Northeast Ohio school board races are a big draw in the year's elections

A number of communities in Northeast Ohio saw strong voter turnout in a year when local was the big word for elections. A number of municipalities saw heated school board races driven by a range of school issues from mask mandates to how diversity is talked about in schools.

Voters in Hudson decided a contentious school board race Tuesday, as three incumbents faced two challengers who ran on an anti-mask, anti-Critical Race Theory platform. Recent school board meetings have included hours of public comment on the district’s mask policy and diversity initiatives. There were also accusations over a textbook of writing prompts which was removed due to its content. Christine Callahan has two kids in the district and says issues like that have been “overblown.”

“From my personal exposure, I know there were people involved in that who specifically stated that that wasn’t necessarily a problem for them, but they were looking to get school board members out who were for masking, and who had voted to mask. So, I think there was a lot of theater involved in that, in my opinion.”

Board of Elections races have received a great deal more attention this year, as school boards have become political battlegrounds. In Nordonia, there were no incumbents for the three open school board seats, which go to educators Amy Vajdich and Jason Tidmore, plus attorney Matt Kearney. They beat police officer Tim Ellis, and Joseph Kopec – who told the Akron Beacon Journal he was “tired” of what was happening in the schools. He pulled his four children out last year over the district’s COVID-19 protocols.

Get more Summit County school board results here.

Cleveland Heights-University Heights school board incumbents Malia Lewis, Dan Heintz and Jodi Sourini defended their seats Tuesday night, handily beating the “New Voices for a New Direction” challengers Charles Drake, Maureen “Mo” Lynn and Mordechai Rennert.

Cleveland Heights-University Heights school board incumbents Jodi Sourini, Dan Heintz and Malia Lewis on election night. [Andrea Turner / Act ONE Communications]

Heintz told Ideastream Public Media that the top goal for the election was to keep the school board’s make-up “pro-public schools.”

“Yeah, that's job number one, is to make sure that the five members of the board are genuinely in support of public education and in support of Tiger Nation,” Heintz said.

Although Sourini felt confident about how the public felt about the work the CH-UH board is doing for the district’s children, she also worried about how successful the opposition might be in garnering votes.

“It's always a concern because you just never know who's going to come out and vote in an off-year election, right? But, I was confident that our community is very well informed. They're informed voters, they do their research,” Sourini said. “I think that our community really appreciates what we've done. As far as, all the trips we've made to Columbus to fight for our community."

In Strongsville, 64-year-old Sharon Kilbane ran on a campaign critical of COVID-related mandates and conversations about race in the classroom — conversations that “divide,” rather than “unite,” according to Kilbane, a grandmother of 16.

Hayley Christine Stovcik and Sharon Kilbane (right) on election night.  They will add two new conservative voices to the Strongsville school board. [Hayley Christine Stovcik]

On Tuesday night, that messaging and Kilbane’s strong ties to Strongsville proved to be a winning combination. Kilbane easily secured a spot on the Strongsville school board and said the election results gave her hope that voters liked her “conservative views.”

“Parents need to be in charge of their kids. We need to take that back into their lives," Kilbane said. “I'm glad that people are rallying around that. I think it's time government gets out and parents have a voice in all the things that their kids are learning and doing at school .”

Hayley Christine Stovcik, who holds similar positions to Kilbane, also won a seat on the Strongsville school board Tuesday night. Board appointee Sherry Buckner-Sallee was not successful in her attempt to  secure her first full four-year term.

In looking towards her first term school board member, Kilbane said she would give it her all.

“God will help me through it. I mean, all the decisions will be carefully considered. You know, I love the kids and all I can do is my very best in their best interest,” Kilbane said.

The Rocky River school board race was a crowded one, with 9 candidates vying for 3 seats on the board. After the votes were tallied, incumbent Kathy Goepfert lost her seat, making way for three new members.

Lauren Negrey and Jessica Wilson, who campaigned together, were the top-two vote getters, garnering 16% of the vote each.

Following behind them, was Peter Corrigan, a member of the conservative slate whose slogan was ‘Education not Activism,’ who secured the third seat on the board.

Chuck Bartsche was also a part of the slate that railed against mask mandates and Critical Race Theory being taught in schools. Bartsche garnered 11% of the vote, but believes his candidacy was instrumental in getting Corrigan on the board.

“I think I threw the block that allowed a conservative voice to be on the school board. I mean, nobody recognizes the block, but I'm very proud to have done that.,” Bartsche said. “I think I communicated properly to the city, you know, that CRT was being taught in the district and that the school board that should stand up to that.”

Get complete school board results for Cuyahoga County here.

Copyright 2021 WKSU. To see more, visit WKSU.