From left, Simon Hargus, Haley Meredith and Debbie Hendershot.

PARKERSBURG – Haley Meredith, Simon Hargus and incumbent Debbie Hendershot appear set to serve on the Wood County Board of Education, according to final, unofficial election results.

Meredith led the race with 7,492 votes, while Hargus had the second-highest total with 5,078 votes. Hendershot was in position for the third seat with 3,928 votes.

Meredith said Tuesday night she was grateful for the support but still waiting for the results to become final.

“I’m still feeling nervous, but excited,” she said. “There are a lot of emotions, and I’m excited and I’m happy, and I’m just very grateful.”

Meredith said she viewed the vote totals as a sign that some residents want a change on the board. She also acknowledged the number of candidates who ran.

From left, incoming Wood County Board of Education member Simon Hargus and Parkersburg City Councilwoman Wendy Tuck share a laugh with Vienna Mayor Chad Emrick while waiting for election results Tuesday evening at the Wood County Courthouse. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)

“I think that it’s awesome so many people ran this go-round,” she said. “It’s a lot to put yourself out there and try for this, and it’s a lot of time and effort.”

Meredith said her focus on the board would be listening to parents, teachers and residents.

“I want everyone to be excited about the schools,” she said. “I want everybody to be proud of our schools.”

Hargus said Tuesday he was encouraged by the results.

“Congratulations to Haley,” Hargus said. “I’ll preemptively say, probably, congratulations to Debbie too. Looking forward to working with them.”

Hargus also spoke positively about John Merritt, who ran in the same district.

“I know John Merritt, and he’s a really, really good guy, so I enjoyed seeing him out there on the campaign trail,” Hargus said. “I thought he ran a great race.”

Hargus said one of his main priorities would be improving communication between the board, teachers, service personnel and the public.

“First order of business is just to really create some feedback loops and some better communication,” Hargus said. “That is the No. 1 thing I heard on the campaign trail.”

He said the board will need to listen to employees and residents before making decisions.

“There’s a lot to learn and a lot to do, but I think it starts with listening to folks and then bringing those ideas to the board,” Hargus said.

Hargus said his interest in the board is tied to his own background with Wood County Schools.

“I grew up here. I went to the schools. I went to Wood County Schools,” he said. “My kids are going to Wood County Schools. So this is really exciting for me.”

Hargus said he also expects the board to address issues related to school funding and state-level decisions.

“One of the headwinds we’re facing are the decisions being made in Charleston, and it’s undermining our funding,” he said. “We need to be vocal about, like, we’re going in this together to solve those problems. But we should also point out some of the sources of those problems.”

Hendershot stated she was thankful for the support for the community and excited to continue her work on the Board of Education.

“I am honored to be back on the board,” she said. “I wanted to thank everyone who helped me, stood behind me, voted for me and called me.”

Hendershot focused on projects she wants to see to completion on the board.

“The priority is the building of the new schools,” she said. “We have three new schools in Wood County, and I am looking forward to being back on the board and working on those.”

Board President Justin Raber finished sixth in the race with 2,797 votes, behind Jason McCrady (3,529), Merritt (3,373) and Jim Stout (2,851). In a statement posted to his campaign Facebook page Tuesday night, Raber said the results were not what his campaign had hoped for, but he was grateful for the opportunity to serve Wood County Schools for the last eight years. He said serving the students, families, employees and taxpayers of Wood County was “one of the greatest honors” of his life.

“Together, we helped move Wood County Schools to the top in the state, and I could not be more proud of what we accomplished through hard work, accountability and an unwavering commitment to putting students first,” Raber said in the post. He also thanked voters, said he respected their decision and congratulated Meredith on her victory.

Kevin Burkman received 1,525 votes, and Allen W. Shultz got 981.

Gwen Sour can be reached at gsour@newsandsentinel.com.