For families across Maplewood and South Orange, the school board election results point to familiar leadership alongside a new voice.

Incumbents Liz Callahan and Will Meyer, along with newcomer Kevin Diaz, led the race for three seats on the South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education.

With 96.97% of districts reporting, Callahan held first place with 9,813 votes, or 29.40% of the total counted.

Meyer followed with 8,404 votes, representing 25.18%, while Diaz drew 8,200 votes, or 24.57%.

Trish Azeez placed fourth with 6,961 votes, or 20.86%, leaving her behind Diaz in the contest for the final seat.

Because those figures did not include every district, they represent a near-complete count rather than a final tally.

Still, the order offers a clear picture of where the board of education election stood as counting neared completion.

Callahan serves as the board’s first vice president, and Meyer is its president, so voters were weighing established leadership against the possibility of change.

Diaz’s showing suggests there was also room for a new perspective at the table.

For local households, the result matters beyond election night: board members help shape decisions that affect students, educators and district families.

The close vote shares for Meyer and Diaz also show why residents may want to watch for the completed count.

The available election information included no statements from the candidates about the outcome.

In other Maplewood NJ election results, Mayor Victor De Luca won another term on the Township Committee, his tenth.

John Sullivan won his first committee term; both Democrats faced no general-election opponents.

Former Maplewood Deputy Mayor Deb Engel also won an uncontested race for an at-large Essex County commissioner seat.

Those uncontested contests offered little suspense, making the school board race the more closely watched local decision.

For the incoming board, the harder work begins after the ballots are counted, when campaign choices give way to public decisions.

Maplewood and South Orange families will be watching how returning members and a newcomer work together on behalf of their schools.