Stephanie Bell will serve an eighth term on the State Board of Education after handily securing a win against opponent Jarralynne Agee for the District 3 seat, according to incomplete, unofficial election returns.
More: BOE incumbent Stephanie Bell again faces Jarralynne Agee for District 3
Bell secured her victory with 69% of the unofficial returns to Agee’s 30.9%, according to the Alabama Secretary of State’s Office Wednesday morning. Less than a tenth of a percent went to write-in votes.
District 3 covers much of central Alabama, including parts of north Montgomery County; all of Shelby, Talladega, Chilton and Coosa counties; nearly all of Elmore County and portions of Autauga, Bibb and Jefferson counties.
Live results: Alabama’s elections up-to-the-minute returns
Bell, formerly a journalist, is the longest serving board member. She was first elected to the board in 1994. Agee, the provost and vice president at Miles College, also ran against Bell in 2016 ultimately losing after the board member secured 73% of the vote.
During Bell’s time on the board, she has pushed for the Alabama Reading Initiative and the Alabama Math, Science and Technology Initiative. She, along with Ella Bell, pushed for the Montgomery Public Schools’ state intervention. During this campaign, Bell expressed interest in replacing the Common Core standard across the state.
While Agee didn’t concede the race, she did hope for the best for Bell in the upcoming term.
“I think that it’s very important for our state to get involved with what’s going on with our students throughout the state,” she said by phone. “I ran last time, and I ran this time because I’m that invested. I wish Stephanie Bell Well on this term.”
Agee also thanked the voters who supported her.
“I truly appreciate the tens of thousands of people who voted for me in this election. In 2024, when this term ends, Stephanie Bell would have served 30 years. A lot has changed in education. As a Shelby County mother of a public school 11th grader, I truly hope that we can see improvements to our educational system in years to come.”
Bell thanked the voters for their support and educators for their hard work during a challenging school year.
“It’s truly an honor to serve on the State Board of Education, and I look forward to working for not only those in District 3 but certainly the entire state,” she said by phone. “I personally truly appreciate the hard work so many have been doing with the remote or virtual learning as well as in the classroom. It has been a real challenger and certainly our educators have risen to that challenge.”
Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Kirsten Fiscus at 334-318-1798 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @KDFiscus
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