It appears the Kent School Board showdown races in November will be between Tim Clark and Sara Franklin for District No. 5 director and Awale Farah and Bradley Kenning for District No. 4 director.
Clark collected 53.8% (6,730 votes) and Franklin 28.9% (3,614 votes) from the King County Elections first returns in Tuesday’s primary. George Alvarez was in a distant third with 16.3% (2,043 votes). The two candidates with the most votes advance to the Nov. 2 general election.
Clark served 16 years on the Kent City Council before deciding not to run again in 2009. Voters elected him to the school board in 2009 and he served four years. He lost a race against incumbent Suzette Cooke for Kent mayor in 2013. He is a former Kentridge High School teacher and community college instructor.
During the campaign, Clark emphasized his experience on the Kent School District Board of Directors, Green River College Board of Directors, and Kent City Council taught him the challenges administrations face and the importance of sustaining programs and tracking expenditures of large public budgets.
Franklin lost a 2019 Kent City Council primary race against incumbent Les Thomas and challenger Hira Singh Bhullar. She said during her campaign that she wants politics out of school board decisions. She said the emphasis needs to be back on the children and that she will work to ensure accountability, transparency and results for families.
Farah leads the way in the District No. 4 race with 43.1% (5,372 votes) followed by Kenning at 31.1% (3,874 votes). They are well ahead of Bryon Madsen at 14.3% (1,782 votes) and Willie Middleton Sr. at 10.7% (1.332 votes).
Farah, who lost to Zandria Michaud in a 2019 Kent City Council race after winning the four-person primary, said the budget is a key topic. He said he will be mindful of the financial responsibilities and looks forward to creating a “new normal” for children’s education.
Kenning emphasized a focus on the superintendent and to be fiscally responsible with the district’s budget. Madsen filed a recall petition earlier this year for board members but then withdrew it.
The two new board members in November will replace Denise Daniels and Maya Vengadasalam, who each decided not to seek reelection to the five-member board. Board member Joe Bento is running unopposed on the November ballot. Leslie Hamada and Michele Bettinger each have two more years on their terms.
One of the key roles for the new board members will be to pick a new superintendent. Calvin Watts resigned this month to be the superintendent of of the Gwinnett County Public Schools in Georgia.
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