Election 2023 results: Eugene 4J, Springfield, Bethel school boards

Voters have decided who will fill the four seats for Eugene School District 4J, two seats for Springfield Public Schools and three seats for Bethel School District.

But vote totals will continue to rise as ballot counting continues over the next several days. Find the latest vote totals at RegisterGuard.com.

Eugene School District 4J

All four races for the Eugene School District 4J board of directors had candidates with a clear lead based on early results.

Position 1

For position 1, retired teacher Tom Di Liberto has a significant lead over dentist Michael Bratland.

Di Liberto said he was delighted with the early results.

"It's been a long road for me, but it's been worth it," Di Liberto said. "I know there's a lot of work to do, but I'm eager to get at it."

Former Monroe Middle teacher Di Liberto said his more than 30 years of in-classroom experience would bring a much-needed perspective to the board, aiming to highlight the voices of staff. He retired in 2018 but still volunteers in schools, substitutes and currently serves on the 4J Budget Subcommittee.

Bratland has five children, and the two youngest attend Sheldon High School. Bratland said during his campaign that he wanted to see a return to a focus on fundamentals in school. He said he supports sex education, but it needs to be age-appropriate. He said he wanted to see more opportunity for parent input.

Read more: Meet 4J position 1 candidates Tom Di Liberto and Dr. Michael Bratland

Position 4

Position 4 is the closest race of the four 4J positions, with retired police officer Rick Hamilton leading over incumbent Gordon Lafer.

Hamilton said he felt overwhelmed with humility by the support of voters. If elected, he promised to make a concerted effort to follow through with his intentions to put kids first and offer full transparency.

He said he'd be looking forward to changing the dynamic of the school board and fostering mutual respect.

"If I'm fortunate enough to get on the board, I really want people to know that I'm listening to what they're saying, not just hearing it, but listening," Hamilton said. "I know what it feels like when you want opportunities like others have, and you don't get it all the time, and you dream about it, you just hope that somebody's listening to you, and that somebody cares. I want these folks to really know that I genuinely care."

Hamilton said he would focus on students in special education, students of color and other marginalized populations, ensuring they are getting the support they need. He said he would also support CTE courses and a reevaluation of school safety systems.

Lafer, who was first elected in 2019, has one daughter, who attends South Eugene High. While on the board, he has supported free meals for all 4J students, free library cards for all students and free menstrual products in school bathrooms.

Read more: Meet Eugene 4J position 4 candidates Gordon Lafer and Rick Hamilton

Position 5

Lawyer Jenny Jonak is leading over veteran Grant Johnson by a wide margin for position 5.

Jonak said election night was exhilarating. She attended the watch party hosted by the Democratic Party of Lane County with fellow 4J candidates Tom Di Liberto and Morgan Munro.

"I'm thrilled at the confidence that Eugene voters have shown in me, and I'm ready to work super hard to be worthy of it," Jonak said. "The candidates (supported by the DPLC) have really gotten to know one another during the process, and most of us have become close friends, so seeing the success of other candidates is actually just as exciting as seeing your own success."

Jonak has four children, three of whom attend 4J schools. She said one of her children has various disabilities, and she has seen firsthand the difficulties parents of children with disabilities face at 4J in getting the support they need.

Air Force veteran Johnson has concerns about testing proficiency and graduation rates. He said if he was a business owner, he would be concerned about graduating seniors not being equipped to join the local workforce. He is troubled by the outcomes of the public school system "we're paying for."

Read more: Meet Eugene 4J position 5 candidates Jenny Jonak and Grant Johnson

Position 7

For the position 7 race, early results had business owner Morgan Munro ahead of Timothy Sean Sutherland, who works in insurance.

Munro said she was honored by the opportunity to serve students in the district and is hopeful about what she would be able to accomplish on the board. Munro attended the DPLC watch party, and she said she appreciated all of the work put in by people who volunteered and helped with campaigns in recent months.

"It was really wonderful to be with so many folks who've spent so much time in this campaign, and also so many other campaigns, supporting folks in our community who have stepped up," Munro said. "At this point, I'm just so excited and happy and grateful. I look forward to meeting folks and getting to work with people."

