Incumbent school board members Deborah Bronfeld, Susan Kanter and Dafna Kendal have earned enough votes in the November school board election to keep their seats on the Princeton Public Schools Board of Education.
Kanter was the top vote-getter with 4,936 votes, followed by Kendal with 4,591 votes and Bronfeld, who earned 4,354 votes. The term is for three years.
Challengers Rita Rafalovsky received 3,485 votes and Lishian “Lisa” Wu got 2,153 votes.
The unofficial vote tallies include the ballots cast Nov. 8, plus early voting, vote by mail and provisional ballots, said Mercer County Clerk Paula Sollami Covello. It does not include write-in votes.
Sollami Covello said the results will not be official until she has certified them to the Division of Elections within the Department of State, which is expected to occur by Nov. 26.
Bronfeld was re-elected to her third term, and Kanter was re-elected to her second term. Kendal was elected to her third, non-consecutive term. She served from 2016-2018, and was elected to a second, non-consecutive term after a one-year gap.
Bronfeld said she is looking forward to continuing to support the main reason that she ran for the school board six years ago – to ensure that every Princeton student receives a “free and equitable education.”
“I will do this by focusing on the budget; the health and wellness of our students and staff; the hiring, training and retaining of diverse educators; and planning for the future by maintaining safe and secure facilities,” Bronfeld said.
Kanter said she wants to finalize a new strategic plan in her next term. She wants to ensure that all students have the means to achieve their academic potential, while also understanding and supporting the students’ social-emotional needs, she said.
Kanter said she is looking forward to taking additional steps toward the maintenance and sustainability of the school district facilities. Voters have approved referenda to make improvements to the building, such as replacing roofs on the school buildings and making interior renovations.
“Elections such as these are a form of communication between the board and the public. Our school board will continue to address the need for improvements to its communications and transparency,” Kanter said.
Kendal thanked voters for their trust and confidence in electing her to another term on the school board.
“I look forward to continuing to represent them in making decisions in the best interest of the students and our community,” Kendal said.