Final Election results: Marcia Andrews, Edwin Ferguson win Palm Beach County School Board
Palm Beach County voters chose incumbent Marcia Andrews and newcomer attorney Edwin Ferguson as winners in two school board elections Tuesday, according to unofficial election results with all precincts reporting.
Andrews will represent District 6, including Wellington, Royal Palm Beach and the Glades, after winning 56% of ballots cast. She ran against Jennifer Showalter, who won 43%.
Ferguson will represent District 7, including Riviera Beach and a narrow stretch of neighborhoods that runs south mostly east of Interstate 95 to Delray Beach.
Ferguson won with 52% of the vote over challenger Corey Michael Smith's 47%.
The winners will join incumbents Karen Brill and Erica Whitfield, who defended their seats in the August primary by garnering more than 50% of the vote. The new school board members will be sworn in Nov. 22.
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The Palm Beach County School Board sets policies and oversees a nearly $5 billion budget for the 10th largest school district in the United States.
The seven-member elected board's seats are filled in alternating election cycles. Board members serve four-year terms and are paid about $47,200. Three seats were filled in the last cycle.
All Palm Beach County voters, regardless of party affiliation, were able vote in the nonpartisan school board elections as long as they lived in the district being decided.
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Decided: Andrews to represent Wellington, Royal Palm Beach and the Glades
Andrews is an incumbent with nearly 12 years of experience on the board.
A former principal, she said she wants to focus on increasing reading performance among elementary students, addressing unfinished learning caused by the pandemic, expanding mental and behavioral health programs and ensuring student and staff safety.
Reached Tuesday evening, Andrews said she was "so happy" with the win and that the race has been "so political."
"I'm nonpartisan, I care about all of the children," she said. "My goal is to make sure all the children are successful. I stand with all the children, parents and the teachers working together to improve our schools."
She said she was thrilled the public "saw our work, my ethics and my willingness to do what's right."
Showalter ran as an outspoken advocate for parental rights — a rallying cry of Gov. Ron DeSantis who wants more control over school policies and curriculum.
A freelance graphic designer, she had hoped to address what she calls "the gross overreach and disregard of students, parents and teachers, which has led to ignoring individual and parental rights."
Andrews came just two percentage points shy of winning the District 6 seat outright against four other candidates in the August primary, landing 48% of the vote.
Showalter won 18% of the ballots cast in August.
Andrews raised $117,157 for her campaign as of Nov. 3. Showalter raised $41,162.
Decided: Ferguson to represent Riviera Beach and West Palm Beach
Voters chose Ferguson to fill the school board seat vacated by Dr. Debra Robinson.
Ferguson and Smith are both fathers, husbands and attorneys.
They also share similar goals: improved early education programs, increased support for school district employees, expanded school safety measures and heightened focus on preparing students for careers or new learning opportunities after high school.
Ferguson, who tried to unseat school board member Debra Robinson in 2018, previously worked as a teacher at Suncoast and Palm Beach Lakes high schools before attending law school and opening The Ferguson Firm in Riviera Beach. He focuses mostly on real estate and personal injury cases.
Reached Tuesday evening, Ferguson was celebrating with supporters.
"I'm very happy, very excited that the voters trust us to bring change to the public school system," he said. "Tonight was a convincing victory, and we want to get started on this tomorrow."
Ferguson said he hopes to "collaborate with the community, bring more folks and resources toward kindergarten, work on school safety and the school-to-entrepreneurship pipeline."
In the primary race, Ferguson pulled in 43% of the vote while smith Smith won 41%.
Ferguson raised $168,882 as of Nov. 3. Smith raised $69,883.
Katherine Kokal is a journalist covering education at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at kkokal@pbpost.com. Help support our work, subscribe today!
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Election Day 2022: Palm Beach County School Board winners, results
