Math, other issues may add up to new Eastside school board members

In school-board races across the Eastside, returns Tuesday showed voters favoring new candidates in some races.

Although only a small percentage of precincts had been counted by early this morning, initial results showed that challengers pushing for a return to traditional math in both the Bellevue and Lake Washington school districts were getting voter support over incumbents.

In Snoqualmie Valley's two contested races, challenger Caroline Loudenback was ahead of longtime board member Richard Krona. Parent leader Kathryn Lerner was winning by a wide margin against Stephne Porterfield in Director District 3. The incumbent did not run.

The election comes on the heels of voters rejecting a $209.2 million construction-bond issue twice in the spring and amid community concerns about increasing property taxes and the changing face of the growing district. Loudenback and Lerner had campaigned for the measure, and both said they ran to give a voice to new perspectives.

"I think there was a sense of wanting change and wanting new blood on the board," Loudenback said Tuesday night. "I have kids in the district, I have something at stake, and I've been involved in the schools. I walk the talk."

Math curriculum topped candidate races in the Bellevue and Lake Washington districts, where all the challengers are members of "Where's the Math?" — a statewide group advocating that districts move away from so-called "new math" curriculum to use more computation-based or traditional math.

In Bellevue, returns showed longtime Bellevue resident Michael Murphy had a slight lead on incumbent Jan Still for the Director District 4 seat.

"It's still too early to tell, but my suspicion is that there are upset parents in the district ... and when people get upset they vote for change," Murphy said.

"I think they [School Board members] need to be partners with parents and there need to be better programs for attracting and retaining teachers."

Parent Sheila Killeen was losing against incumbent Peter Bentley for the Director District 2 seat.

For Lake Washington's Director District 2 position, parent Chris Carlson was winning against Matt Gregory, who was appointed to the seat in June.

"If there is anything responsible for a winning margin, it would be math," Carlson said. "Math is the thing that is responsible for getting people to vote in this election."

Rachel Tuinstra: 206-515-5637 or rtuinstra@seattletimes.com