Birmingham City Schools elections (2013)
2017 →
|
 |
Method of election Elections What was at stake? Key deadlines Additional elections External links |
Birmingham City Schools Jefferson County, Alabama ballot measures Local ballot measures, Alabama |
 |
All nine seats on the Board of Education for Birmingham City Schools were up for city-wide election on August 27, 2013. The seats up for election covered Districts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9.
An issue that faced Birmingham City Schools in this election was the Alabama State Board of Education takeover of the district after the state determined the district had not complied with the financial recovery plan.[1][2]
About the district
The Birmingham City School District was created in 1910 when the Alabama State Legislature passed a bill creating Greater Birmingham. Through this bill, 40 schools were annexed by the Birmingham Free School. In 2013, Birmingham City Schools was comprised of 51 schools, including 25 elementary schools, 11 middle schools, seven K-8 schools, seven high schools, and one alternative school.[3] As of 2013, the Birmingham City School District was the 6th largest school district in Alabama. It served 25,914 students as of July, 2013.
Birmingham City School District is located in Jefferson County, Alabama. Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama, located northeast of the capital, Montgomery. According to the 2010 US Census, Birmingham is home to 212,237 residents.[4]
Demographics
Jefferson County outperformed the rest of Alabama in terms of median household income, poverty rates and higher education achievement in 2011. The median household income for Jefferson County was $45,750 compared to $42,934 for the state of Alabama. The percentage of people below poverty level for Jefferson County was 16.2%, while it was 17.6% for the state of Alabama. The 2010 U.S. Census also found that 29.0% of Jefferson County residents aged 25 or older attained a bachelor's degree compared to 22.0% in Iowa[5]
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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.
Method of board member selection
The Birmingham City Board of Education consists of nine members, all of whom are elected to four-year terms. Each of those nine members are elected from and represent a different geographical area in the school district. Board member terms are not staggered, so all nine seats were up for election in 2013. There was no primary election and the general election was held on August 27, 2013. A runoff election for Districts 1, 4 and 6 was held on October 8, 2013.[7] The filing deadline for the 2013 general election was July 12, 2013.
Elections
2013
Candidates
District 1
The candidates on the August 27, 2013 ballot were:
| Name | Current job | Education |
|---|---|---|
| Tyrone H. Belcher, Sr. | Retired Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, Supervisor, U.S. Postal Service | Lawson State Community College, University of Alabama: Birmingham, Daniel Payne College |
| Green Calhoun, Jr. | Withdrew from race on August 5, 2013 | |
| Sherman Collins, Jr. | Owner, Scollin and Associates Insurance Agency LLC., Owner, NewComers Reality LLC | Samford University |
| Douglas Ragland | Retired Superintendent, Midfield City School District | University of Alabama at Birmingham |
| Jerry Tate | Manager, Energen | Alabama State University |
District 2
The candidates on the August 27, 2013 ballot were:
| Name | Current job | Education |
|---|---|---|
| Virginia S. Volker | Biologist, University of Alabama at Birmingham | University of Alabama |
| Lyord Watson, Jr. | Minister, Greater St. John Missionary Baptist Church | Samford University |
District 3
The candidates on the August 27, 2013 ballot were:
| Name | Current job | Education |
|---|---|---|
| Brian Giattina | Co-founder, Corporate Realty Companies, CFO Giattini Aycock Architecture Studio | University of Alabama |
District 4
The candidates on the August 27, 2013 ballot were:
| Name | Current job | Education |
|---|---|---|
| Daagye Hendricks | Parking and Ground Transportation Manager at Birmingham Shuttlesworth International Airport | Clark Atlanta University |
