Incumbents Abraham, Eastham, Williams and newcomer Lingo prevail in IC Community School District election
Newcomer Mitch Lingo and incumbents Molly Abraham, Charlie Eastham and Lisa Williams were victorious in the seven-person race for the Iowa City Community School Board on Tuesday night.
The school board election comes just months after Gov. Kim Reynolds signed sweeping education changes into law that limits instructional materials and topics, among other things. Local officials like state Sen. Janice Weiner pushed for voters to remember W.A.L.E. when they headed to the polls on Tuesday, an acronym of the four victorious candidate's last names.
Voters in Iowa City, Coralville and North Liberty could choose up to four of the seven candidates on the ballot. The incumbents led the way, with Molly Abraham being the top vote-getter and pulling in 23% of the vote, garnering 12,468 votes total. She was narrowly followed by Lisa Williams, who also secured 23% of the vote (12,135 votes). Mitch Lingo and Charlie Eastham both pulled in 21% of the total vote, with Lingo nabbing a 17-vote edge with 11,154 votes while Eastham snagged 11,137 votes.
Candidates Micah Broekemeier (5%), Robert Decker (4%) and Jacob Onken (4%) fell short of victory Tuesday night.
Results are unofficial and will be finalized by a county canvass over the next few weeks.
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Winners focused on future of district, protecting youth and providing equity
Lingo, 39, won a spot on the board for the first time. He is the lone new face joining the district's governing body. He is focused on helping ICCSD compete in the "education marketplace" that now exists as a result of the school voucher system, he said.
"It's definitely a privilege to be able to do this," Lingo told the Press-Citizen on Tuesday night. "It is a matter of continually bringing in different data points from families, parents, grandparents, to bring in their input on access and equity within the school district, whether that is just from anecdotal conversations or looking at the macro level data, and trying to keep moving things forward [and] producing great educational outcomes for students across the board."
Lingo said he wants to continue to help make the district the top choice for families across the area in the face of growing financial hurdles. Lingo called dwindling funding of public schools a "design feature" created by the state government in a reply to the Press-Citizen's candidate questionnaire in October.
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Abraham boasts four decades of service at West High
Abraham, 63, earned another term on the board after retiring from West High after 38 years in 2022. She said she will continue to advocate for the repeal of Senate File 496, the law signed by Gov. Reynolds in May that, among other things, limits educational content involving sex in schools and requires schools to remove books that contain prohibited material under the law.
"Obviously, I'm a huge proponent of public education," Abraham said, having taught special education and serving as an assistant principal. "To be able to continue my support and advocacy for public education in this way, it makes me super happy."
She credited her win to the vast relationships she has built at West High, saying that her experience within the school district plays a big role in informing her for the school board.
She said that continuing to foster an equitable student environment is the district's most pressing issue. Abraham leaned on the High-Reliability Schools framework, telling the Press-Citizen that it provides "a safe, supportive and collaborative school culture."
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Eastham nabs second term
Eastham, 81, said he has developed a strong commitment to the district and its students, teachers and staff during his first four-year stint on the school board.
"It's thrilling to be part of an organized effort to provide excellent education for all students in this district, no matter who those students are (or) where they come from," Eastham said. "And that to me is the thing that really makes me want to go to board meetings."
He said he felt supported by Tuesday's results and added that it shows voters are interested in a district that supports all students and respects all teachers.
Eastham said his fellow board members and others in the district remain committed to advocating for an equitable environment. This includes balancing the needs of students with enforcing laws that he said were aimed at "vulnerable youth."
Williams touts successful 4-year-old preschool program
Williams joined two of her current colleagues in victory on Tuesday night. She said the "opportunity gap" is the largest issue facing students of one of the state's largest districts, but would address that issue by continuing to push the district's 4-year-old preschool pilot program forward, allowing for all area families to take advantage of preschool at that age.
"It means a lot personally, but it's also really gratifying to see the community come out and reject some of the extremists that were running in this race," Williams said after her win. "And it shows that the community cares about public schools. They care about investing in our schools and making them the very best that they can be and making them welcoming and inclusive for every single student. So that means the world."
Williams said the school board is a "heavy responsibility," one she takes seriously.
"I feel a lot of gratitude for being entrusted with being one of the seven to kind of shepherd the district along for the next four years," she said.
Williams said recent legislation has great potential to harm local vulnerable students, but staff will continue to reassure students that they are valued and respected in their schools. She also said she believes the board should continue to try to find grey areas within the law that will allow the district to best support LGBTQ+ youth.
Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached atrhansen@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ryanhansen01.
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: See who prevailed in the Iowa City Community School District school board race
