Three current Board of Public Education members whose seats were up for election Nov. 4 have each won new three-year terms. They faced no opposition on the ballot.

Board members Sarah Lentz and Jayne Sawtelle were returned to their at-large seats, and Board member Julianne Opperman was re-elected to her District 3 seat.

Lentz, a PPS parent and director of strategic initiatives, culture and community for the Maine Philanthropy Center, is the Board’s current chair. Lentz was first elected in a special election in June 2022 to fill an unexpired term for an at-large seat and then was reelected to the seat that following November. She garnered 12,686 votes on Nov. 4, winning a second full-term on the Board. 

Sawtelle is a retired Portland High School music teacher who was elected to fill an unexpired term for an at-large seat in a special election this past June. Sawtelle, who received 14,583 votes, will retain that seat for a full first term.

Opperman is a retired educator who was elected to her District 3 seat in November 2022. She won 4,269 votes on Nov. 4, returning her to that seat for a second term.

Voters city-wide cast ballots for at-large seats. For district Board seats, only voters in that district may vote on candidates for that district. All voting tallies were unofficial counts from the Portland City Clerk's Office. Tallies are expected to be certified later in November.