| Rodney Huntley | Retired Warden, Alabama State Prison System | Faulkner University |
| Gwen Sykes | Retired Administrator, Birmingham City Schools | Birmingham-Southern College, University of Alabama at Birmingham |
District 5
The candidates on the August 27, 2013 ballot were:
| Name | Current job | Education |
|---|---|---|
| Randall L. Woodfin | Political strategist, consultant | Morehouse College, Samford University |
| Martha Casey McDowell |
District 6
The candidates on the August 27, 2013 ballot were:
| Name | Current job | Education |
|---|---|---|
| Lavon Beard | Physical Therapist, University of Alabama at Birmingham | University of South Alabama |
| Gwendolyn Thomas Bell | ||
| Cheri A. Gardner | Director, Smith and Gaston Funeral Home | |
| Ervin Philemon Hill Sr. | Retired Teacher, Birmingham City Schools | University of Alabama at Birmingham |
| Joy A. Smith | Attorney, Law Office of Max C. Pope, Jr. | Auburn University, University of Alambama School of Law |
District 7
The candidates on the August 27, 2013 ballot were:
| Name | Current job | Education |
|---|---|---|
| Wardine T. Alexander | Training Supervisor, BioLife Plasma Services | University of Alabama at Birmingham |
| Lawrence Jackson | ||
| Darius Moore |
District 8
The candidates on the August 27, 2013 ballot were:
| Name | Current job | Education |
|---|---|---|
| April Myers Williams | Manager, U.S. Postal Service | Jefferson State Community College, Lawson State Community College |
| Antwon B. Womack | ||
| Patricia Bozeman-Henderson | Court Referral Officer, Birmingham Municipal Drug Court | Miles College |
District 9
The candidates on the August 27, 2013 ballot were:
| Name | Current job | Education |
|---|---|---|
| Emanuel B. Ford | Hospitality Manager, Hilton Birmingham Perimeter Park | Jefferson State Community College |
| Sandra K. Brown |
Election results
| Birmingham City Schools, District 1 General Election, 4-year term, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Sherman Collins, Jr. |
30.3% | 970 | |
| Nonpartisan | Douglas Ragland |
27% | 862 | |
| Nonpartisan | Tyrone H. Belcher, Sr. Incumbent | 24.4% | 780 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jerry Tate | 18.3% | 585 | |
| Total Votes | 3,197 | |||
| Source: Birmingham Office of the City Clerk, "City Election - August 27, 2013," accessed August 28, 2013 | ||||
| Birmingham City Schools, District 2 General Election, 4-year term, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Lyord Watson, Jr. |
62% | 1,510 | |
| Nonpartisan | Virginia S. Volker Incumbent | 38% | 927 | |
| Total Votes | 2,437 | |||
| Source: Birmingham Office of the City Clerk, "City Election - August 27, 2013," accessed August 28, 2013 | ||||
| Birmingham City Schools, District 4 General Election, 4-year term, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Gwen Sykes |
41.3% | 1,235 | |
| Nonpartisan | Daagye Hendricks |
39.6% | 1,185 | |
| Nonpartisan | Rodney Huntley | 19.1% | 570 | |
| Total Votes | 2,990 | |||
| Source: Birmingham Office of the City Clerk, "City Election - August 27, 2013," accessed August 28, 2013 | ||||
| Birmingham City Schools, District 5 General Election, 4-year term, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Randall L. Woodfin |
70.4% | 1,821 | |
| Nonpartisan | Martha Casey McDowell | 29.6% | 766 | |
| Total Votes | 2,587 | |||
| Source: Birmingham Office of the City Clerk, "City Election - August 27, 2013," accessed August 28, 2013 | ||||
| Birmingham City Schools, District 6 General Election, 4-year term, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Cheri A. Gardner |
35.2% | 1,231 | |
| Nonpartisan | Gwendolyn Thomas Bell |
25.7% | 898 | |
| Nonpartisan | Lavon Beard | 17.1% | 598 | |
| Nonpartisan | Ervin Philemon Hill Sr. | 12.9% | 450 | |
| Nonpartisan | Joy A. Smith | 9.2% | 320 | |
| Total Votes | 3,497 | |||
| Source: Birmingham Office of the City Clerk, "City Election - August 27, 2013," accessed August 28, 2013 | ||||
| Birmingham City Schools, District 7 General Election, 4-year term, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Wardine T. Alexander Incumbent |
