Photos: Voters participate in local school board election

Shelly Conlon, Jack Williams and Austin Lammers | Argus Leader

The Sioux Falls school board will have two institutional voices joining the ranks next term, following the results of Tuesday’s election.

Incumbent Carly Reiter retained her seat and the former co-chair of the district’s facilities task force Nan Baker earned her spot by tying with 2,854 votes, each claiming about 37 percent of the overall vote total, according to the election results on the school district's website.



They were two of the four candidates vying for two open seats on the board this election cycle. One of the seats belonged to school board president Kent Albery, who chose not to run for re-election after serving 12 years on the board.

Carly Reiter/Submitted

Reiter already has six years of school board experience, and Baker helped propose the largest school bond in the district’s history last year. She's also the community director for a teen leadership group at one of the high schools.

Reiter released a statement on her Facebook campaign page after the win.

"Thank you for trusting me with the important task of guiding our district to provide our students with the best education, our staff with an amazing workplace, and our community with a talented and capable workforce," she wrote. "I vow to do my best to make that happen."

Baker thanked her challengers for running against her and the volunteers who helped her campaign. She then looked toward the future.

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"I want us all thinking about what we accomplished this year with that $190 million bond, Baker said. "We continue creating an environment where growth and investment want to happen. Sioux Falls is filled with good, hard-working people and I’m proud to represent them on the Sioux Falls school board.”

Nan Baker/Submitted

Voters passed the bond in September 2018 to give the overcrowded district three new schools within the next several years and room for a multitude of other equity projects and campus improvements, including funds to buy property to eventually replace the Whittier Middle School campus within the next 10 years.

Political newcomer Sarah Anderson and former state legislator Lora Hubbel only brought in about 13 percent of the total ballots cast.

The election comes at a time when school district officials are weighing program and resource cuts for the 2020 budget, and deciding whether to reduce the amount of time spent in fine arts classes at the elementary level next year to improve teacher schedules.

The overall voter turnout for the standalone election fell in line with previous standalone district elections, school district data shows. Only about 4 percent of 110,040 registered voters cast their ballot. And more than 740 under or over votes were made.

During lunch hours, at least five of 13 polling places welcomed less than 160 voters, but that didn’t stop voters from expressing their views after casting their ballots.

Greg Devitt voted for the winners, saying Reiter and Baker seemed to be in line with what his values are in the community.

“I try to vote in the all the elections, and I never miss the school board,” he said. “The important thing is (how) they are going to spend the dollars, and I like the way they (Baker and Reiter) presented their positions better than the others.”

And Don Erickson, a former Sioux Falls high school teacher, voted the same way because of the experience Baker and Reiter brought to the table, he said.

“I’ve always been impressed with the staff and how the community has supported education,” he said. “Education is not cheap, but it’s a sound investment in helping young people succeeded in life and find their niche.”

Terry Redlin Elementary teacher Morgan Idjao didn’t say who she voted for when she walked out of Asbury United Methodist Church, but she did say she was looking for someone who puts the needs of the teachers, students and community first.

“There’s nothing specific I’m looking for, just someone who understands the teacher’s perspective and student perspective and the parent’s perspective,” Idjao said. “Someone who’s not just looking for a political agenda.”

Diane McComber, though, voted for Hubbel and Anderson because she thought they were the best candidates to help children have the best education possible, she said. She said she would’ve liked to see the candidates keep music and physical education programs going as they are currently.

“I think Hubbel’s experience really stands out,” McComber said. “Anderson seems very sincere in wanting to make some changes and check things out. I just feel they’re very positive and do a good job.”