Early election results in two Poway Unified School Board races set the stage for both seats to be won by newcomers.

In the Trustee Area A race, Tim Dougherty had nearly a 12-point lead with 55.99% (5,966 votes) over Devesh Vashishtha, who had 44.01% (4,689 votes) as of 10:45 p.m. Tuesday.

“It is certainly nice to see that, but we still have a long way to go,” Dougherty said Tuesday night. “I’m crossing my fingers and we’ll see what happens.”

The winner will be filling the seat held by Darshana Patel who decided to run for the 76th Assembly seat.

Area A covers parts of 4S Ranch, Del Sur, Torrey Highlands and Rancho Peñasquitos.

In the Area E race, incumbent Cindy Sytsma was in third place among three candidates, with 23.73% (2,401 votes). In the lead was Craig Pond with 39.37% (3,984 votes) and close behind him was David Cheng with 36.90% (3,734 votes).

Area E covers parts of Poway and Sabre Springs.

“There are still a lot of votes to count, but regardless of the results, I know I put my best foot forward and held students as my number one priority,” Sytsma said on Tuesday night.

Sytsma, 49, was elected to the PUSD board four years ago. She teaches in the special education department at the University of Massachusetts Global and has been a Poway resident for 22 years. Her children have attended Poway campuses and she has been a school volunteer for many years.

When asked about accomplishments she had on the PUSD board, Sytsma said one of the latest of which she was most proud was getting the Unified Sports program into the district. It makes it possible for students with and without intellectual disabilities to participate on the same teams.

“I’m a firm believer in equity and giving all kids an opportunity to be successful and able to compete,” Sytsma said.

Courtesy Craig PondTrustee Area E Candidate Craig Pond (Courtesy Craig Pond)

Pond, 64, is a software engineer and a first-time candidate who has lived in Poway for 33 years. He has also volunteered in the community. All of his seven children graduated from PUSD schools.

“I am pleased so far with my results and also that Tim Dougherty is leading in his area,” Pond said on Tuesday night. “It is important that there be some people on the board with our opinions and attitudes.”

Pond said his early lead was due to several factors, including “I put in a lot of effort, walked a lot of neighborhoods and worked on my message.”

He said his top priority, if elected, is to “better support students in the district” and to “support the parents and families with a listening ear and action on their concerns.”

Pond also said addressing the district’s budget problems with new solutions is a priority for him.

“The prevailing solution is to float another school bond, but that is not going to go over (with voters),” Pond said. “We need new ideas to fix things.”

Cheng, 48, is a consumer advocate attorney, 14-year resident of Sabre Springs and parent of children in the district. He could not be reached for comment on Tuesday night.

If Dougherty, 50, maintains his lead in the Area A race, he said his three priorities will be fiscal responsibility, academic excellence and the safety and wellness of students.

Dougherty is a supply chain executive, engineer, educator and community volunteer with children in the district. He said there are “huge gaps” in the district’s budget that need to be addressed that are exacerbated by declining enrollment. He also said test scores have been declining in recent years.

Courtesy Tim DoughertyTrustee Area A Candidate Tim Dougherty (Courtesy Tim Dougherty)

This is his second bid for a PUSD seat. Dougherty said his unsuccessful 2020 bid in response to post-COVID dissatisfaction helped him meet people and get grassroots support this time.

“I hope my lead holds as I am eager to work with the existing board and the new member on the challenges in front of us to help the community,” he said.

Vashishtha, 32, is a community health center physician and medical director who also lives in Rancho Peñasquitos and has children in the district. He could not be reached for comment on Tuesday night.