Hannah Horton was the top vote getter in the Urbandale School Board election and will be joined by fellow newcomer Rodrigo Santizo and incumbent Rachel Kent.
Horton, 43, received 29% of votes, followed by Santizo, 46, with 25% of votes and Kent, 50, with 24%, according to unoffical results.
Horton, a registered nurse, said she supports district plans to expand tech and career education offerings and moving out of the CIML athletic conference while focusing on the expansion of youth sport programs to help attract and retain familes.
“I support the plans to widen our tech and career education offerings in the next few years to provide expanded opportunities for our students. I also believe moving out of the CIML and simultaneously focusing on expanding youth sports programs will attract/retain families,” Horton said in a Des Moines Register candidate questionnaire.
Santizo, a Des Moines police officer, said he believes Urbandale schools need a new vision or rebranding to promote interest in the district that is “land locked” by surrounding districts that are growing.
“As a parent to three children in the district, one at each level — elementary, middle school, and high school — I felt inspired to become more active in our community, especially within the district,” Santizo said of his reason for wanting to serve on the board.
Kent, coordinator of student services and registered organizations at Drake University, said the board has an opportunity to improve transparency and communication with parents, staff and students, and that would be her priority.
“The progress that Urbandale Community School District has made in the form of higher test scores, growth on the Iowa School Performance Profile, and improved survey results from stakeholders is exciting to witness,” Kent said of her first term serving on the board.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Incumbent, 2 new faces elected to Urbandale school board
Reporting by Kevin Baskins, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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