Rustad campaigned on reversing a recent controversial decision to consolidate the district's elementary schools but were unsuccessful.
In Mentor, School Board President Maggie Cook won re-election as the top vote-getter in a race with six candidates for three open seats. Three candidates who were critical of her leadership, Robert Izzo, Don Schutz and Linda O'Brien, part of a joint ticket, did not win seats.
Robert Haag and Daniel Hardesty were successful in gaining seats on the board. Haag said he wanted to "support students - not spotlight drama" on his campaign website, while Hardesty focused on championing school funding at the state level on his website.
