SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Lots of money has been spent this election cycle on determining who will take control of Scottsdale's school board.
Going into Election Day on Nov. 5, over $400,000 had been spent on the campaigns to fill three seats on the five-member board.
As of Nov. 13, the trio of Donna Lewis, Matt Pittinsky and Mike Sharkey were leading by a couple of percentage points over the opposing trio of Jeanne Beasley, Gretchen Jacobs and Drew Hassler.
Lewis, Pittinsky and Sharkey ran under the banner of "Protect SUSD," meanwhile Beasley, Jacobs and Hassler ran collectively under team title of "Just Be Honest."
Maricopa County's election results show Lewis leading the race with nearly 19% of votes. Sharkey and Pittinsky are not far behind each with 17%. Beasley is trailing behind Sharkey by about 5,000 votes.
As of Nov. 12, Maricopa County reported having about 40,000 uncounted ballots.
The non-partisan races for school board seats traditionally don't attract much attention nor money during an election cycle but Scottsdale's expensive campaigns demonstrated a high public interest in wanting to control the district's future.
The Scottsdale school district has been mired in contentious controversies in recent years.
Arizona's former attorney general sued the Scottsdale school board in 2022 for implementing restrictions on how citizens can participate in school board meetings.
In 2023, a couple of state lawmakers called for the school district's superintendent to resign for remarks he made during a 2019 interview in Michigan.
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