CHALLENGERS TOPPLE INCUMBENTS

Dissatisfaction with ex-superintendent a key driver in San Marcos school board race

Two challengers are poised to replace incumbents on the San Marcos Unified School Board, according to unofficial election results that signal a turnover of district leadership.

According to results posted Friday by the San Diego County registrar of voters, candidate Sarah Ahmad was leading candidate Brian Epperson and incumbent Pam Lindamood in Trustee Area B, with Lindamood trailing far behind the two challengers.

In Trustee Area D, challenger Jaime Chamberlin held a solid lead over incumbent Victor Graham. And in Trustee Area A, Carlos Ulloa led a field of four candidates for an open seat that will be vacated when board President Janet Mcclean steps down at the end of her term.

The changing of the guard on the school board is the latest development in a turbulent period for the district. Former Superintendent Carmen Garcia stepped down in September after just two years on the job. Those were marked by clashes with parents and teachers who said they objected to her staffing decisions, abrupt changes in school site administration and poor communication.

Those frustrations were what prompted Ahmad, an engineering portfolio manager and mother of a fourth- and seventh-grader in the district, to run for the school board seat.

“Across the board, what I experienced as a parent was there was quite a few things that happened under the leadership of our previous superintendent that left a lot of parents won