Fairfax County School Board Election Results: Dem-Endorsed Candidates Projected To Win

Updated at 11 a.m.

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — Democratic-endorsed candidates are projected winners in the Fairfax County School Board races for the three at-large seats and nine district seats, according to unofficial results with all but provisional ballots counted. (See real-time election results at the bottom of this story.)

All 12 Fairfax County School Board seats were on the ballot, including three at-large seats and nine district seats. Each voter had one district seat on the ballot and had to choose three candidates in the at-large seat race.

Providence District representative Karl Frisch, the current vice chair, declared victory and said he would become the chair in 2024. The current chair, Dranesville District representative Elaine Tholen, did not run for re-election.

"These results show people are fed up with the political attacks targeting our world-class public schools and teachers," said Frisch at a Fairfax County Democrats election night party on Tuesday night. "Fairfax County residents have made it clear: they want safe and inclusive schools with exceptional educators and equitable access to the opportunities every student needs to succeed. I am grateful to have earned voters’ trust for another term and eager to advance these priorities with my new colleagues."

In the at-large race with three open seats, projected winners are Ryan McElveen with 19.72 percent of votes, Ilryong Moon with 19.43 percent of votes, and Kyle McDaniel with 19.12 percent of votes with all 265 precincts reporting.

In the Providence District, Frisch has 66.42 percent of votes, and Anthony "Tony" Sabio has 32.98 percent with all 26 precincts reporting.

In the Braddock District, Rachna Sizemore Heizer had 59.97 percent of votes to Priscilla DeStefano's 39.52 percent with all 29 precincts reporting.

In the Dranesville District, Robyn Lady has 61.65 percent of votes, and Paul Bartkowski has 38.90percent with all 28 precincts reporting.

In the Franconia District, Marcia St. John-Cunning has 61.33 percent of votes, and Kevin Pinkney has 33.38 percent of votes with all 27 precincts reporting.

In the Hunter Mill District, Melanie Meren has 72.03 percent of votes, and Harry Jackson has 27.41 percent with all 32 precincts reporting.

In the Mason District, Ricardy Anderson has 63.36 percent of votes, and Kristin Ball has 35.99 percent with all 30 precincts reporting.

In the Mount Vernon District, Mateo Dunne has 59.99 percent of votes, and Stori Zimmerman has 39.30 percent with all 30 precincts reporting.

In the Springfield District, Sandy Anderson has 52.51 percent of votes, Debra Tisler has 41.61 percent of votes and Peter Bixby-Eberhardt has 5.46 percent with all 35 precincts reporting.

In the Sully District, Seema Dixit has 54.54 percent of votes, Cynthia Walsh has 45.02 percent with all 28 precincts reporting.

Vote tallies from Tuesday do not include provisional ballots. Election results are unofficial until certified by the state board of elections.

School board members are elected for four-year terms and set policies for Fairfax County Public Schools, including annual budgets and capital project schedules. FCPS is Virginia's largest school division, serving more than 181,000 students.

Many school board incumbents were not running for re-election. The only incumbents seeking another term are Sizemore Heizer, an at-large representative running for the Braddock District, Hunter Mill District representative Meren, Mason District representative Anderson and Providence District representative Frisch.

Meanwhile, two former board members — Moon and McElveen — were seeking at-large seats. Newcomers in the at-large race were Cassandra Aucoin, Linda Pellegrino, Ahmed Hussein, Maureen Brody, Kyle McDaniel and Peter Gabor.

One notable update in the school board elections involved the Franconia District seat. St. John-Cunning, the Democratic-endorsed candidate for the Franconia District seat, was reinstated on the ballot after a Fairfax County Circuit Court judge's ruling. St. John-Cunning had been previously disqualified from the ballot after a circuit court judge ruled her ballot petition was invalid for not correctly placing her address on one page of her ballot petition. The other candidate in the race is Republican-endorsed Pinkney.

MORE: Fairfax Co. School Board Candidate Back On Ballot After Judge's Ruling

Although the school board races are nonpartisan, Democrats and Republicans have endorsed some candidates.

Other Fairfax County races include Board of Supervisors district and chairman races, Commonwealth's Attorney, Sheriff, and Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District. The towns of Vienna and Clifton will also have mayoral and Town Council elections.

Unofficial election results came in on the Virginia Department of Elections website after polls closed at 7 p.m. on Tuesday. Follow Patch on Election Day for live coverage of the Fairfax County School Board election and other races.

For more information about voting in Fairfax County, visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/elections.

Real-time results are below — use the scroll on the right if all races are not visible. Patch will be updating the results throughout the night as votes are tallied — be sure to refresh the page for the latest updates.

Can't see the widget below? Click here for all Virginia election results.