Two incumbent school board members have been confirmed to return to the Princeton Public Schools Board of Education by Princeton voters, and will be joined by a newcomer to fill the third open seat.
Incumbent school board member Brian McDonald was the top vote-getter with 4,608 votes in the Nov. 2 General Election, followed by incumbent school board member Betsy Baglio, who earned 4,300 votes, and newcomer Mara Franceschi, who picked up 4,256 votes.
Jeffrey Zhi Yang Liao came in fourth place with 3,942 votes.
The vote tallies were certified by Mercer County officials and released Nov. 19. The certified vote tallies included early voting, Election Day voting, mail-in ballots and provisional ballots.
Baglio could not be reached for comment, but Franceschi said she was honored that the Princeton community supported her bid for a school board seat.
“I look forward to working with this outstanding group of leaders to make sure that every child is welcomed and heard in our district, and to creating a financially smart path forward,” Franceschi said.
McDonald said he was gratified that voters returned him to the school board for a second term, choosing him from among four candidates for three seats.
McDonald said all the candidates ran “positive and purposeful campaigns” that put the primary focus on students and on the need for the district and the school board to make equity its highest priority.
Looking ahead, McDonald said, the school board’s “first job” must be to support Carole Kelley, the new superintendent of schools, as she works with the school board to ensure that equity remains its highest priority.
A second priority is to ensure that the district has “excellent facilities to support 21st century (educational) best practices and adequate space, should enrollment continue to grow as our town grows,” he said.
“I very much look forward to serving with Betsy Baglio and Mara Franceschi, and I hope Jeffrey Liao will remain actively engaged in the life of our schools and the work of the board,” McDonald said.