Crabb, Handy, Simmons and Slings win seats on Southeast Polk School Board
Three incumbents and a newcomer won seats on the Southeast Polk School Board on Tuesday, with Chad Crabb, Brett Handy and Lori Slings winning reelection and Kelly Simmons garnering enough votes to join the elected body.
Six candidates ran for the four open seats in a tightly contested race.
Handy, 53, of Altoona, finished in first with 21%, according to unofficial results. Handy has served on the board for 12 years and ran on the issue of preparing the district for an increasing population. He also said he wanted to "keep the momentum going" and improve school security.
Crabb, 45, of Altoona, received 19%. He has been on the school board for four years and campaigned on the issues of student safety and mental health support, as well as closing achievement gaps among students and advocating for more pubic education money from the state.
Lori Slings, 56, of Altoona, who has been on the board for 16 years, received 18%. She campaigned on the need for leaders to keep education a priority.
Kelly Simmons, 43, of Des Moines, earned the fourth and final seat on the board with 15% of the vote. She said she was running because she is a mental health and special-needs advocate. She also said she would press for more federal funding for resources that address mental health problems and bullying.
Greg Morse and Ryan English also ran in the election, receiving 14% and 13% of the vote, respectively.
More: 2023 Iowa local election results
Covering parts of Altoona, Pleasant Hill, Mitchellville, Runnells and Des Moines, the Southeast Polk Community School District includes eight elementary schools, a preschool, a sixth grade center, a junior high and a high school.
About 7,400 students have attended district schools this fall.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Southeast Polk School Board results: 3 incumbents, 1 newcomer elected
