Harden Wins Bid for Natomas School Board Seat

BY BRANDY TUZON BOYD
THE NATOMAS BUZZ | @natomasbuzz
Updated Dec. 1, 2020

School board member-elect Ericka Harden seen campaigning on Election Day. / NatomasBuzz.com Photo

Newcomer Ericka Harden has unseated incumbent Scott Dosick in her bid for a seat on the Natomas Unified School District school board.

The Sacramento County Department of Elections and Voter Registration on Dec. 1 certified the results of last month’s election, confirming that Harden won the third school board seat.

Early vote counts had Dosick ahead of Harden by 392 votes, but Harden took the lead two weeks later and kept it.

With the latest vote count showing Harden with 289 votes more than Dosick, and less than 100 ballots countywide left to count, the first-time candidate said Tuesday that she felt comfortable claiming the win.

“It is quite an honor and I am humbled by the support,” Harden said. “Thank you, Natomas, 2020 has been an incredible year.”

Harden said she had already been contacted by Dosick as well as district Superintendent Chris Evans, school board president Lisa Kaplan and board member Micah Grant. New members are typically sworn in during a Natomas Unified School District school board meeting in December.

Dosick posted on social media that his fourth place finish means the Dec. 9 school board meeting will be his last after serving two terms.

“I am so incredibly grateful to everyone who has supported me in my endeavors these last eight years,” he wrote. “But most importantly, I am so proud of what we accomplished for our Natomas schools, community, kids, and families.”

The Democratic Party of Sacramento County and Natomas Teachers Association, both of which endorsed Harden, posted congratulatory messages on social media Tuesday.

“As an active and involved parent and paraeducator, it’s important to have someone like Ericka who has the leadership skills, collaborative skills, and ability and willingness to listen to all constituents in Natomas,” Natomas teachers union president Brenda Borge said in a written statement. “She has the expertise teachers have been looking for to implement support for classrooms, especially with her experience in special education, which badly needs reform in Natomas.”

From the outset, incumbent Grant led the 10-way race for three school board seats and finished 1,600 votes ahead of incumbent Dr. Susan Heredia, according to the vote count posted Tuesday.

The latest election results indicate more than 84% voter turnout for the 48,090 registered voters who reside within the Natomas Unified School District’s boundaries.

Source: Sacramento County Elections — Nov. 24, 2020