Maia Pearson pledges to work "hard to earn the votes” on April 7, when she'll face Christina Gomez Schmidt.
Madison voters narrowed down the field for the only contested Madison school board race on Tuesday’s primary ballot.
According to unofficial results from the Dane County Clerk’s Office, Maia Pearson finished first in the race for Seat 6 with about 43 percent of the vote. She will join second-place finisher Christina Gomez Schmidt — who got 32 percent of the vote — on the ballot April 7.
Karen Ball, who will not advance to the general election, received 24 percent of the vote.
Shortly after the results came in, Pearson told Isthmus she attributed her win to the community that raised and supported her.
Between now and April, she said she’ll “be working hard to earn the votes” and hopes to “continue the conversations that we’ve all started because we're really not done. This is the first step…. We have a lot more work to do and this campaign continues, and my commitment will grow even stronger from this point forward.”
When it comes to specific actions, Pearson said she’ll continue connecting with teachers, providing them a space to convey their concerns. She also plans to ramp up her efforts in meeting with students to figure out what they care about.
“We really, really will build stronger schools together,” she said.
Late Tuesday, Gomez Schmidt said she was eager to get back on the campaign trail on Wednesday. “I’m ready to get started on the next phase of my campaign and continue to run a strong city-wide campaign.
“I’m definitely planning to continue knocking on as many doors as I can and talking to as many voters in as many places as I can,” she said. “I’m ready to move forward in the next part of the campaign and I see this as a critical year for the Madison school district and I think I can bring experience and skills to the board to make positive change happen.”
Gomez Schmidt plans to focus on issues including school safety, gaps in achievement, support for teachers and staff, promoting student success, and improving accountability and transparency.
April’s ballot will also feature incumbent Nicki Vander Meulen and challenger Wayne Strong, the two candidates running for Seat 7. Board member Savion Castro is running unopposed.
