School Board elects at least one new member on Tuesday

WASILLA — Among the Presidential election and other state and federal races on Tuesday, two seats on the Mat-Su Borough School District School Board were voted on as well.

More than 7,000 votes were cast for the four candidates running for School Board seats in District 3 and 6.

In the School Board seat in District 6 vacated by Kelsey Trimmer, former Wasilla High School Principal Dwight Probasco has nearly double the votes of Leland Baugus. Probasco received 2,159 votes accounting for 62.98 percent of the ballots cast for School Board in District 6.

“Two-and-a-half months of running, I realize that’s the word, when you say you’re running for a public office means I mean you’re literally running and I do have a November cow tag I want to go out and fill to relax a little bit,” said Probasco. “I want to go moose hunting and I will wait through the system. I’ll respect it and hope that the outcome tonight it still there at the end of when they validate the election results.”

Leland Baugus received 1,269 votes accounting for 37.02 percent of the 3,428 ballots cast in the race for the School Board seat in District 6.

In District 3, School Board Member Ole Larson is winning his bid for reelection by 16 points. Larson holds a lead over Jeanne Troshynski with 2,100 votes accounting for 58.04 percent of all ballots cast in District 3 for School Board. Troshynski received 1,518 votes accounting for 41.96 percent of the 3,618 ballots cast.

Poll totals that were reported by the Mat-Su Borough on Tuesday are subject to change rapidly over the next two weeks as record numbers of absentee by mail ballots, early voting ballots and all other alternative forms of voting are tallied. As results came in Tuesday night, candidates that came out ahead were happy, but hesitant.

“My platform is to represent and when I see 329 people that circled the bubble with my name, I hope they believe that I’m going to represent them and that’s going to be my focus, to be answerable to them, to work with this system to get us through some very tough times just in that process with both the covid pandemic and the financial situation in our Valley and in the state and nationally. It’s going to be a real challenge for public schools in the next year and a half so that’s what I want to do. I want to represent and I’m grateful for the people that trusted me with their vote,” said Probasco.