Initial election night results show incumbent Jenny Hayden, along with newcomers Amanda Peiffer and Brett Westervelt, in the lead for the three seats on the Woodside Elementary School District board.

Hayden held 26.5% of the vote (547 votes), Peiffer was second with 24.6% (509 votes) and Westervelt was third with 19.4% (402 votes), according to semi-official results posted in the early morning on Nov. 9.

“I’m optimistic,” Hayden said of the results so far. “Amanda has a sizable lead and Brett has a lead too, so I’m hoping that the split of votes remaining to be counted are in the same split.”

The three current leaders ran together in a slate, hoping to accomplish their goals such as implementing the district’s recently adopted strategic plan, catching up on a large backlog of deferred maintenance and bringing some normalcy back to their small, tight-knit school community following the pandemic.

“We think that the school is great already,” Hayden said. “There’s certainly always improvements to be made, and we don’t want to change the school drastically. Any places where we can do things better, I think we’ll be looking to do that.”

William Dunn, an airline pilot and California Air National Guard Officer who sought to bring “diverse ideas, viewpoints and values” to the school board if elected, holds fourth place with 15.6% (322 votes).

“Last time I glanced at it it looked like turnout was really low,” Dunn said of the early results. “I certainly hoped for more turnout. I’m not going to mask disappointment,” he said of his current standing.

“It’s been a learning experience,” Dunn said of his first run for office. “It’s kind of a growing opportunity.”

Opponent Rick Yost, a former U.S. Army Officer who ran on a platform of bolstering campus security, is currently in fifth with 13.9% of votes (288 votes).

This story will be updated as more results come in.