Munro has two children in 4J. She is currently on the Lane County Charter Review Committee and serves as parent-teacher association president at Adams Elementary. She works in strategy and organizational development, meaning she is familiar with analyzing data.

Sutherland has one son who formerly attended 4J schools, but was recently moved to Willamette Leadership Academy. Sutherland said the challenges his family faced finding resources for his son's learning disability while at 4J contributed to his decision to run for office. During the campaign, he said he'd like to see parent input at board meetings.

Read more: Meet Eugene 4J position 7 candidates Morgan Munro, Timothy Sean Sutherland

Springfield Public Schools

Early results show one tight and one less-close race for the two open positions on the Springfield Public Schools board.

Read more: Meet the candidates for Springfield Public Schools board of directors

Position 1

For position 1, retired engineer Ken Kohl has a healthy lead in the three-way race. Caregiver Violet Olszyk has a smaller percentage of the votes, while self-employed Geena Davis lags.

Kohl has been an active volunteer and has served on the district budget committee since 2006. He said he'd like to improve community engagement as well as engagement with students and staff. He'd also like to seek ways to boost graduation rates and literacy proficiency.

Olszyk has five children, two of whom attend Springfield schools. She is active in the parent-teacher association at Mapleton. Her priorities included quality education and core subject proficiency, transparency, supporting staff and school safety.

Position 4

The race for position 4 is still tight between nonprofit worker Nicole De Graff and carpenter Anthony Reed, with De Graff narrowly leading in early voting results.

De Graff works for Oregon Moms Union, a nonprofit that advocates for parental rights in schools and a student-first education system. She'd like to see schools "refocus on the basics" by helping students become proficient in reading and writing. Her children previously attended Springfield schools, but she has since enrolled them in a nearby public charter.

Reed has two sons in high school at Springfield. Reed said student safety is his number one concern. He also said he values public comment at board meetings, which he said provide the board insight into making the best decisions for the district.

Bethel School District

Two roles are still fairly close while a third has a more significant gap for the Bethel School District board, according to early voting results.

Read more: Meet the candidates for Bethel School District board of directors

Position 3

Teacher Curt Nordling held the lead over incumbent Greg Nelson and accounting supervisor Leena Earnest in early results for position 3.

Nordling said he was excited and thankful for the community support, but he was still holding back on a full celebration as he awaits further election results. He said he is looking forward to providing the educator perspective and fighting for greater district finances at the state level if voting results continue to trend in his favor.

"I'm excited about the results. I hope they stay that way," Nordling said. "I'm excited about the work ahead."

Nordling has two children at Meadow View School and one son at North Eugene High School. He is a math teacher at Willamette High, has two children who attend Meadow View School and also serves as vice president and lead negotiator for the local teachers’ union, the Eugene Education Association.

Nelson, a research analyst at the UO's Museum of Natural and Cultural History, has been serving on the Bethel board for 24 years. While on the board, Nelson said, he has helped push a focus on equity and inclusion in the district, as well as multiple capital improvement bonds.

Position 4

Early voting results show Eugene city employee Daniel (Drae) Charles with a significant lead over real estate agent Erin Basinger for position 4.

Charles does not currently have any children in Bethel, but soon will. His oldest is 3 and beginning to engage in local youth programs. If elected, Charles would like to push for greater community partnerships, more organized support for educators and fostering student belonging in schools.

Longtime Bethel community member Basinger has four children, three of whom currently attend Bethel schools. She said during the campaign she would like to focus on student mental health and finding ways to bring the community together.

Position 6

Early results for position 6 show incumbent Robin Zygaitis has a healthy lead over financial licensing coach Scott Chatham.

Zygaitis, who works in technology, has two children enrolled in Bethel. She was first elected to the board in 2019 and has helped pass capital improvement bonds. If re-elected, Zygaitis would push for an inclusive school environment, improved curriculum, support for teachers, increased health services, and more CTE courses.

Miranda Cyr reports on education for The Register-Guard. You can contact her at mcyr@registerguard.com or find her on Twitter @mirandabcyr

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Election 2023 results: Eugene 4J, Springfield, Bethel school boards