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Brazosport Independent School District elections (2015)
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Three seats on the Brazosport Independent School District Board of Trustees were scheduled to be up for general election on May 9, 2015, however since all incumbents were running unopposed, the district opted to cancel the election.[1]
District 1 incumbent George Sullivan, District 2 incumbent Jerry Adkins and District 3 incumbent Patty Sayes all won re-election to the board.[1]
Patty Sayes participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 survey of school board candidates. To read her responses, check out the "Ballotpedia survey responses" section.
About the district
Brazosport Independent School District is located in Brazoria County, Texas. The county seat of Brazoria County is Angleton. Brazoria County was home to an estimated 330,242 residents in 2013, according to the United States Census Bureau.[2] Brazosport Independent School District was the 87th-largest school district in Texas, serving 12,551 students during the 2011-2012 school year.[3]
Demographics
Brazoria County outperformed the rest of Texas in terms of higher education achievement in 2013. The United States Census Bureau found that 27.5 percent of Brazoria 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 Brazoria County was $67,603, compared to $51,900 statewide. The poverty rate in Brazoria County was 11.2 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 Brazosport Board of Trustees consists of seven members elected by district to three-year terms. There was no primary election, and a general election was scheduled for May 9, 2015, for Districts 1, 2 and 3. The district opted to cancel this election since all incumbents were running unopposed.[1]
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.[5]
Elections
2015
Candidates
District 1
George Sullivan 
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District 2
| Jerry Adkins
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District 3
| Patty Sayes
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Election results
District 1
Incumbent George Sullivan won re-election without opposition.
District 2
Incumbent Jerry Adkins won re-election without opposition.
District 3
Incumbent Patty Sayes won re-election without opposition.
Endorsements
No candidate received any official endorsements for his or her campaign during the election.
Campaign finance
No contributions or expenditures were reported in this election, according to the Texas Ethics Commission.[6]
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.[5]
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.[7]
Past elections
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2014
Note: Mason P. Howard won re-election to the District 7 seat without opposition.
2013
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What was at stake?
2015
Ballotpedia survey responses
Patty Sayes participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 survey of school board candidates. The following sections display her responses to the survey questions.
Top priorities
Sayes did not provide an answer to the question, "If elected to the board, what would be your top priority?"[8]
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 | |
| Expanding career-technical education | |
| Improving college readiness | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| 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.
2014
Issues in the district
Investigation of former teacher
Former teacher Nikki Schwertz was sentenced in February 2014 to 10 years of probation and a $5,000 fine for engaging in an inappropriate relationship with a Brazosport High School student. Schwertz resigned from the school in 2013 after administrators investigated rumors of her relationship with a 16-year old student. The sentence was reduced from a prison sentence due to the age of the student and Schwertz's apologies to his parents and school officials.[9]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the Brazosport Independent School District election in 2015:[5][10]
| 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, would have shared the ballot with other municipal elections in Brazoria County.
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Brazosport + Independent + School + District + Texas"
See also
| Brazosport Independent School District | Texas | School Boards |
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External links
- Brazosport Independent School District
- Brazoria County Clerk
- Brazoria County, Texas
- Texas Secretary of State
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Lauren Dixon, "Phone correspondence with Brazosport ISD," March 6, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 United States Census Bureau, "Brazoria County, Texas," accessed February 11, 2015
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed May 5, 2014
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Brazoria County," accessed February 2, 2015
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Texas Ethics Commission, "2015 Filing Schedule for Elections Held on Uniform Election Dates," accessed January 21, 2015
- ↑ Texas Ethics Commission, "Search Campaign Finance Reports," accessed April 10, 2015
- ↑ Texas Ethics Commission, "Campaign Finance Guide for Candidates and Officeholders Who File with Local Filing Authorities," September 1, 2013
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2015, "Patty Sayes' responses," April 23, 2015
- ↑ Shreveport Times, "Teacher gets probation for having sex with student," February 24, 2014
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Important 2015 Election Dates," accessed January 20, 2015
| 2015 Brazosport Independent School District Elections | |
| Brazoria County, Texas | |
| Election date: | May 9, 2015 |
| Candidates: | District 1: Incumbent, George Sullivan District 2: Incumbent, Jerry Adkins |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