51.2% | 1,911 | |
| Nonpartisan | Lawrence Jackson | 39.6% | 1,480 | |
| Nonpartisan | Darius Moore | 9.2% | 343 | |
| Total Votes | 3,734 | |||
| Source: Birmingham Office of the City Clerk, "City Election - August 27, 2013," accessed August 28, 2013 | ||||
| Birmingham City Schools, District 8 General Election, 4-year term, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | April Myers Williams Incumbent |
58.1% | 1,785 | |
| Nonpartisan | Patricia Bozeman-Henderson | 34.9% | 1,071 | |
| Nonpartisan | Antwon B. Womack | 7% | 216 | |
| Total Votes | 3,072 | |||
| Source: Birmingham Office of the City Clerk, "City Election - August 27, 2013," accessed August 28, 2013 | ||||
| Birmingham City Schools, District 9 General Election, 4-year term, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Sandra K. Brown Incumbent |
70.4% | 2,717 | |
| Nonpartisan | Emanuel B. Ford | 29.6% | 1,142 | |
| Total Votes | 3,859 | |||
| Source: Birmingham Office of the City Clerk, "City Election - August 27, 2013," accessed August 28, 2013 | ||||
| Birmingham City Schools, District 1 Runoff Election, 4-year term, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Sherman Collins, Jr. |
62.8% | 544 | |
| Nonpartisan | Douglas Ragland | 37.2% | 322 | |
| Total Votes | 866 | |||
| Source: MyFoxAL.com, "Birmingham Election Run Off Results," accessed October 9, 2013 | ||||
| Birmingham City Schools, District 4 Runoff Election, 4-year term, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Daagye Hendricks |
73.8% | 730 | |
| Nonpartisan | Gwendolyn Sykes | 26.2% | 259 | |
| Total Votes | 989 | |||
| Source: MyFoxAL.com, "Birmingham Election Run Off Results," accessed October 9, 2013 | ||||
| Birmingham City Schools, District 6 Runoff Election, 4-year term, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Cheri Gardner |
65.1% | 600 | |
| Nonpartisan | Gwendolyn Bell | 34.9% | 322 | |
| Total Votes | 922 | |||
| Source: MyFoxAL.com, "Birmingham Election Run Off Results," accessed October 9, 2013 | ||||
Endorsements
On August 16, 2013, the Birmingham Association of Realtors endorsed seven candidates for the Birmingham Board of Education as well as incumbent mayor William Bell and eight candidates for city council. The following candidates were endorsed by the Association of Realtors:[8]
- Sherman Collins, Jr.
- Lyord Watson, Jr.
- Daagye Hendricks
- Randall L. Woodfin
- Cheri A. Gardner
- Wardine T. Alexander
- April Myers Williams
Campaign finance
No campaign donations or expenditures were reported to the Alabama Secretary of State.[9]
Past elections
Information about earlier elections can be found by clicking [show] at the right. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2009
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
What was at stake?
Nine seats, including every board officer position, were at stake. Three members of a coalition of board members were on the ballot. These members were Emanuel B. Ford, Virginia S. Volker and Tyrone H. Belcher, Sr., all of whom lost their re-election bids.[10] Incumbents Carol E. Clarke, W. J. Maye Jr. and Phyllis F. Wyne did not seek re-election.[11]
Board members sought to remove superintendent
Three members of a coalition of board members that sought to remove Superintendent Witherspoon were on the ballot. These members, Emanuel B. Ford, Virginia S. Volker and Tyrone H. Belcher, Sr., were all running in opposed races.[12]
Ford and Volker were also plaintiffs in a lawsuit that sought an injunction against the Alabama State Board of Education, Ed Richardson, and State Superintendent Tommy Bice. The suit alleged that the Alabama State Board of Education, which plaintiffs described as majority white, overruled decisions made by the Birmingham City Schools Board of Education, which they described as majority black.[13] The lawsuit cited the Voting Rights Act, which requires changes to Alabama elections to be pre-approved by a federal judge. As of February 14, 2013, a decision in this lawsuit was still pending.[14]
Issues
Student enrollment dropped from 35,000 in 2000 to under 26,000 in 2013.
