Voters, concerned with racial inequity in the district, elected a mix of new and familiar faces to the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education during Tuesday's election.
Incumbent Rani Dasi and newcomers Jillian La Serna, Deon Temne and Ashton Powell won seats on the board, unofficial vote counts show.
According to unofficial returns, Andrew Davidson, who served on the school board from 2013-17, was not elected. Carmen Huerta-Bapat and Louis Tortora filed to run, but dropped out of the race before early voting began.
Terms for board members Dasi, Pat Heinrich and James Barrett expired this year, leaving three of the empty seats. The fourth was vacated by Jean Hamilton, who joined the board after Margaret Samuels resigned in March.
Heinrich did not run for reelection, and Barrett passed on a race for reelection to run for North Carolina's Superintendent of Public Instruction.
In addition to issues regarding Chapel Hill and Carrboro as a community, many voters said improving racial equity in the school district was of high importance.
"Affordable housing is really important to me, and equity in terms of schools, particularly racial equity, in our public schools is really important," said Jason Tuell of Carrboro.
Carrboro resident Altha Cravey also said she feels the school district has work to do on improving racial inequity.
"Carrboro and Chapel Hill, this area has long been a place for wealth, and it’s dominated by the college," she said. "I do hope that our schools, our K-12 and college, continue to push for wider notions of the public and more inclusivity for people disadvantaged by socioeconomic class, by race, particularly the historically disadvantaged African American residents of the state and the town."
