VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Virginia Beach voters elected five new school board members in Districts 1, 3, 4, 5 and 7 as well as an at-large seat.
Here’s a breakdown of each school board districts’ winners and the seat-at-large winner:
District 1
Challenger Rose Dwyer ran against incumbent school board member Jennifer Franklin. With provisional votes outstanding, Dwyer leads with 52% of the vote over Franklin’s 47%.
Dwyer told 13News Now ahead of the election that her desire to run for school board stemmed from her “passion” to provide opportunities to the next generation of students in the city. Dwyer said she made for a better candidate in comparison to Franklin because her interests and values lie with the parents, teachers and students as a community servant – rather than for political gain.
District 3
Mark Bohenstiel ran unopposed after John Sutton dropped out of the race.
Bohenstiel said he entered the race to bring about “positive academic outcomes for all students.” According to Bohenstiel, although he is not a career government administrator, he believes that his fresh perspective as a business owner will “challenge the status quo” and will ensure the hard questions are asked in order to come to the best decision for District 3 students.
Bohenstiel’s candidacy focused on community service, educational excellence, school safety, and vocational readiness.
District 4 Special Election
District 4 Challenger Alveta Green ran against fellow challengers Anissa Bowden and incumbent school board member Shannon Kendrick. As of Wednesday, Green leads them with 50% of the vote compared to 11% for Bowden and 39% for Kendrick.
Green threw her hat in the ring for the District 4 school board in response to the book ban the school board implemented. As someone who has been in public education for 39 years, Green said she is uniquely prepared to work in the school division in any capacity as well as advocate for the District 4 community.
District 5
In the race to represent District 5, newcomer Melinda Rogers ran against fellow newcomer Vincent Smith. Rogers is in the lead with provisional ballots remaining, securing 54% of the vote compared to Smith’s 46%.
Throughout her campaign Rogers emphasized her experience as an educator, going so far as to denounce the title of “politician.” She said she recognizes what are the real problems in the District 5 school division rather than what she referred to as “distractions.”
District 7
Newcomer Matthew Cummings ran against fellow newcomer Noah Moreland in District 7. With provisional votes still to be counted, Cummings leads, with 62% of the vote compared to Moreland’s 37%.
Cummings touted his 13 years in education and his experience in equity as well as building high-performing teams as skills that would help him serve the city. He said he plans to work hard as a champion for every single student to assist them in moving forward in the next steps in their life.
At-large Seat
Sharon Felton faced off against Monty Ashliman for the Virginia Beach City School Board at-large seat. With provisional ballots outstanding, Felton received 60% of the vote compared to Ashliman’s 39%.
Felton touted the "kindergarten in all elementary schools" policy she was partially responsible for implementing in the school division. Previously, Felton served eight consecutive years on the school board. She said she decided to return to help ensure every student gets the accessibility to an equitable education.
