Grant Union High School on Monday, April 27, 2023.

JOHN DAY — The most hotly contested races in the upcoming May elections are for a spot on the Grant School Board. A total of nine candidates are vying for five seats on the seven-member board.

Of that total, five candidates are competing for three at-large seats, all of which carry four-year terms. Six candidates filed to run for one of the at-large positions, but one of them — Colleen Robertson — told the Blue Mountain Eagle she was dropping out of the race.

However, because the ballots have already been printed, her name will still appear as one of the candidates. If Robertson is one of the top three vote-getters, she will need to formally decline an at-large seat, which would then be filled by appointment of the board.

There are also contested races in Zones 2 and 3, with two candidates going head to head for each seat. The Zone 2 race between M.T. Anderson and Jessi Brunson is for a two-year unexpired term, while Zone 3’s race between Amy Charette and Brandon Culley is for a full four-year term.

The newspaper sent questionnaires to all of the school board candidates, asking them to provide some biographical information and answer a pair of questions.

The first question asked candidates to explain why they’re running for a seat on the school board and why they feel they are the best person for the job.

The second question asked candidates to list the top three issues facing the Grant School District and what they would do to address them.

Candidates were given a 50-word limit for the first question and a 150-word limit for the second.

The election comes at a time when the district appears to be at a crossroads, with declining enrollment along with educator/administrator turnover. The school has lost well over 100 students over the past few years along with losing a pair of teachers and an administrator during the current academic year.

Ballots were scheduled to be mailed out this week, with the election ending at 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 16.