Arlington Independent School District elections (2015)
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Three seats on the Arlington Independent School District Board of Trustees were up for general election on May 9, 2015.
Place 1 incumbent Gloria Peña faced challenger Polly Walton, Place 2 incumbent Peter Baron sought re-election to his seat against Kristen Hudson, and Maryhelen Bronson challenged incumbent Aaron Reich for the Place 3 seat.[1] Walton, Hudson and Reich won the three seats.
Bronson participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 school board candidate survey. Check out the "Ballotpedia survey responses" section to see her answers.
About the district
Arlington Independent School District is located in Tarrant County, Texas. The county seat of Tarrant County is Fort Worth. Tarrant County was home to an estimated 1,911,541 residents in 2013, according to the United States Census Bureau.[2] Arlington Independent School District was the ninth-largest school district in Texas, serving 64,703 students during the 2011-2012 school year.[3]
Demographics
Tarrant County outperformed the rest of Texas in terms of higher education achievement in 2013. The United States Census Bureau found that 29.5 percent of Tarrant County residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 26.7 percent for the state as a whole. The median household income in Tarrant County was $56,853, compared to $51,900 statewide. The poverty rate in Tarrant County was 15.2 percent, compared to 17.6 percent for the entire state.[2]
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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.
Voter and candidate information
The Arlington Board of Trustees consists of seven members elected to three-year terms. Each member is elected to a specific seat but represents the entire district. There was no primary election, and a general election took place on May 9, 2015. Three seats were on the ballot in May 2015.[5]
School board candidates submitted paperwork with the school district secretary by February 27, 2015. Each candidate must be at least 18 years old, a registered voter and a resident of the district for at least six months. Members filed two campaign finance reports with the district clerk prior to the election unless they did not receive or spend $500 during the campaign.[6]
Elections
2015
Candidates
Place 1
| Gloria Peña | Polly Walton 
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Place 2
| Peter Baron | Kristen Hudson
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Place 3
| Aaron Reich
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Maryhelen Bronson | ||
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Election results
Place 1
| Arlington Independent School District, Place 1 General Election, 3-year term, 2015 |
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| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Polly Walton |
55.9% | 11,532 | |
| Nonpartisan | Gloria Peña Incumbent | 44.1% | 9,091 | |
| Total Votes | 20,623 | |||
| Source: Tarrant County Clerk, "Official Results," accessed June 1, 2015 | ||||
Place 2
| Arlington Independent School District, Place 2 General Election, 3-year term, 2015 |
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| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Kristen Hudson |
50.5% | 9,721 | |
| Nonpartisan | Peter Baron Incumbent | 49.5% | 9,527 | |
| Total Votes | 19,248 | |||
| Source: Tarrant County Clerk, "Official Results," accessed June 1, 2015 | ||||
Place 3
| Arlington Independent School District, Place 3 General Election, 3-year term, 2015 |
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| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Aaron Reich Incumbent |
50.4% | 9,850 | |
| Nonpartisan | Maryhelen Bronson | 49.6% | 9,711 | |
| Total Votes | 19,561 | |||
| Source: Tarrant County Clerk, "Official Results," accessed June 1, 2015 | ||||
Endorsements
No candidate received any official endorsements for his or her campaign during the election.
Campaign finance
Candidates received a total of $24,238.86 and spent a total of $9,361.65 as of April 9, 2015, according to the Texas Ethics Commission.[7]
| Candidate | Receipts | Disbursements | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place 1 | |||
| Gloria Peña | $4,374.54 | $1,963.38 | $2,411.16 |
| Polly Walton | $12,871.32 | $4,975.87 | $7,895.45 |
| Place 2 | |||
| Peter Baron | $416.30 | $41.00 | $375.30 |
| Kristen Hudson | $1,155.00 | $465.72 | $689.28 |
| Place 3 | |||
| Aaron Reich | $5,754.13 | $1,864.68 | $3,889.45 |
| Maryhelen Bronson | $4,013.00 | $51.00 | $3,962.00 |
Note: Contributions for incumbents Peter Baron and Aaron Reich included funds left over from their previous campaigns.
