COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. — Major changes are afoot at the Collier County school board following Tuesday's election, after all three incumbents lost their seats.
District 1 challenger Jerry Rutherford overtook incumbent Jory Ellen Westberry by more than 42,000 votes.
Westberry took her seat in 2018 and must now hand over the reigns to Rutherford, a former substitute teacher and Air Force veteran.
Rutherford says his goal is to "reinstate American culture" in the classroom.
In District 3, Kelly Lichter unseated board chair Jen Mitchell with a 58-42% split.
Lichter is not a new face to the board; she represented District 1 between 2014 and 2018.
Challenger Timothy Moshier won his District 5 seat with 61% of the vote, taking over the role held by Roy Terry.
Terry was appointed back in 2011 and had a successful reelection bid in 2018.
Moshier says his goals for the school district include improving student safety as well as mathematics scores.
