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After ending election night down 57 votes with thousands of outstanding ballots, state school board incumbent Terryl Warner jumped ahead in the final count to secure her seat.
Official results in Cache, Weber, Box Elder, Morgan and Rich counties showed Warner winning 51.5 percent of the total with a margin of slightly less than 1,000 votes over challenger David Clark.
Warner is the only incumbent board member to survive an election that resulted in three sitting board members being unseated by challengers.
Warner said it was clear from the election results, at both the state and local school board levels, that parents and voters are unsastisfied.
"I really think we need to make some changes in the way we listen to people," she said.
School board member Heather Groom, who was unseated by challenger Joel Wright, suggested the defeat of so many incumbents was due to ballot order, as most of the winning candidates were listed first. She said the non-partisan school board races make it difficult for voters to distinguish between candidates.
"We're not identified as incumbents on the ballot," Groom said. "The (election) results speak volumes on why the process needs to change."
Warner was the only incumbent to be listed in first position on the ballot, but she said she didn't know if that had contributed to her win.
"I've never voted for somebody just because they're listed first," she said.
November's election will see six new board members on the 15-seat board next year. A new state superintendent also was recently appointed to lead the Utah State Office of Education.
Warner said it will be a period of change for public education, which provides an opportunity for improvement.
"We need to make sure the decisions we make are fiscally responsible and in the best interest of what takes place in the classroom," she said.
In addition to Groom, school board incumbents Michael Jensen and Dan Griffiths were defeated by challengers Linda Hansen and Brittney Cummins, respectively. Spencer Stokes, Laura Belnap and Mark Huntsman were elected to the remaining three seats, which were vacated by retiring board members.