Five candidates, including three incumbents, win election to the Saydel School Board
Four candidates have been elected to four-year terms on the Saydel School Board, including two incumbents, out of six candidates competing in the race.
One additional incumbent candidate has been elected to fill a board vacancy.
Incumbent Jimmy Van Der Kamp won a full four-year term on the board, with 21% of the vote, according to unofficial results from the Iowa Secretary of State's Office.
Van Der Kamp, 40, was appointed to fill a vacancy earlier this year and decided to run for a full term rather than seek election for the two years remaining on the vacant seat. He said the most pressing issue facing the district is retaining high-caliber staff, and said he was running to provide students with a quality education and provide staff with a workplace they can be proud of.
Samantha McNeeley, 37, won a seat on the board with 20% of the vote. McNeeley said she wants to increase funding for classroom resources and allow classroom teachers to focus more on educational development to make the district a more desirable place for families.
Incumbent Gary Christensen, 43, also secured another term on the board with 18% of the vote. Christensen called teacher recruitment and retention a top issue facing the district. He said Saydel schools are working to modernize classrooms and increase teacher pay.
Tricia Zeis, 48, won a seat on the board with 16% of the vote. She cited teacher retention, keeping students in the district and teaching better studying habits and test-taking skills as priorities.
Joshua Kirkpatrick took 15% of the vote, failing to win a seat on the board.
Incumbent Ryan Buman also failed to win a full term, taking 9% of the vote.
More: 2023 Iowa local election results
Incumbent Jennifer Van Houten wins uncontested election to fill two-year board vacancy
Incumbent Jennifer Van Houten has been elected to a two-year term to fill a vacancy on the board caused when a former member stepped down.
She received 98% of the vote in the contest, which was uncontested.
Van Houten, 51, has served on the Saydel School Board since winning a full four-year term in 2019. She said she wants to continue engaging with the community to provide the best education possible for all Saydel students.
Stephen Gruber-Miller covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. He can be reached by email at sgrubermil@registermedia.com or by phone at 515-284-8169. Follow him on Twitter at @sgrubermiller.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Saydel School Board results: 5 candidates, 3 of them incumbents, elected
