Two incumbents win, one falls behind in Everett school board race

EVERETT — A challenger took the lead in an extremely close race for a seat on the Everett Public Schools board of directors, as two incumbents earned comfortable victories.

The board of directors is the legislative body of Everett Public Schools, which includes Everett, Mill Creek and parts of unincorporated Snohomish County. The school district has over 20,000 students and a $441 million general fund budget.

Everett Public Schools board members serve six-year terms. Board members can receive stipends of $50 per day for attending board meetings or performing other services on behalf of the district, not to exceed $4,800 per year. Members can also waive compensation if they choose.

Snohomish County will continue counting ballots throughout the week and certify election results Nov. 25. Results will be updated after 5 p.m. daily at heraldnet.com.

Position 1

After trailing in initial results, challenger Shaina Langley took a narrow lead against incumbent Roman Rewolinski in the race for the position 1 seat.

Results Thursday showed Langley earned 50.5% of the vote, while Rewolinski earned 49.1%. A total of 350 votes separated the two candidates in the race.

Rewolinski, an accountant, was appointed to the school board in 2023. His top priorities are improving student achievement, maintaining fiscal integrity and promoting safe, supportive schools. Rewolinski touted his experience as an accountant as a strength when overseeing the district’s spending. He also said he would continue to monitor progress, increase community engagement and advocate for more statewide funding as ways to work toward improving student outcomes.

Langley is a teacher and has worked as a political action committee manager in her local teachers union. Her top priority is student success, and she said that everything the district oversees, including budgets, planning and staff training, contributes to that success. She said she would work to ensure funding is distributed equitably across schools, fight to improve state funding and improve professional development for teachers. Langley also touted her work in the classroom as vital experience.

As of Monday, Rewolinski reported $19,102 in campaign contributions and Langley reported $13,391 in campaign contributions.

Position 2

Incumbent Jen Hirman will retain the Position 2 seat over challenger Janelle Burke.

Initial results showed Hirman earned 84.7% of the vote, compared to Burke’s 14.8% as of Thursday.

Hirman, a community volunteer, was appointed to the board in 2022 and retained her seat in a 2023 election. Her top priorities are community engagement, academic success, safe schools and financial stability. Hirman said she would work with parent-teacher associations to increase engagement, continue work on the strategic plan to improve academic outcomes, and maintain vigilant oversight over the budget.

Burke, a stay-at-home mom, has previously run for school board positions multiple times. Her top priority is giving more of a voice to students and parents in the district. She said she would do so by inviting parents to events with the school board and increasing transparency.

Both Hirman and Burke filed mini reporting campaigns with Washington’s Public Disclosure Commission, meaning they do not have to file contribution or expenditure reports but cannot raise or spend more than $7,000 on their campaign.

Position 3

Anna Marie Jackson Laurence will retain her seat in the Position 3 race over challenger Tom Clarke.

As of Thursday night, Laurence earned 69.3% of the vote while Clarke earned 30.4%.

Laurence was appointed to the seat in May. Her top priorities are academic success, safe schools and expanding student opportunities through career and technical education. She said she would work to add early learning programs and implement classroom technology to support learning efforts. Laurence also said she would maintain existing district programs like anti-bullying curricula and an anonymous tip line to support student safety while advocating for the state to close funding gaps in areas like special education.

Clarke is an attorney and a parent at the district. His top priorities are student success and safety, managing the district’s budget and maintaining secular schools. He said he would advocate for more oversight into the IEP process, take a more holistic approach to assessment, and work to increase the number of paraeducators working with children. Clarke said the district should look for ways to consolidate executive positions and implement rules requiring project labor agreements on large construction projects.

As of Monday, Laurence reported $21,775 in campaign contributions. Clarke filed a mini reporting campaign.

Will Geschke: 425-339-3443; william.geschke@heraldnet.com; X: @willgeschke.