By 9 p.m., it seemed likely that the general election results would mirror those from the September primary, with the same top vote-getters in both elections.

Education reform was one of the top issues during the past legislative session and with seven of the 13 seats up for grabs, the election could have significantly changed the landscape of the board.

However, enthusiasm for improving the public schools did not seem to translate into changes at the board level.

Republican Gov. Linda Lingle's attempts to get five new conservative members elected to the nonpartisan board failed when three lost during the primary, and the other two — Shad Kane and Darwin Ching — had little chance of winning seats last night.

Meanwhile, the incumbents seemed to be comfortably ahead, with likely outcomes being board chairman Breene Harimoto holding on to his Leeward seat over Kane; Honolulu member Denise Matsumoto beating former board member Keith Sakata for the Honolulu seat; and Herbert Watanabe remaining the Big Island member with a lead over Nadia Davies-Quintana.

Incumbent Garrett Toguchi was the second top vote-getter in the at-large race for three seats, trailing former U.S. Rep. Cec Heftel, who, as in the primary, received the most votes for an at-large seat.

Heftel, who ran a low-key campaign because of a hip injury that kept him hospitalized until last week, said he's ready to go to work on the board.

"Fortunately, I won't need my right leg," he joked.

Heftel said his focus would be making sure the Department of Education follows through with Act 51, the education reform law passed last session, starting with giving principals control over at least 70 percent of their schools' money.

Former state Rep. Lei Ahu Isa was in a strong position to take the final at-large seat, taking a significant lead over financier Robert Midkiff, attorney Ching and Hawaiian cultural consultant Guy Kaulukukui.

Ahu Isa said her brother, a pastor at New Hope Christian Fellowship, convinced her to run. New Hope has made an effort to help several Kalihi schools and "he said it would be great if I run for the Board of Education, because then they could work even closer with the schools," she said.

As a teacher at Hawai'i Pacific University, Ahu Isa said she also would like to help public schools better prepare students for higher education.

On Kaua'i, the absentee counts showed retired Kamakahelei Middle School principal Maggie Cox leading former board member Mitsugi Nakashima.

Cox, excited by early totals, spent the evening celebrating with friends and family who had convinced her to bring her 34 years of teaching and administrative experience to the BOE.

Since she just retired last December, she said, "I thought my up-to-date experience could be a help."