A pair of Eugene 4J school board incumbents appear to have easily won in preliminary election results released Tuesday night.
Long-time educator Judy Newman, who has been on the 4J Board since 2017, holds a commanding lead over Donald Easton, an instructor at Lane Community College and previous CTE teacher. Newman has 70% of the vote, compared to Easton's 30%.
During her campaign, Newman said she was focused on stabilizing the district after a tough financial year and a change in superintendents.
Another incumbent, Ericka Thessen, was also well ahead in the preliminary count. Thessen is a physical therapist who was appointed in 2023. She was challenged by parent Danny McDiarmid and Alan Madden, who did not campaign.
Thessen had 83% of the vote as of Tuesday evening. McDerimid had 10% and Madden had 7%.
A third incumbent, Maya Rabasa, did not face an opponent in this month’s election.
All three incumbents have said they strongly support the district’s efforts to protect its most marginalized students, and voted in favor of a lawsuit against the federal government’s restrictions on DEI.
Springfield
In Springfield, Justin Martin, a healthcare portfolio manager who is involved in the Springfield School Foundation which raises money for the district, was barely ahead of long-time incumbent Jonathan Light in the race for Position #2. As of the 11 p.m. release of vote totals, Martin led light by just eight votes: 2,617 to 2,609. The next release of totals from Lane County Elections is scheduled for 5 p.m. Wednesday.
Light has been on the school board for 20 years. He told KLCC last month that he believed behavioral issues and communication were the biggest issues facing the district.
Martin has worked in commercial banking and has not held office before. Last month he told KLCC he believes the biggest issue facing the district is COVID learning loss.
Amber Langworthy – a parent and former teacher who was also a first-time candidate – was ahead in a three-way race for an open seat, taking 55% of votes.
She told KLCC last month that she was running to address teacher retention issues and lagging enrollment.
She faced former Springfield city councilmember Bob Brew and coffee and tea company manager Robert Morgan.
Heather Quaas-Annsa, who was appointed last year, took more than 64 percent of votes against her opponent, Sarah Bosch.
Quaas-Annsa told KLCC she hoped to focus on providing resources for students facing mental health challenges.
