Party, race and geography shaped the results of Tuesday's school board race, leaving many to wonder how those issues will play out in public education.

Democrats, Republicans and independents agree: Democratic party organizers were extraordinarily good at getting out the vote, not only for Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx and a straight-party ticket, but for their choices in the nonpartisan, countywide schools race.

"All credit is due to the Anthony Foxx campaign," said GOP campaign consultant Larry Shaheen, who says he and other Republicans were slow to see what was coming.

The returns illustrate the urban/suburban split that emerges in many discussions of public education.

Ericka Ellis-Stewart and Mary McCray, first-time candidates who took first and second place, respectively, won strong in a wide band of urban precincts running southwest to northeast across the center of Mecklenburg County. Both are African-American Democrats endorsed by the local party and the Black Political Caucus.

Tim Morgan, a white Republican who claimed the third at-large seat, and Elyse Dashew, a white independent who finished a close fourth, were the top choices of voters in the south/southeast Districts 5 and 6. Morgan, elected to represent District 6 two years ago, also finished first in several north suburban precincts.

The newcomers, Ellis-Stewart and McCray, are widely regarded as hard-working and knowledgeable about Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. Board members from both parties, as well as outside observers, expect them to transcend party and other labels.

"Ericka and Mary both made clear their interest in all students in all parts of the county," said Bill Anderson, executive director of the nonprofit advocacy group MeckEd, which worked to get voters informed and engaged with the school board race. "They are very much advocates for children."

Role of parties

Partisan currents always run through the nonpartisan, nine-member board. For the past two years, though, leadership has come from a coalition driven more by pragmatism than party - partly because the current board has four Democrats, three Republicans and two independents, which meant no party could dominate.

The new board will have five Democrats, two Republicans and one unaffiliated, with a ninth member to be appointed in January to fill Morgan's District 6 seat.

During the campaign, Dashew amassed a long list of endorsements and donations from members of both parties. She knew that, as an independent, she would be handicapped by not being on either party's endorsement cards. But her campaign manager, Chris Bishop, said he was blindsided by how strong the Democratic party push was - and how many other voters sat out the election.

Turnout was only 16 percent of Mecklenburg's 610,000 registered voters. Participation in the school board race was probably less than that; it's hard to be sure because each voter could choose up to three board candidates.

Democratic straight-party voting was heavy, but such votes did not count in the nonpartisan school board race. Eight of the 14 candidates were registered Democrats. The local party, which normally doesn't endorse candidates in the nonpartisan race, decided to push the three they considered most electable: Ellis-Stewart, McCray and Aaron Pomis.

Ellis-Stewart, who has worked for dropout-prevention and other nonprofit groups, finished well ahead of the pack, taking first place in 98 of 198 precincts, often by large margins. While most were in the urban band of Democratic strongholds, she also led as far north as Cornelius and as far south as the precinct at Interstate 485 and Pineville-Matthews Road.

McCray, a recently-retired teacher and former head of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Association of Educators, topped the ballot in only five precincts. But she was second to Ellis-Stewart in many of the high-turnout Democratic precincts.

Morgan, who placed third overall, led or tied for first place in 52 precincts, many in the far southern or northern parts of Mecklenburg. He shared the GOP endorsement with Ken Nelson, who placed ninth. Morgan ran on a platform of continuing the reforms that have gained CMS national acclaim, while Nelson told voters he wanted to scrap many of those efforts and start fresh.

Role of race

Pomis, the third candidate who got the Democratic endorsement, landed a distant fifth. The white charter-school administrator didn't get the Black Political Caucus nod - and some see the showing of black Democrat DeShauna McLamb as a sign that race swayed voters.

Last fall and winter, when minority families were protesting that their schools were treated unfairly in school closings, McLamb took part in protests and rallies. But after she filed to run in July, she disappeared from the campaign. While other candidates spoke at forums and filled out questionnaires, McLamb was absent and did not respond to queries about her status.

Yet McLamb got more than 10,000 votes, ahead of three candidates who actively campaigned. A breakdown by voting district, posted by the nonprofit Swann Fellowship, shows McLamb finished fourth in District 2 and fifth in District 3, both heavily black and Democratic.

Lisa Hundley, a black Democrat making her first run for office, campaigned vigorously until early October, when she withdrew for health reasons. Her name remained on the ballot and she pulled more than 11,000 votes.

Shaheen, the GOP consultant, speculates that black Democrats voting for Ellis-Stewart and McCray used their third vote on names they recognized from the African-American community.

"Our moderate white Democrats and Republicans, that is who did not show up this time," he said.

Choosing leaders

Immediately after the Dec. 13 swearing-in, the new board will elect a chair and vice chair - a largely symbolic decision, but one that will give the first hint at the group's alliances.

Tom Tate, a Democrat elected in 2005 to represent District 4, is vice chairman. As the senior member of the board - no one else has more than two years' experience - many are eyeing him as the next chairman. But independent chair Eric Davis has his colleagues' respect for his leadership over the past two years, and Ellis-Stewart's strong electoral showing could make her a contender. Morgan has also said he'd like a leadership post.

Departing at-large member Joe White says he'll be watching to see whether the group coalesces around a two-person team. White, an openly partisan Democrat, says the five members of his party could shut out the others, but a split vote on leadership signals a divided and ineffective board.

Trent Merchant, an independent who is stepping down, expects the new board to transcend party. In almost six years on the board, he says, "I can't remember any successful proposition that was ever rammed through on partisan lines."

Rhonda Lennon, a Republican who represents District 1, also voices optimism: "We've got a huge amount of work to do, and we've got to build public trust. The best way to do that is to work together."

And Tate notes that the current board often formed coalitions based on individual stands on issues. He expects that to continue: "It's as we work together that we figure out how we fit together."