Amarillo Independent School District elections (2017)
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Four of the seven seats on the Amarillo Independent School District school board in Texas were up for at-large general election on May 6, 2017. Five candidates filed in the race. Incumbents James Allen, John Blanchard, and Renee McCown and newcomer Cristy Wilkinson defeated board member Eric Darnell.[1]
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The Amarillo school board consists of seven members elected at large to four-year terms. Three seats were up for election in 2015 and four seats were up for election in 2017.
To get on the ballot, school board candidates had to file for office by February 17, 2017. In order to run for a school board in Texas, candidates had to be U.S. citizens, 18 years old by their first day in office, and have resided in the state for 12 months and the district in which they ran for six months.[2]
In order to vote in this election, Texas residents had to register to vote by April 6, 2017. To vote in Texas, one must be a U.S. citizen, a resident of the county in which one registers, and at least 18 years old.[3][4][5]
Candidates and results
At-Large
Results
| Amarillo Independent School District, At-Large General Election, 4-year terms, 2017 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Cristy Wilkinson |
30.23% | 5,406 |
| James Allen Incumbent |
28.34% | 5,068 |
| John Blanchard Incumbent |
16.16% | 2,891 |
| Renee McCown Incumbent |
15.79% | 2,824 |
| Eric Darnell Incumbent | 9.48% | 1,696 |
| Total Votes | 17,885 | |
| Source: Elisabeth Moore, "Email correspondence with Melynn Huntley, Potter County election administrator," May 31, 2017 | ||
Candidates
James Allen 
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John Blanchard
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Eric Darnell | |||
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| Renee McCown
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Cristy Wilkinson
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Additional elections on the ballot
The Amarillo Independent School District election shared the ballot with elections for the Amarillo Junior College District.[6]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for this Texas school board election in 2017:[7][8]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| February 17, 2017 | Candidate filing deadline |
| April 6, 2017 | Deadline to register to vote |
| April 6, 2017 | Campaign finance reporting deadline (30th day report) |
| April 28, 2017 | Campaign finance reporting deadline (8th day report) |
| April 24, 2017 - May 2, 2017 | Early voting period |
| May 6, 2017 | General election date |
| July 17, 2017 | Campaign finance reporting deadline (July semiannual report) |
Endorsements
James Allen, John Blanchard, Eric Darnell, and Cristy Wilkinson were endorsed in the race by Amarillo Globe-News.[9]
James Allen and Cristy Wilkinson were endorsed in the race by Amarillo Education Association—a local teachers association.[10]
Do you know of an official or organization that endorsed a candidate in this race? Let Ballotpedia know by email at editor@ballotpedia.org.
Campaign finance
There were three campaign finance deadlines for Texas school board candidates in 2017:[11]
- The 30th day report was due on April 6, 2017,
- The 8th day report was due on April 28, 2017, and
- The July semiannual report was due on July 17, 2017.
All school board candidates in the state were also required to file July semiannual campaign finance reports. Opposed school board candidates could choose "modified reporting" if they did not plan to exceed either $500 in contributions or $500 in expenditures in the election. Modified reporting exempts a candidate from filing the 30th and 8th day reports normally due before an election. If a candidate opted for modified reporting but exceeded the threshold before the 30th day prior to the election, he or she had to file the 30th and 8th day reports. Unopposed school board candidates were only required to file a campaign finance report on the July semiannual deadline.[12]
Past elections
Information about earlier elections can be found by clicking [show] at the right. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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What was at stake?
Report a story for this election
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Candidate survey
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About the district
The Amarillo Independent School District is primarily located in Potter County, Texas, with parts of the district extending into Randall County. The county seat of Potter County is Amarillo. Potter County was home to an estimated 121,802 residents between 2010 and 2015, according to the United States Census Bureau. The district was the 39th-largest school district in the state in the 2014-2015 school year and served 33,576 students.[13][14]
Demographics
Potter County underperformed in comparison to Texas as a whole in terms of higher education achievement from 2011 to 2015. The United States Census Bureau found that 14.9 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree or higher, compared to 27.6 percent for all state residents. The median household income in the county was $38,159, compared to $53,207 for the entire state. County residents lived below the poverty level at a rate of 22.4 percent, while that rate was 15.9 percent for all state residents.[14]
| Racial Demographics, 2015[14] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | Potter County (%) | Texas (%) |
| White | 80.6 | 79.7 |
| Black or African American | 10.6 | 12.5 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.3 | 1.0 |
| Asian | 5.2 | 4.7 |
| Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Two or More Races | 2.1 | 1.9 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 37.7 | 38.8 |
Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Amarillo Independent School District Texas election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Amarillo Independent School District | Texas | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Amarillo Globe-News, "James Allen joins AISD board members running for re-election," February 16, 2017
- ↑ Texas Association of School Boards, "Frequently Asked Questions About Running for a School Board," accessed March 14, 2017
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Request for Voter Registration Applications," accessed June 10, 2014
- ↑ VoteTexas.org, "ID Voter," accessed June 10, 2014
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "2017 Election Calendar," accessed March 14, 2017
- ↑ Potter County, "View Sample Ballot," accessed March 28, 2017
- ↑ Vote Texas, "Important 2017 Election Dates," accessed March 11, 2017
- ↑ Texas Ethics Commission, "2017 Filing Schedule for Reports Due in Connection with Elections Held on Uniform Election Dates," accessed March 28, 2017
- ↑ Amarillo Globe News, "AGN Endorsements for May 6 election: Amarillo ISD Board of Trustees," April 22, 2017
- ↑ Amarillo Globe News, "Teachers group endorses Allen, Wilkinson," April 13, 2017
- ↑ Texas Ethics Commission, "2017 Filing Schedule for Reports Due in Connection with Elections Held on Uniform Election Dates," accessed March 28, 2017
- ↑ Texas Ethics Commission, "Campaign Finance Guide for Candidates and Officeholders Who File with Local Filing Authorities," accessed March 28, 2017
- ↑ U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, "Common Core of Data, file ccd_lea_052_1414_w_0216161a, 2014-2015," accessed November 16, 2016
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 United States Census Bureau, "Potter County, Texas," accessed March 22, 2017
| Amarillo Independent School District elections in 2017 | |
| Potter County, Texas | |
| Election date: | May 6, 2017 |
| Candidates: | At-Large: Incumbent, James Allen • Incumbent, John Blanchard • Incumbent, Eric Darnell • Incumbent, Renee McCown • Cristy Wilkinson |
| Important information: | What was at stake? |
