photo by: Chris Conde

Kay Emerson is pictured on election night, Nov. 2, 2021. Emerson held the top spot in the Lawrence school board race.

Two fresh faces are set to appear on the Lawrence school board.

Newcomer Kay Emerson received the most votes among the six candidates running for the school board’s three open seats in Tuesday’s general election, earning a quarter of all votes. With all the precincts reporting Tuesday night, Emerson earned 7,662 votes, about 675 more than the second-highest vote getter.

“I’ve been really kind of nervous about it for a couple of days now, so it’s really kind of humbling,” Emerson told the Journal-World as the votes came in at the Douglas County Clerk’s Election Office. “Now it’s time to start talking about getting down to work.”

Incumbent Kelly Jones received the second-most votes, or 22.8%, and newcomer Andrew Nussbaum garnered the third-most, 16.27%. As of Tuesday night, Nussbaum held a 290-vote lead over incumbent G.R. Gordon-Ross.

When reached by phone, Jones told the Journal-World she was glad for the opportunity to serve again. While it appears she’s the only one of the two incumbents selected to keep her seat, she said she hoped her election showed that the school district’s residents supported what she has been working toward on the board during her first four years.

But she also acknowledged the last two years in public education have been difficult during the COVID-19 pandemic, and she was unsure what would actually happen on election night.

“I hope it means Lawrencians want to see what I want to see, which is to improve our budgetary circumstances so that staff can see increases in compensation and to improve equity outcomes for all students in the district,” she said of her reelection.

photo by: Contributed photo

Kelly Jones

Jones also had the pleasure of seeing someone she supported earn election too. She said she was looking forward to working with Emerson, whom she encouraged to run. She said she thought Emerson would be “brilliant” while serving the district.

Emerson said she was also looking forward to working with Jones and the other board members. She said Jones asked her twice to run for school board and she appreciated Jones’ support.

“She saw something in me and believed in me,” Emerson said. “To know what you’re doing is impacting people seeing you, it means a lot. It gives you the courage to take charge and get things done.”

Nussbaum, a former Free State High School teacher, said in a text message to the Journal-World that he was grateful for the community’s support. On the board, he said he planned to prioritize the well-being of students, ensuring a living wage for all school staff and advocating for a more inclusive learning environment, among other things.

photo by: Contributed photo

Andrew Nussbaum

Gordon-Ross said in a statement provided to the Journal-World that he was grateful for the support he received, despite appearing to have been voted off the board. He also congratulated the winners and wished them well in serving the school district.

“While I didn’t reach the goal that was set, at the end of this I’m still planning to stay active within the school district and be involved in as many things as I can be,” he said.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth Stephens and Nate Morsches were eliminated on Tuesday, coming in fifth and sixth, respectively.

Although the final places appear to be set, more votes could still be added to the tallies later this week because ballots cast through the mail that were postmarked by Tuesday can be counted if they are delivered to the Douglas County Clerk’s Office by Friday. Results will be unofficial until the canvass on Nov. 15.

Unofficial results:

• Kay Emerson, 7,662, 25.03%

• Kelly Jones, 6,989, 22.83%

• Andrew Nussbaum, 4,980, 16.27%

• G.R. Gordon-Ross, 4,690, 15.32%

• Elizabeth Stephens, 3,000, 9.80%

• Nate Morsches, 2,952, 9.64%

• Write-in candidates, 341, 1.11%