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Beaverton School District elections (2015)
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Three seats on the Beaverton School District School Board were up for general election on May 19, 2015. With an average of 2.33 candidates running for each seat up for election, the 2015 election was more competitive than the last two election cycles for the district.
Zone 3 incumbent Mary VanderWeele, Zone 6 incumbent Jeff Hicks and Zone 7 incumbent Linda Degman were up for election. VanderWeel and Hicks did not file to seek re-election.
Melissa Potter and Eric Simpson ran for the open Zone 3 seat, with Simpson defeating Potter. Becky Tymchuk defeated John Somoza and Daniel Vazquez to take the open Zone 6 seat. Degman defeated challenger Andrew Beach in her re-election bid.
While Degman and Tymchuk won the unanimous endorsement of the sitting school board members, the Zone 3 candidates saw divided board opinion on who should succeed VanderWeel. The incumbent and three other board members endorsed Simpson, but two backed Potter. Zone 2 incumbent Anne Bryan did not provide an endorsement for either candidate in the Zone 3 race. Beaverton Mayor Denny Doyle joined the board majority in endorsing Simpson, Tymchuk and Degman in their respective races. Candidates received endorsements from a range of other current and former elected officials, education organizations and community members.
Over five years after the first proposal was made, it appeared a land swap between Beaverton School District and neighboring Hillsboro School District would move forward in 2015. While there was vocal debate in Hillsboro, which was the point of instigation for the proposed district changes, Beaverton had not responded to calls to meet and discuss the change as of late April 2015.
About the district
- See also: Beaverton School District, Oregon
Beaverton School District is based in Beaverton in Washington County, which lies in northwestern Oregon. A small portion of the district lies in Multnomah County. Washington County's seat of government is Hillsboro. The county was home to an estimated 554,996 residents in 2013, according to the United States Census Bureau.[1] Beaverton was the third-largest school district in the state serving 39,736 students in the 2011-2012 school year.[2]
Demographics
Washington County outperformed Oregon as a whole in terms of higher education achievement, median household income and poverty rates in 2013. The United States Census Bureau found that 39.4 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had earned a bachelor's degree or higher compared to 29.7 percent of residents statewide. The median household income in the county was $64,180 while it was $50,229 for the state. The percentage of persons below the poverty line in Washington County was 11.4 percent in comparison to 16.2 percent for the entirety of Oregon.[1]
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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 Beaverton School Board consists of seven members who are elected at large to four-year terms. While elected at large, each seat on the board has a zone associated with it, and candidates apply to run for a specific zone number. There was no primary election, and the general election for Zones 3, 6 and 7 was May 19, 2015.
Candidates were required to file for the election by March 19, 2015. Voters were required to register by April 28, 2015, in order to vote in this election.
Elections
2015
Candidates
Zone 3
| Melissa Potter | Eric Simpson 
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Zone 6
| John Somoza | Becky Tymchuk
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Daniel Vazquez | |||
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Zone 7
| Linda Degman
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Andrew Beach | ||
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Election results
Zone 3
| Beaverton School District, Zone 3 General Election, 4-year term, 2015 |
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| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Eric Simpson |
50.3% | 10,573 | |
| Nonpartisan | Melissa Potter | 49.4% | 10,391 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.2% | 52 | |
| Total Votes | 21,016 | |||
| Source: Washington County, Oregon, "Official Summary Report Special District Election: May 19, 2015," June 4, 2015 and Multnomah County, Oregon, "Official Summary Report Special District Election: May 19, 2015," June 3, 2015 | ||||
Zone 6
| Beaverton School District, Zone 6 General Election, 4-year term, 2015 |
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| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Becky Tymchuk |
52.2% | 10,923 | |
| Nonpartisan | John Somoza | 27.9% | 5,851 | |
| Nonpartisan | Daniel Vazquez | 19.6% | 4,105 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.3% | 57 | |
| Total Votes | 20,936 | |||
| Source: Washington County, Oregon, "Official Summary Report Special District Election: May 19, 2015," June 4, 2015 and Multnomah County, Oregon, "Official Summary Report Special District Election: May 19, 2015," June 3, 2015 | ||||
