One incumbent emerged as a clear winner in the Dallas school board races Tuesday, while two other seats will be decided in a runoff Dec. 8.

District 1 board member Edwin Flores was re-elected for another term, beating out homemaker and nonpracticing pediatrician Kyle Renard, his top contender in the race.

But the path was not so clear in Districts 3 and 9, where the leaders did not collect more than 50 percent of the vote. Incumbent Leigh Ann Ellis will battle it out with political newcomer Bruce Parrott.

In the District 9 race, youth advocacy group executive director Bernadette Nutall will go up against educator-consultant Sally Cain in the runoff.

The Dallas school board contests were the highlight of a low-profile ballot for most area voters, which included a host of non-controversial state measures. Turnout was low in Dallas County, but reached above 5 percent, which was higher than projected by the county’s election office.

“We’re pleasantly surprised to have a little more turnout than we were thinking,” said Dallas County Elections Administrator Bruce Sherbet.

Flores, an attorney and trustee since 2005, said his re-election was a message from voters to continue the district’s reform efforts.

“We need to accelerate our reforms,” Flores said. “We need all of our financial issues resolved, and we need to continue to increase student achievement.”

Renard said Flores had an advantage with name recognition and more money. Flores raised and spent more than double than Renard during the contest. He had raised $22,125 by the reporting period that ended about a week before the election, compared to Renard’s $8,032.

“We went up against a lot,” Renard said, adding that she planned to hold Flores accountable.

Other contenders in District 1 were retired salesman Melvin Cannon and freelance writer and grant writer Linus Spiller.

In District 3, Parrott, a retired video producer, received more votes than Ellis but did not pull in more than 50 percent of votes needed to win the contest outright. Other contenders in District 3 were real estate broker Bea Martinez, and consultant Penny Anderly.

“Not bad for a first timer,” said Parrott, who is married to a former DISD board president. “The people have been very, very supportive. You couldn’t ask for more from something like this, especially for the number of people in the race.”

Ellis could not be reached for comment late Tuesday.

In District 9, Nutall received the majority of the votes but not enough to win the election.

The contest for that seat has in part focused on racial issues, with black leaders concerned that the lone white candidate, Cain, may win the seat that has only been held by a black trustee.

Trustee Ron Price, who decided not to seek re-election to the District 9 post, will remain on the board until the runoff in December.

The candidates who win the runoffs will join a board that has been harshly divided in recent months. Some of the contention is tied to a tumultuous year in DISD, beginning with a major budget deficit last fall that resulted in hundreds of teacher layoffs.

Another issue that drew criticism, including hundreds of people in protest at district headquarters, was the cutting of staffing positions at some magnets and all learning centers.

Even Tuesday’s special election was tied to controversy.

Trustees had extended their terms from three years to four and canceled the May 2009 election last fall. The board later reversed course after the Texas Attorney General disagreed with the term extensions. Tuesday’s special election took the place of the canceled May election.

But some observers say, despite the controversies, test scores have continued to improve in DISD and improvements are planned for campuses under a $1.35 billion bond program approved by voters last year. They also applaud the district’s reform effort, dubbed Dallas Achieves, which focuses on improving student test scores, empowering principals and creating smaller class sizes.

Contenders for the three board seats have a variety of reasons for seeking the posts, from craving more oversight of the district’s finances to wanting to continue gains made in academic achievement.

In the District 3 race, Ellis has said that she wants to keep the seat to continue the “momentum” on making academic improvements. Parrott has said he wants to focus on improving student achievement at every campus to the level of DISD’s esteemed magnet schools.

The District 9 seat is the only one that contenders did not have to battle an entrenched incumbent.

Cain believes that she’s the better candidate because of her background as a classroom teacher and jobs in state and federal governments. Nutall, who lost a bid for the District 9 seat in 2006, has said that she’d like the board to be more transparent to create “an atmosphere of trust.”