Live election updates: 2 Clovis Unified school board seats are up for election. See early results here
The race for one of two open seats on the Clovis Unified school board is neck-and-neck, while an incumbent in the second race holds a comfortable lead, according to early Election Night returns.
In Area 2, which includes Clovis North, Molly DeFrank and Wilma Tom Hashimoto are in a tight race for first place. Early ballot returns counted as of 8 p.m. Tuesday show DeFrank with a seven-vote lead over Hashimoto, both of whom have 41% of the vote. Janet Kardashian trailed in the three-way race with about 18% of the vote.
School board President Hugh Awtrey leads Gina Vue in the Area 4 trustee race with 62% of the vote, early returns show.
Tuesday's contests mark the first year of trustee-region voting for Clovis Unified, which had historically elected board members "at-large."
All five candidates either taught in the school district or were parents of Clovis Unified students. Each shared similar priorities and said they sought to improve student achievement and preserve the district's culture.
DeFrank , 40, is a parenting author and the wife of current Trustee David DeFrank, who decided not to run for reelection after completing a four-year term on the board. Hashimoto , 62, is the executive director of CASA of Fresno and Madera counties, and Kardashian , 78, is a retired teacher who taught in Clovis Unified for 55 years. All three candidates are political newcomers who haven't held any elected office.
Awtrey , 59, an insurance broker, joined the board in 2019 to fulfill the remaining term of a departing trustee and won his first full term in 2020. Vue , a 38-year-old clinician, is running for public office for the first time.
Two other seats on the school board have already been decided. Area 5 incumbent Steven Fogg and Area 7 incumbent Yolanda Moore ran unopposed, meaning they already automatically won the reelection without their names showing up on the ballot.
As of the election night, here's what candidates raised this year, according to the Fresno County Clerk: DeFrank, $28,173; Hashimoto, $13,630; Kardashian, $35,710; Awtrey, $25,550; Vue, $37,585.
The school board's next trustees will join the district at a time of growth. With more than 43,000 students, Clovis Unified is the state's 12th largest school district. The district is building its sixth comprehensive high school to accommodate projected growing enrollment.
Typically – but not always – returns compiled at the end of Election Night reflect percentages similar to the final confirmed result when all of the counting is completed and the election certified. That could take up to four weeks after Election Day.