Zone 7
| Beaverton School District, Zone 7 General Election, 4-year term, 2015 |
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| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Linda Degman Incumbent |
74.2% | 15,374 | |
| Nonpartisan | Andrew Beach | 25.5% | 5,288 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.3% | 71 | |
| Total Votes | 20,733 | |||
| Source: Washington County, Oregon, "Official Summary Report Special District Election: May 19, 2015," June 4, 2015 and Multnomah County, Oregon, "Official Summary Report Special District Election: May 19, 2015," June 3, 2015 | ||||
Endorsements
Four of the seven candidates running in this election were endorsed by at least one sitting board member each. The table below shows endorsements from sitting school board members and Beaverton City Council members for each candidate. All of the candidates received endorsements from individuals and organizations. Endorsements sections for each of the candidates may be viewed by clicking the following links:
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Zone 3 |
Zone 6 |
Zone 7 |
| Candidate endorsements | |||||||
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| Candidate | Sitting school board members | ||||||
| Zone 1 Susan Greenberg |
Zone 2 Anne Bryan |
Zone 3 Mary VanderWeele |
Zone 4 Donna Tyner |
Zone 5 LeeAnn Larsen |
Zone 6 Jeff Hicks |
Zone 7 Linda Degman | |
| Zone 3 candidates | |||||||
| Melissa Potter | |
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| Eric Simpson | |
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| Zone 6 candidates | |||||||
| John Somoza | |||||||
| Becky Tymchuk | |
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| Daniel Vazquez | |||||||
| Zone 7 candidates | |||||||
| Linda Degman | |
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| Andrew Beach | |||||||
| Candidate | Other elected officials and organizations | |||||
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| Beaverton Education Association | Oregon School Employee Association | Mayor of Beaverton Denny Doyle | Beaverton City Council Member Lacey Beaty | Beaverton City Council Member Marc San Soucie | ||
| Zone 3 candidates | ||||||
| Melissa Potter | |
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| Eric Simpson | |
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| Zone 6 candidates | ||||||
| John Somoza | ||||||
| Becky Tymchuk | |
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| Daniel Vazquez | ||||||
| Zone 7 candidates | ||||||
| Linda Degman | |
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| Andrew Beach | ||||||
Campaign finance
Candidates received a total of $27,463.58 and spent a total of $27,742.29 in this election, according to the Oregon Secretary of State. These totals include in-kind contributions and expenditures, as well as funds from prior campaigns. They do not include outstanding loans, personal expenditures or accounts payable; John Somoza and Andrew Beach were the only candidates with such outstanding expenditures.[4]
| Candidate | Receipts | Disbursements | Cash on hand |
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| Zone 3 | |||
| Melissa Potter | $5,230.00 | $4,823.06 | $406.94 |
| Eric Simpson | $1,994.15 | $5,017.28 | -$3,023.13 |
| Zone 6 | |||
| John Somoza | $1,250.00 | $500.00 | $750.00 |
| Becky Tymchuk | $10,350.00 | $9,522.29 | $827.71 |
| Daniel Vazquez | $7,464.43 | $6,878.68 | $585.75 |
| Zone 7 | |||
| Linda Degman | $0.00 | $0.00 | $347.01 |
| Andrew Beach | $1,175.00 | $1,000.98 | $174.02 |
Candidates whose committees expected to receive or spend more than $3,500 in a calendar year were required to file campaign finance reports according to the following rules:[5]
- Transactions occurring before March 7, 2015, were required to be filed by the 30th day after the date of the transaction.
- Transactions between March 8, 2015, and April 6, 2015, were required to be filed on April 14, 2015.
- Transactions between April 7, 2015, and May 19, 2015, were required to be filed by the seventh day after the date of the transaction.
Committees who did not expect to surpass the expenditure or contribution threshold were allowed to file a "Certificate of Limited Contributions and Expenditures". If they later surpassed the limit, they were then required to file all transactions from the calendar year.[5]
Past elections
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2013Zone 1
Zone 2
Zone 4
Zone 5
Zone 7: Special election
2011Zone 3
Zone 6
Zone 7
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What was at stake?
2015
Issues in the election
Election trends
The Beaverton School Board saw two new members following the 2015 election as the incumbents for Zones 3 and 6 did not file to seek re-election. While those open seats saw two and three candidates file for their races, respectively, the Zone 7 race featured one challenger to the incumbent. An average of 2.33 candidates filed per seat up for election, and none of the races were unopposed.
