New leadership leads in early election results for MPUSD and PGUSD races.

Early results show few surprises in K-12 school board elections in Monterey County, where many incumbents retained their seats. 

In one big upset for Monterey Peninsula Unified School District in Seaside’s Area 2, Jessica Hare, a registered nurse and advocate for affordable housing, blew past the incumbent in a three-way race, leading by nearly 8 points over incumbent Debra Gramespacher. 

“With these initial results, it’s shown that the community is ready for some change,” Hare says. The resounding strong lead was a surprise: “Until [the results] become certified, I still won't believe them.” 

She is likely to join another newcomer to MPUSD representing Area 1 encompassing Marina, where current trustee Wendy Root Askew did not seek reelection and instead ran for county supervisor. Jeff Uchida, a retired educator who taught for nearly 40 years at different schools in the Peninsula and is a Recreation/Cultural Services Commissioner in Marina,  is sweeping the race with a 40-percent margin over Audra Walton and Leigh Rodriguez, who each had 20 percent of the vote. 

In Monterey’s Area 3, Trustee Veronica “Ronnie” Miramontes is headed for reelection with 48 percent of the vote in a three-way race. Miramontes was appointed to a partial term, and says she felt imposter syndrome at first.

She is the first Latina to serve on MPUSD’s board, and she believes Latino representation is key. “It’s a unique and vital voice to have one on the board when discussing how the school is going to move forward,” she says, noting Latinos comprise MPUSD’s majority student population, 58 percent: “We didn’t have any representation.”

She led over Nancy Selfridge, a retired teacher and former Monterey City Council member, and budget watchdog Kevin Dayton. 

In Pacific Grove Unified School District, there are no Latino candidates but the first-place winner says she would like to incorporate a dual language, English-Spanish, immersion program in the district. Carolyn Swanson is a newcomer and swept first place in the three-way race for two open seats with 47 percent of the vote, based on early reporting. 

She says she will advocate for students safety and equity under Covid-19 restrictions. 

Another Swanson, Brain John Swanson, is the five-year incumbent in the PGUSD board race and is positioned to keep his seat, with 30 percent of the votes. The Swansons—no relation to each other—led over former P.G. City Council member Dan Miller, who has 23 percent of the vote.