A couple of San Diego school board incumbents will have to face a runoff election in November if they want to keep their seats. KPBS Reporter Ana Tintocalis has more.
There are now four candidates looking to be on the San Diego Unified school board.
In District E -- the southeastern area of San Diego -- school board member Shiela Jackson will defend her seat against computer teacher Xeng Yang.
In District A -- the central and northern area of San Diego -- incumbent Mitz Lee will go head-to-head with psychologist John Evans.
The candidates are the top two vote-getters in their respective districts. Now they all move on to the General Election in November. Residents from across the city will be able to vote for them. Yesterday, only residents in District A and E cast a ballot.
Incumbents Jackson and Lee clinched the top vote in their districts yesterday by a wide margin. But San Diego teachers union president Camille Zombro expects that to change once the vote goes city-wide.
Zombro: The school board has not been in the public eye to the extent that they probably will be. And as the situation in San Diego continues to worsen, continues down the road the school board is headed down I think the public is going to become aware and that will certainly play into the fall election.
San Diego Unified faces a 53 million dollar loss in state education funding - and the school board is poised to layoff hundreds of teachers next year.
A change in trustees could set the district in a new direction OR spark tension with the new superintendent Terry Grier.
Ana Tintocalis, KPBS News.