In comparison to the last two election cycles, 2015's election was more competitive. No incumbents filed for the 2013 school board election, so all five seats up for election were filled by newcomers. A total of 10 candidates filed for all the races collectively, for an average of two candidates per seat up for election. One of the races was unopposed.
In contrast, three incumbents ran for and won re-election to the three seats up for election in 2011. Only two other candidates filed for the races, making the average candidates per seat up for election just 1.67. As in 2013, one race was unopposed.
Issues in the district
Land swap with Hillsboro School District
Dramatic current and expected population growth in the South Hillsboro and South Cooper Mountain areas led to calls for a land swap between Beaverton School District and neighboring Hillsboro School District. Hillsboro made moves to begin such a transfer. As of late April 2015, Beaverton officials had not responded to requests to meet and discuss the potential redistricting. The fairness of the swap, additionally, was up for debate.[6]
Previously, a simple land transfer from Hillsboro to Beaverton had been suggested but strongly resisted. The new proposal would swap a portion of each district. Opposition to the trade from the Hillsboro perspective included the fact that the district would be receiving less valuable property than it would be giving to Beaverton. However, because the need for a new elementary school would shift from Hillsboro to Beaverton with the land trade, some claimed the district would save money in the long run.[6]
Resistance to the plan did not grow purely from economic concerns. Some took issue with the motivations and methods of those supporting the plan. In 2010 and 2012, developer Ed Bartholemy pursued a one-way land transfer from Hillsboro to Beaverton. The Hillsboro board refused his proposal over concerns that it would affect future enrollment, land value and funding.[6]
In early 2015, Bartholemy had a lunch meeting with Hillsboro Board of Directors members Glenn Miller and Monte Akers. Also attending was Washington County Chairman Andy Duyck. Bartholemy's appointment to the Washington County Planning Commission came from Duyck. While fellow school board members Janeen Sollman and Adriana Cañas criticized the private meeting, Miller defended the meeting and became a strong advocate for the property swap.[6][7]
According to Hillsboro School District CFO Adam Stewart, the property proposed to be given to Beaverton would be worth at least $68 million and would contain over 750 students. By comparison, the property Hillsboro would stand to gain from Beaverton would be worth at least $41 million and would contain as many as 610 students. Hillsboro board member Miller argued that his district would save money by avoiding the construction costs of a new elementary school needed in the area.[6]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the 2015 Oregon school board elections:[8][5]
| Deadline | Event |
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| February 7, 2015- March 19, 2015 |
Candidate filing period |
| March 19, 2015 | Deadline for candidates to withdraw |
| March 23, 2015 | Candidate statements for voters' pamphlet deadline |
| April 7, 2015- May 19, 2015 |
Seven day campaign finance reporting period |
| April 14, 2015 | Campaign finance report due |
| April 28, 2015 | Voter registration deadline |
| May 5, 2015 | Last day to mail ballots |
| May 19, 2015 | Election Day |
| June 8, 2015 | Certified election results deadline |
| June 23, 2015 | Last day to file recount demand |
| July 1, 2015 | New school board terms begin |
Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Oregon elections, 2015
In addition to school board elections, district residents voted for water, fire and recreation district directors and commissioners on May 19, 2015.[9]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Beaverton School District Oregon. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Beaverton School District | Oregon | School Boards |
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External links
- Beaverton School District
- Washington County Elections
- Washington County voter's pamphlet for May 19, 2015
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 United States Census Bureau, "State & County QuickFacts: Washington County, Oregon," accessed March 18, 2015
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed August 5, 2014
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "Election History," accessed March 18, 2015
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "Committee/Filer Search by Name," accessed June 5, 2015
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Oregon Secretary of State, "Campaign Finance Manual," January 2014
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 The Oregonian, "Hillsboro schools poised to move forward on controversial land deal with Beaverton," April 29, 2015
- ↑ The Oregonian, "Boundary adjustment sparks accusations, heated debate among Hillsboro School Board," March 18, 2015
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "2015 ELECTIONS CALENDAR," accessed January 22, 2015
- ↑ Washington County, "Notice of Election," accessed March 18, 2015
| 2015 Beaverton School District Elections | |
| Washington County, Oregon | |
| Election date: | May 19, 2015 |
| Candidates: | Zone 3: Melissa Potter • Eric Simpson Zone 6: John Somoza • Becky Tymchuk • Daniel Vazquez |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
