Bertha Bailey Whatley
Bertha Bailey Whatley was a candidate for the District 6 seat on the Dallas Board of Trustees in Texas. She was defeated in a runoff election against fellow challenger Joyce Foreman on June 21, 2014.[1] District 6 covers schools in southwestern Dallas.[2]
Biography
Whatley earned a B.A. in history from The College of Wooster in 1974. She later earned a J.D. from the University of Minnesota. Whatley currently serves as the chief legal counsel for Fort Worth Independent School District.[3][4]
Elections
2014
Bertha Bailey Whatley sought election to the District 6 seat against newcomers Lew Blackburn, Jr., Joyce Foreman, D. Marcus Ranger and Carlos Sherman in the general election on May 10, 2014.
Results
Runoff election
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan |  Joyce Foreman |
65.2% | 1,588 | |
| Nonpartisan | Bertha Bailey Whatley | 34.8% | 848 | |
| Total Votes | 2,436 | |||
| Source: Dallas County Elections, "Unofficial Combined Election Results," June 21, 2014 | ||||
General election
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Bertha Bailey Whatley |
41.3% | 974 | |
| Nonpartisan | Joyce Foreman |
36.4% | 858 | |
| Nonpartisan | Lew Blackburn, Jr. | 12.8% | 301 | |
| Nonpartisan | Carlos Sherman | 5.1% | 120 | |
| Nonpartisan | D. Marcus Ranger | 4.4% | 104 | |
| Total Votes | 2,357 | |||
| Source: Dallas County Elections, "Unofficial Cumulative Results," May 10, 2014 | ||||
Funding
Whatley reported $15,000.00 in contributions and $190.98 in expenditures to the school district office, leaving her campaign with $14,809.02 on hand prior to the election.[5]
Endorsements
Whatley earned the following endorsements for the May 6, 2014 election:[6]
- Dallas Kids First
- Educate Dallas
- MetroTex Association of Realtors
- The Dallas Morning News
- The Real Estate Council
Campaign themes
2014
Whatley's campaign website explained her themes for the 2014 campaign:
| “ |
Dedicated to Education. For more than 15 years, Bertha Bailey Whatley has served as Chief Legal Counsel for Independent School Districts in North Texas. With a career advising superintendents, Board of Trustees and district leadership and staff on legal matters, Bertha has the hands on experience we need to improve student achievement. She has expertise in policy development, special education issues, leadership development, budgeting and strategic planning. We can trust her to put her experience to work for our students and teachers. Preparing for the Future. As our advocate for Dallas ISD, Bertha will work to put the focus back on the students, working to protect critical funding for our teachers, classrooms and schools so that our children are provided with all the tools they need to learn and succeed. Bertha will also work to expand early childhood education. The first five years of a child’s life are critical for development, we are missing a huge opportunity to help students succeed by not focusing on early development. Raising the Standard. Bertha believes Dallas ISD needs to find ways to better educate our students and improve performance at every grade level. She will advocate for bold ideas like the inclusion of Montessori education in our pre-k classes, the reform of our instructional methods and the adoption of strong discipline management programs for all schools. Committed to Our Community. A leader in our community, Bertha has volunteered with Clean South Dallas, Electas Civic and Social Club, Yvonne A. Ewell Educational Foundation, New Beginnings Community Center, the PTA and Board of Directors of All Church Home for Children. She is currently a member of the Rotary Club and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. She and her husband, Mac, are parents to one son, Aaron, a graduate of TAG at Townview Magnet Center and former U.S. Marine who completed three tours of duty in Iraq. |
” |
| —Bertha Bailey Whatley's campaign website, (2014) | ||
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Bertha + Whatley + Dallas + School + District"
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Dallas Morning News, "Dallas ISD election: Whatley and Foreman off to a runoff; Solis easily keeps seat," May 10, 2014
- ↑ Dallas Morning News, "District 2 Trustee Mike Morath picks up a challenger," January 30, 2014
- ↑ LinkedIn, "Bertha Whatley," accessed February 13, 2014
- ↑ State Bar of Texas, "Ms. Bertha J. Bailey Whatley," accessed February 13, 2014
- ↑ Dallas Independent School District, "Campaign Finance Reports," accessed April 14, 2014
- ↑ Bertha Bailey Whatley for DISD Trustee, "Endorsements," accessed May 1, 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Bertha Bailey Whatley for DISD Trustee, "Home," accessed April 14, 2014
| 2014 Dallas Independent School District Elections | |
| Dallas, Texas | |
| Election date: | May 10, 2014 |
| Candidates: | District 2: • Mike Morath District 6: • Lew Blackburn, Jr. • Joyce Foreman • D. Marcus Ranger • Carlos Sherman • Bertha Bailey Whatley |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
