Former board president Kevin Walsh, running for another term, Kyrene parents Catherine Peters and Mathew Sparkes and Tempe resident Franklin Zyriek are vying for two seats on the Kyrene Elementary School District board.
Walsh has over 20,000 votes, earning nearly 34% of the vote from early ballots.
Peters trails behind him with just over 32% of the vote and over 19,000 votes.
Zyriek has just over 21% of the votes, or 12,775, and Sparkes has 7,000 votes, a little over 12% from early ballots.
Current board president Triné Nelson is not seeking re-election and will end her term in December.
The Kyrene board will vote on a new president and vice president in January.
The new members will join board vice president Amy Satre and members Cedric Collins and Bunny Davis on the dais.
Should Proposition 320 pass, the board will decide how to allocate a budget to meet the 60% instructional funding threshold stated in the proposition. The district said previously that this could result in a change of staff or budget elimination of elective or special needs areas.
The board will also help with the transition of school closures as three schools are set to close at the end of the 2026-27 school year following a 2025 vote to close six schools in the district, citing a loss of enrollment and budget restrictions from the state.
This race has not yet been called and results are not final. Results from ballots dropped off today will be counted separately.
Madeline Bates joined Independent Newsmedia in 2025 as a Phoenix/Tempe reporter. Before graduating college, she spent a semester in Washington as a Congressional reporter in the first 100 days of the second Trump administration. But local news is where her heart is. She is excited to be in Phoenix full time and exploring new parts of the city (as long as they have AC).
Community: After living in East Phoenix for two years, she fell in love with Paradise Valley, Mesa, Tempe, and everywhere in between. She recently discovered the beauty of the South Mountain Reserve and hopes to continue exploring should the weather comply.
Education: Madeline has a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and a certificate in Political History and Leadership.
Random Fact: She is a self-taught nail tech. No, she cannot do your nails.
Hobbies: Hiking (when its not 100 degrees), fiction writing, cooking, baking and trying new coffee shops.
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