Jamezetta Bedford tosses another campaign sign in the trunk. She has served on the school board since 2003 and will retain her seat.
By Susan Dickson
Staff Writer
Newcomer Mia Burroughs and three incumbents were elected to the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education on Tuesday.
Board Chair Jamezetta Bedford, Mike Kelley and Annetta Streater kept their seats on the board.
Burrroughs garnered the highest number of votes — about 21.7 percent. Candidate Gary Wallach came in fifth place, trailing Kelley by just over 1 percent with 17.3 percent of the vote.
Longtime board member Liz Carter did not run for re-election.
Burroughs said she was extremely grateful to her supporters and felt “totally exhilarated and a little numb.â€
“At this point, I have to change gears,†she said. “I need to spend some time learning how to be a good board member.â€
Bedford said she looked forward to continuing the board’s work on Professional Learning Communities and improving district math scores.
Throughout the campaign, candidates echoed the importance of Professional Learning Communities — groups of teachers within schools who meet regularly to discuss the successes and failures of different teaching methods.
Bedford added that she thought Burroughs would get acclimated to the board fairly quickly.
“Mia is very knowledgeable, having served on [School Governance committees],†she said.
Streater said she was extremely pleased with the support of her constituents, but she was happy that the campaign is over.
“It’s been a busy and full few months,†she said. “I want to get a good night’s rest.â€
Streater was appointed to the board in 2006 when Ed Sechrest left the board.
Kelley said he felt pretty good about the support he received in the election.
“People were able to evaluate my performance based on their own independent observations,†he said. Kelley was the only candidate who did not receive any organized endorsements.
Wallach said that while he was disappointed not to be elected to the board, he enjoyed the campaign and planned to stay involved with the school district.
“It’s been pretty exciting and I’ve met a lot of great people,†he said. “It’s been a pretty positive experience.â€
Burroughs will be sworn in at the board’s meeting on December 6. Board members will also elect a new chair and vice-chair at that meeting.