On June 26, 2012, the Alabama Department of Education voted to intervene in the Birmingham City Schools leadership after the school board did not pass a measure to bring the district into compliance with state law, which required school districts to maintain an emergency fund equal to at least one month's worth of district expenses. For Birmingham City Schools, that amounted to approximately $20 million. The state board's plan was projected to eliminate hundreds of jobs over two years.[15][2]
The Alabama State Board of Education appointed former State Superintendent Ed Richardson to oversee the district. In this roke, Richardson overrode several Birmingham Board of Education votes, including votes regarding the method of building consolidation and layoffs of over 100 employees. After the takeover, the school board consolidated seven schools and six office buildings in an effort to save the district approximately $8 million.[2]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the Birmingham City School District election in 2013:[16]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| July 12, 2013 | Last day to qualify to run for office |
| August 16, 2013 | Last day to register to vote in the initial election |
| August 22, 2013 | Last day to cast a regular absentee ballot |
| August 27, 2013 | Mayoral, council, and school board 2013 election date |
| September 3, 2013 | Canvassing of the initial election results |
| September 27, 2013 | Last day to register to vote in the runoff election |
| October 3, 2013 | Last day to cast a regular absentee ballot |
| October 8, 2013 | Runoff election |
| October 15, 2013 | Canvassing of runoff election results |
| October 22, 2013 | Day council and school board members assume office |
Additional elections on the ballot
Nine city council positions as well as the mayoral election were also on the August 27, 2013 ballot. No additional measures appeared on the ballot.
See also
- Decreased enrollment, school closures, and state takeover influencing Birmingham City School Board Elections
- Four incumbents ousted in Alabama school board elections
- Alabama
- Birmingham City Schools, Alabama
- List of school board elections in 2013
- Jefferson County, Alabama ballot measures
- Local ballot measures, Alabama
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Kim Chandler, AL.com, "Alabama Board of Education votes to intervene in Birmingham city schools," June 14, 2012
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Evan Belanger, AL.com, "Birmingham schools intervention could stretch into fall 2014, education official says," June 27, 2013
- ↑ Birmingham City Schools, "History of the Birmingham City Schools" accessed July 16, 2013
- ↑ United States Census Bureau, "Guide to 2010 Census State and Local Geography - Alabama," accessed August 13, 2013
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 United States Census Bureau, "Jefferson County Quick Facts," accessed August 13, 2013
- ↑ Alabama Secretary of State, "Elections Information," accessed August 14, 2013
- ↑ Mary Beth Harrison, WVTM-TV: "Tuscaloosa, Birmingham voters return to polls today for runoff elections," October 8, 2013
- ↑ Jon Reed, AL.com, "Birmingham Association of Realtors announces endorsements in mayor, council, school board races," August 16, 2013
- ↑ Alabama Secretary of State, "Search FCPA Reports," accessed August 28, 2013
- ↑ Marie Leech, AL.com, "Three incumbent Birmingham school board members voted out (update)," August 27, 2013
- ↑ Marissa Mitchell, ABC 3340, "Qualifying candidates for Birmingham mayoral, city council, school board races," July 12, 2013
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedcandidates - ↑ Kent Faulk, AL.com, "Birmingham group: state should be ordered to get federal approval to override city school board votes," June 22, 2013
- ↑ Fox 6 WBRC "School lobby, Birmingham BOE members file lawsuit against state board" February 14, 2013
- ↑ Sherea Harris and Brianne Britzius, Fox 6 WBRC, "State will take over Birmingham schools starting Wednesday," July 3, 2012
- ↑ Information Birmingham, "2013 Elections Calender," accessed August 28, 2013
 |
State of Alabama Montgomery (capital) |
|---|---|
| Elections |
What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2025 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures |
| Government |
Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy |
