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Arlington schools Trustee Gloria Peña will retain her Place 1 seat as the school board faces big decisions about how to fill in a funding gap or shrink it by eliminating costs.
In Place 3, first-time candidate Aaron Reich defeated Cheryl Smith. The district, which has about 63,000 students, is expected to take almost $17 million from its savings this year. Officials blame the deficit on state funding being frozen at 2005-06 levels.Place 3 came open when longtime Trustee Sherri Wade decided not to run again. Reich, a pharmacist with his own consulting business, won with 52 percent of the vote in unofficial returns. Smith, a legal specialist for an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers, had 48 percent.According to the most recent candidate financial disclosures, Reich and Smith’s race was the costliest. He collected in-kind and cash donations totaling $10,729.76 and spent $9,554.80. Smith collected $5,265.05 and spent $6,896.64, the documents said.In mailers, some of which came out last week, Reich questioned Smith’s record of engagement on school issues. Her campaign denied the mailing’s claims about her voting record. Peña faced Luis Castillo, who also ran for the board last year, for Place 1. Peña won with 76 percent of the vote to Castillo’s 24 percent. Peña said the vote affirms the current board’s work. "Everyone I’ve talked to has seen that we’ve done everything to try to keep things under control as far as spending and they’re very appreciative of that," she said. She’s looking forward to seeing the district move toward its goal of becoming state-recognized.Trustee Peter Baron, a high school teacher in Grand Prairie, ran unopposed.Elsewhere in the region:MansfieldIncumbent Terry Moore prevailed over the school district’s retired chief technology officer, Ray Jaksa, for Place 1. With all 12 precincts counted, Moore had 76.1 percent of the vote, Jaksa 23.9 percent. Trustee Beth Light was running unopposed to retain Place 2. CrowleyTwo new trustees will take their places as the 15,000-student district struggles with a critical money shortfall in the 2009-10 budget.Deborah Alenius unseated incumbent Greg Kauffman in Place 3 with 55 percent to Kauffman’s 45 percent.Mary Harris won the three-way race for the unexpired Place 5 term with 56 percent of the vote to Karen Davis’ 29 percent and Mia Hall’s 15 percent.Grapevine-ColleyvilleBecky St. John defeated Vince Rosen for Place 2 on the school board, 52 percent to 48 percent.CleburneBusiness owners Wendell Dempsey and Tolin Navarrete are headed for a runoff in Place 3. Dempsey got 44 percent of the vote to Navarrete’s 42 percent and Matt Snider’s 15 percent. AledoIncumbents Johnny Campbell and Joe Dearing Jr. defeated challengers to keep their seats. Campbell had 69 percent to win Place 2, beating David Tillman, who got 31 percent. Dearing tallied 72 percent to Place 3 challenger Chris Griffin Sr.’s 28 percent. BurlesonPat Worrell and Trey Schmoker are in a runoff for Place 7. Worrell won 41 percent to Schmoker’s 40 percent. Derek Stanley got 19 percent.EvermanTrustee Vicky Garza faces a runoff to keep her Place 7 seat. She got 40 percent of the vote to Sharon Banks’ 35 percent. Tom Franklin Jr. received 25 percent.In Place 2, Ricky Burgess got 67 percent of the vote to LaMonica Thomas-Hodgest’s 33 percent . Gary T. Balch kept his Place 3 seat with 83 percent to Kia D. Cowan’s 17 percent.NorthwestFormer Northwest High School student body President Joshua Wright, now 23 and a student at the University of North Texas, won Place 1 on the school board with 39 percent of the vote.
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