Six candidates for the Columbus City School Board of Education have moved on to the general election, with the candidates endorsed by the Franklin County Democratic Party emerging as the frontrunners, according to final, unofficial election results.
Candidates Antoinette Miranda, Patrick Katzenmeyer, Jermaine Kennedy, Mounir Lynch, Janeece Keyes and Kimberly Mason all secured enough votes in the nonpartisan primary race to advance to the November general election, where the top three vote-getters will be elected.
The competitive nonpartisan race comes after none of the three current board members whose terms expire this year, President Michael Cole and members Ramona Reyes and Christina Vera, sought reelection.
Some organizations have endorsed in the primary race. Both the Franklin County Democratic Party and Equity Now Coalition endorsed Katzenmeyer, Kennedy and Miranda. The Columbus Education Association, the district’s teachers union, endorsed Katzenmeyer, Keyes and Miranda.
Miranda, Katzenmeyer and Kennedy emerged from the May 6 primary as the clear frontrunners in the race, with Miranda claiming around 21.9% of the vote; Katzenmeyer 19.1% and Kennedy with 18.4%. The other three qualifying candidates, Lynch, Keyes and Mason earned 7.6%, 7.2% and 7.1%, respectively.
In the past year, the state’s largest public school district has been roiled by challenges, including a turbulent school closing process that saw public outcry over a leaked document on handling school opposition, an ongoing threat to school funding in the state’s two-year budget bill and questions over whether the Trump administration will also threaten federal funding as a result of districts’ diversity, equity and inclusion practices.
How the CCS primary elections shook out
Here’s how candidates performed in order of the percentage votes they received with all precincts reporting:
Cole Behrens covers K-12 education and school districts in central Ohio. Have a tip? Contact Cole at cbehrens@dispatch.com or connect with him on X at @Colebehr_report
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Democrat-backed Columbus school board candidates roll to primary election victories
Reporting by Cole Behrens, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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