In early returns, Carter leads race for Sonoma County superintendent of schools

Amie Carter was leading the field in early election results Tuesday for the Sonoma County superintendent of schools post, though her lead was not definitive enough to rule out a November runoff.

With 47,208 votes counted by 10:20 p.m., Carter, an assistant superintendent with the Marin County Office of Education, had captured 44.8%, with Santa Rosa principal Brad Coscarelli at 33.4%. Mark West Superintendent Ron Calloway had received 21.7% of counted votes.

Those early results place Carter within sight of the 50%-plus-one threshold to clinch the race and avoid a runoff, though tens of thousands of votes remained uncounted in the countywide race.

Still, Carter, 51, voiced excitement about her strong showing.

"This is feeling good,“ she said. ”All along I’ve really felt like our message has landed with people who are passionate about schools and I’ve felt really confident I’d be on the ballot in November.“

“If we’re going to head into a runoff, it’s going to be an interesting framing,” Carter said. “I think there’s some nice contrasts between our two visions that’ll drive a good county discussion.”

Coscarelli, 52, who is principal of Hidden Valley Elementary, did not respond to calls and texts seeking comment Tuesday.

If elected, Carter, a Petaluma resident, would be the first woman to serve as Sonoma County superintendent in almost 100 years ― the last female superintendent was Louise Clark, who left the office in 1926.

Coscarelli, meanwhile, enjoys perhaps the strongest support from local teacher unions of any county superintendent candidate in recent memory. Union members played a key role in recruiting him last fall to run for the position and have been among his most vocal advocates since he declared his candidacy.

Calloway, 61, has been superintendent of the Mark West Union School District for 11 years. His key supporters include several Sonoma County superintendents and Supervisor James Gore, who was re-elected to his position representing Sonoma County’s 4th District in a landslide Tuesday evening.

Calloway did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

The three-candidate race made for the most divided field in a Sonoma County superintendent election in over a decade ― one that was even less predictable for lack of an incumbent.

The current county schools chief, Steve Herrington, ran unopposed each of the three times he was elected. He has held the position since 2011.

When he announced his retirement back in October 2021, Herrington became the third county office incumbent to bow out of the upcoming election. District Attorney Jill Ravitch and Sheriff Mark Essick also declined to run again and plan to retire instead.

California’s 58 county superintendents of schools are tasked with providing support, leadership and fiscal oversight of school districts — there are 40 in Sonoma County — as well as of their facilities and operations. The superintendents are elected in all but five counties.

You can reach Staff Writer Kaylee Tornay at 707-521-5250 or kaylee.tornay@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @ka_tornay.