Douglas County school board incumbent Susan Meek and fellow candidates Brad Geiger and Valerie Thompson took an early lead as election results were released Tuesday.
The three candidates ran together as the Community Voice, Community Choice coalition.
The 12:07 a.m. count shows 53% of voters chose Meek, while 47% of voters went for candidate Andy Jones, in the District A seat. For District C, 48% of voters chose Geiger, while incumbent Jason Page received 29% and candidate David DiCarlo received 23% of the vote. District F’s Thompson received 56% of voters while candidate Maria Sumnicht received 44% of voters.
Meek said she felt the results show voters want transparent and accountable leadership from the board.
“I’m excited to continue to make sure decision making is focused on each and every student in the district,” she said. “I do think we represent the majority.”
Meek was first elected to the school board in 2019, winning the seat narrowly over Jones. In her time on the board, she helped create the district’s equity policy, contributed to a public engagement plan and advocated for reinstating monitoring reports for accountability.
Meek, along with Geiger and Thompson, campaigned on a platform of retaining and attracting quality teachers, promoting safe and welcoming schools for all students and restoring trust with the community.
On election night, all three candidates reiterated the importance of rebuilding trust and being willing to listen and engage.
Geiger said he views the results as overwhelming support for public education, both in board races and school funding.
“It was very clearly the community voting for education and honestly, it was a repudiation of some of the actions of the current board,” he said, citing the parent engagement policy updates, which allow for transgender students to be misgendered.
Thompson said she plans to utilize collaborative decision making and public engagement to help repair trust and address challenges moving forward.
“Prioritizing students is one of my top things that I plan to advocate for, as well as a positive learning environment,” she said.
Jones, Page and Sumnicht campaigned as the BEST DCSD slate on a platform of school safety, focusing on academic achievement, parents rights and expanding career and technical education in the district.
DiCarlo was the only candidate endorsed by the Douglas County GOP because of his stance opposing the $66 million mill levy override and the $484 million bond on the ballot. He also campaigned on priorities including academic outcomes and fiscal responsibility.
Community elections are dynamic, so this story may be updated as new information becomes available.
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