Texas school board candidates and officeholders must file semiannual reports, which were due on January 15, 2015, and July 15, 2015. In addition, candidates in contested elections were required to file 30-day and 8-day pre-election reports, unless the candidate chose modified reporting.[6]
Candidates in contested elections who did not intend to exceed $500 in contributions or expenditures, excepting filing fees, were eligible for modified reporting. If they exceeded the threshold before the 30th day prior to the election, candidates were required to submit the 30- and 8-day reports. If they exceeded the threshold after the 30th day prior to the election, they were required to file a report within 48 hours of exceeding the threshold and participate in regular reporting for the rest of the election cycle.[8]
Past elections
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What was at stake?
2015
Ballotpedia survey responses
One of the six candidates in this race participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 survey of school board candidates. The following sections display the responses to the survey questions from candidate Maryhelen Bronson.
Top priorities
When asked what her top priorities would be if elected, Bronson stated:
| “ | My top priority would be to empower the classroom teacher. Teachers are being told what to teach and how to teach it. Not only does this type of micromanagement lower teacher morale, but it negates the teachers' ability to use their experience and creativity to address their unique situations. The curriculum should clearly define "what" to teach, the teacher should have to freedom to decide "how" to teach it. There is not one method that is right for all teachers or students.[9] |
” |
| —Maryhelen Bronson (2015)[10] | ||
Ranking the issues
The candidates were asked to rank the following issues by importance in the school district, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. This table displays the candidates' rankings from most to least important:
| Issue importance ranking | |
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| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Expanding career-technical education | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Improving college readiness | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
Positions on the issues
The candidates were asked to answer 10 multiple choice and short answer questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. Links to the candidates' responses can be found below.
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the Arlington Independent School District election in 2015:[6][11]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| December 29, 2014 | Deadline to post notice of candidate filing deadline |
| January 28, 2015 | First day to file for place on general election ballot |
| February 27, 2015 | Last day to file for place on general election ballot |
| March 4, 2015 | Last day to withdraw from ballot |
| March 10, 2015 | First day to apply for ballot by mail |
| April 9, 2015 | Last day for voter registration with county clerk |
| Campaign finance report due | |
| April 27, 2015 | First day of early voting |
| April 30, 2015 | Last day to apply for ballot by mail |
| May 1, 2015 | Campaign finance report due |
| May 5, 2015 | Last day of early voting |
| May 9, 2015 | Election Day |
| May 20, 2015 | Final day for canvassing of votes |
| July 15, 2015 | Campaign finance report due |
Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Texas elections, 2015
The election on May 9, 2015, shared the ballot with other municipal elections in Tarrant County.
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Arlington + Independent + School + District + Texas"
See also
| Arlington Independent School District | Texas | School Boards |
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External links
- Arlington Independent School District
- Tarrant County Clerk
- Tarrant County, Texas
- Texas Secretary of State
Footnotes
- ↑ Arlington Independent School District, "Election Info," accessed March 2, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 United States Census Bureau, "Tarrant County, Texas," accessed February 11, 2015
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed May 5, 2014
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Tarrant County," accessed February 2, 2015
- ↑ Arlington Independent School District, "Board of Trustees," accessed March 6, 2015
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Texas Ethics Commission, "2015 Filing Schedule for Elections Held on Uniform Election Dates," accessed January 21, 2015
- ↑ Arlington Independent School District, "Campaign Finance Reports," accessed April 29, 2015
- ↑ Texas Ethics Commission, "Campaign Finance Guide for Candidates and Officeholders Who File with Local Filing Authorities," September 1, 2013
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2015
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Important 2015 Election Dates," accessed January 20, 2015
| 2015 Arlington Independent School District Elections | |
| Tarrant County, Texas | |
| Election date: | May 9, 2015 |
| Candidates: | Place 1: Incumbent, Gloria Peña • Polly Walton Place 2: Incumbent, Peter Baron • Kristen Hudson |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
