Pleasant Valley’s critical school board election on Nov. 7 resulted in a nearly uniform outcome.

District 3’s incumbent Nikhil Wagle defeated Peter Olsen, incumbent Molly Brockmann took District 4 over Danny Amaya and Adrienne Wheeler was elected to District 5 over Amy McCabe. 

Despite declined interviews and a notable absence at the school board forum, District 6 candidate Jameson Smith will likely occupy the still officially undecided seat, though incumbent and write-in candidate Tracey Rivera will have received only a handful fewer votes during her uphill battle. The initial election results reported 260 write-in votes and only 256 votes for Smith. If the seat goes to Smith, he will be the only PAC-endorsed candidate to have won a seat on the school board.

Several candidates took to social media the night of the election to share their gratitude.

“This victory is not just mine; it belongs to our entire community and together we can continue to ensure a bright future for the next generation of students,” shared Wagle in a Facebook post. “As always, I am committed to serving our community with dedication, transparency, and a focus on the best interests of not just some students, but all students.”

Brockmann echoed a similar message. “We have so many great things happening at PV, we need to continue to do what is best for our students! Thank you to all of you that have been so supportive through this election process!” she said.

Even District 5’s runner-up McCabe shared a message of positivity. “Huge congrats to Adrienne Wheeler,” she posted on her candidacy Facebook page. Amaya and Olsen have not been active on social media since their losses, and Smith has also been silent while waiting for the official results.

Contrastingly, neighboring district Bettendorf’s election resulted in concordant wins for the district’s “Clean Sweep Team,” made up of Paul Castro, Patrick Larkin, Ryan McGivern and Kevin Freking. The team campaigned together and shared resources, similarly to the PV School Board PAC. 

After weeks of contentious campaigns and tense online interactions, both communities must now move forward with the outcomes of the divisive elections.

But what do these results mean for PV?

In Wagle’s time on the board, PV has risen from a top 12 school to Iowa’s top district. He hopes to continue improving and compete among the best schools nationally.  

“The biggest issues that we are seeing at stake here is that we want to make sure that this election is about students and that the number one priority is our students,” he said. His main focuses are school funding, teacher recruiting and retention and student mental health resources. 

Brockmann also prioritizes supporting teachers. “With some things that have been going on and laws that have been passed, [teachers] are not feeling like they’re considered the experts,” she said. “We need to make sure we’re supporting our staff.”

As board members, these concerns each represent the interests of their own communities. For Wheeler, responding to her constituents’ feedback comes first. “As a district representative for the board, it’s really important to engage with the District 5 community. I want to make sure that I understand the concerns and the things that people in my district are interested in,” she shared. 

Hot button topics like pandemic response and book banning will likely be put to rest with the end of this election. Still, parents can rest assured there are programs in place if they don’t wish for their child to consume certain content.

“If there’s an issue with a character in a book, or a theme or storyline that a specific parent has issues with, they should work directly with the school to remove that option for their child versus removing it for everybody,” Wheeler explained.

This election inspired emotional reactions from people on all sides of the political spectrum, inspiring a record number of constituents to exercise their civic duty and vote. Over 3,000 Pleasant Valley residents made their voices heard last week, culminating in results that community members can only hope will benefit the district.