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School board

City of Portsmouth School Board

Vote for
4
Term
4 years
Candidates
8
Election
Nov 3, 2026

What this office does: The school board runs City of Portsmouth's public schools, hires the superintendent and adopts the school budget.

CandidatesCompare by issue

Taxes & budget

Education

  • Luis F. PadillaNo party listed

    • Proposes hands-on learning before screens.

  • Ingrid P. WhitakerNo party listed

    • Supports expanding career and technical education.
    • Supports limiting devices during instruction time.

  • Denzel E. GloverNo party listed

    • Proposes making reading proficiency the top priority.
    • Supports limiting laptop use in kindergarten through second grade.

  • Justin V. Randall-JenkinsNo party listed

    • Supports limiting cell phones during instruction.

  • Quniana D. "Q" FutrellNo party listed

    • Supports enforcing state limits on student cell phones.
    • Supports investments in early literacy and staff pay.In office

  • Tamara L. ShewmakeNo party listed

    • Supports adequate funding for teacher pay and programs.
    • Supports the division's school-day cell phone limits.

  • Cardell C. Patillo, Jr.No party listed

    • Supports bell-to-bell phone limits with emergency contact options.
    • Led expansion of career education and early college.In office

  • Melvin Cotton Jr.No party listed

    • Supports offering PACE Center trades to all students.

Roads & infrastructure

Health & human services

Government & transparency

Challengers are listed first and incumbents last; otherwise candidates appear in ballot order. The Gist does not rank, rate or endorse candidates. Only positions backed by a cited source are shown; 5 issues covered in this race.