By Max Goodwin
Ronald Fritz, President of the Center Board of Education, won reelection as all three candidates with 917 votes (33.98%). All involved were separated by a total of just 33 votes.
Gayla Smith was also elected to the school board as runner-up with 898 (33.27%) votes.
Ira Boydston finished third with 884 (32.75%) votes.
In interviews before election day, both Fritz and Smith said the district would need to make cuts to its budget for the next school year. Both candidates said that one likely way to do that would be to leave open some current vacancies in teaching positions rather than hiring new teachers.
Fritz is a retired former school administrator, teacher, and coach. He began his career in education in his home state of Illinois before working in both Kansas and Missouri.
Smith has worked in human resources for the Kansas City Public Schools, the Federal Reserve, H&R Block, and currently works at the Transplant Institute at Research Medical Center. She is the mother of two boys in the district.