Preliminary results from the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education election reveal a new composition of board members.
Following certification of the official results, newly elected representatives will serve a three-year term on the board.
In District 1, representing Kalifornsky, incumbent Patti Truesdell sought a third term serving the school district. Unofficial results currently show her unseated by challenger local business owner Shelby Oden.
Virginia Morgan, former District 6 representative for the east peninsula, chose not to run for reelection this year. Mica VanBuskirk ran as the sole candidate in that district’s race.
The District 9 seat, representing the southern Kenai Peninsula — excluding Homer — was previously held by board president Zen Kelly, who also did not seek reelection. Candidates Ash-Lee Waddell and Gayle D. Claus vied for the seat, with preliminary results showing Waddell coming out on top.
The unofficial borough results do not include numbers from absentee, special needs and question ballots received by the borough up to Election Day. The borough canvass board began reviewing those tallies on Wednesday, Oct. 8, following the election and will continue to meet in public session as needed in the borough clerk’s office through the certification deadline on Oct. 14.
District 1 Kalifornsky
The KPBSD District 1 election remains close as of Tuesday night.
Oden currently holds 206 votes, just five more than incumbent Truesdell, who has 201. Second challenger Donna Anderson came out of Election Day with 192 votes.
Including five write-ins, unofficial results show that 604 total votes were cast in the Kalifornsky school district race.
On Wednesday, Oden wrote in an email to Homer News that she was “cautiously optimistic” about the results.
“I am grateful to the voters, volunteers, and election workers,” she said. “I will wait for certification before making any final statements.”
Truesdell and Anderson did not respond to requests for comment as of press time on Wednesday.
District 6, East Peninsula
Mica VanBuskirk, running unopposed, earned 677 votes in the election for the KPBSD District 6 seat. With 19 write-ins, there were 696 total votes cast.
On Wednesday afternoon, VanBuskirk wrote in a statement emailed to Homer News that she was very excited to be serving on the school board. She said that she’d “passionately advocated” for educational opportunities in Seward area schools for the past 15 years, and she now looks forward to also getting to know the Moose Pass, Hope and Cooper Landing schools to build “strong, collaborative relationships” across the Eastern Peninsula communities.
She also invited District 6 residents to reach out and provide input.
“I’m fully committed to the KPBSD board and strategic plan goals of student success, family and community engagement, workforce development, and developing a long term fiscal plan, which are values I believe in deeply,” she wrote. “I also strongly believe in the importance of listening to and engaging with the students, teachers, staff, parents and community members that I represent.”
District 9, South Peninsula
Unofficial borough election results Tuesday night showed candidate Ash-Lee Waddell having taken the KPBSD District 9 seat, with 552 votes. Gayle D. Claus had 294 votes. Including nine unresolved write-in votes, 855 total votes were cast for the District 9 school board election.
District 9 encompasses the southern Kenai Peninsula, excluding Homer.
Waddell said in an email to Homer News Wednesday morning that she was “deeply humbled and grateful” for the “overwhelming” support shown from the community in the preliminary election results.
“Seeing this outcome is truly an honor,” she wrote.
Throughout her campaign, Waddell said her strongest allegiance is to KPBSD students. On Wednesday, she confirmed that commitment remains “unwavering as we look toward the future.”
Throughout Election Day Tuesday, Waddell was visible on the sidewalk alongside Sterling Highway, standing with others or solo, as she raised her campaign sign and waved to passersby.
“While Election Day can be a tense time, I chose to spend the entirety of it on the sidewalk, exchanging waves with each person I saw. The joy and human connection from that experience have been the greatest reward of this entire campaign,” she wrote the next morning. “It was a powerful reminder that no matter our differences, we are one community that knows how to show up for each other when it matters most.
“These are the moments I live for, and I look forward to every opportunity to bring us together for the benefit of our children and our schools.
Claus did not respond to a request for comment as of press time on Wednesday.
In her comments, Waddell called the preliminary results “encouraging,” but added that she would “respectfully wait” for the official certification from the borough to ensure “every vote is counted and the process is completed with integrity.”
The KPB canvass board will certify the borough election results on Tuesday, Oct. 14, after counting all absentee, special needs and question ballots.
Find the latest election results in full www.kpb.us/local-governance-and-permitting/voting-elections/latest-election-results.
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This story was updated Wednesday to include comments from District 6 candidate Mica VanBuskirk.
Supporters of Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education candidate Ash-Lee Waddell, campaigning for the District 9 seat, hold campaign signs on Election Day, Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, along the Sterling Highway in Homer, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)
