Buncombe County Schools elections (2014)
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Three seats on the Buncombe County Schools school board were up for general election on November 4, 2014.
Newcomers Max Queen and Nancy Parker Cooper competed in the Enka District. Incumbent Pat Bryant faced challengers Stephanie Buckner and Jason Summey in the Erwin District. In the Reynolds District, incumbent Lisa Baldwin faced newcomer Cindy McMahon.
Max Queen defeated Nancy Parker Cooper for the Enka District seat. Incumbent Pat Bryant won re-election to the Erwin District seat. Newcomer Cindy McMahon defeated incumbent Lisa Baldwin for the Reynolds District seat.
About the district
- See also: Buncombe County Schools, North Carolina
Buncombe County Schools is located in Buncombe County, North Carolina. The county seat of Buncombe County is Asheville. Buncombe County had a population of 247,912 residents, according to the United States Census Bureau in 2014.[1] In the 2011-2012 school year, Buncombe County Schools was the 11th-largest school district in North Carolina and served 25,656 students.[2]
Demographics
Buncombe County underperformed in comparison to the rest of North Carolina in terms of higher education achievement in 2013. The United States Census Bureau found that 21.8 percent of Buncombe County residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree compared to 26.8 percent for North Carolina as a whole. The median household income in Buncombe County was $44,155 compared to $46,450 for the state of North Carolina. The poverty rate in Buncombe County was 17.3 percent compared to 16.8 percent for the entire state.[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
As of the 2014 election, the Buncombe school board consisted of seven members elected to four-year terms. Six members were elected by geographic district, and one member was elected at large. There was no primary election and the general election was held on November 4, 2014. Three seats were on the ballot in 2014.[4]
The filing deadline for school board candidates to get on the ballot in the general election was August 1, 2014.[5]
Elections
2014
Candidates
Enka District
- Max Queen
- Retired Vice-President, Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College
- Nancy Parker Cooper
- Graduate, Houghton College and Western Carolina University
Erwin District
- Pat Bryant
- Incumbent
- Stephanie Buckner
- Insurance agent
- Jason Summey
Reynolds District
- Lisa Baldwin
- Incumbent
- Graduate, UNCG and the University of Maryland
- Researcher
- Cindy McMahon
- Graduate, Guilford College and UNC-Chapel Hill
- Consultant
Election results
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Max Queen |
57.5% | 31,540 | |
| Nonpartisan | Nancy Parker Cooper | 42.3% | 23,214 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.2% | 94 | |
| Total Votes | 54,848 | |||
| Source: North Carolina Board of Elections, "2014 General Election Results," accessed December 30, 2014 | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Pat Bryant Incumbent |
35.4% | 18,608 | |
| Nonpartisan | Stephanie Buckner | 33.3% | 17,526 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jason Summey | 31.1% | 16,370 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.2% | 110 | |
| Total Votes | 52,614 | |||
| Source: North Carolina Board of Elections, "2014 General Election Results," accessed December 30, 2014 | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Cindy McMahon |
54.7% | 30,870 | |
| Nonpartisan | Lisa Baldwin Incumbent | 45.1% | 25,497 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.2% | 107 | |
| Total Votes | 56,474 | |||
| Source: North Carolina Board of Elections, "2014 General Election Results," accessed December 30, 2014 | ||||
Campaign finance
Candidates received a total of $6,147.28 and spent a total of $2,027.98 during the election, according to the Buncombe County Board of Elections.[6]
In the Enka District race, no contributions or expenditures were reported during the election.[6]
In the Erwin District race, no contributions or expenditures were reported during the election.[6]
In the Reynolds District race, candidates received a total of $14,875.78 and spent a total of $2,634.72.[6]
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lisa Baldwin | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Cindy McMahon | $14,875.78 | $2,634.72 | $12,241.06 |
What was at stake?
Issues in the district
At the school board meeting on October 3, 2014, school board members Lisa Baldwin and Amy Churchill got into a debate regarding school funding. After the board of education voted 6-1 to nominate commissioners as Commissioners of the Year with the North Carolina School Boards Association, Baldwin, the one dissenting vote, stated that commissioners had done too little to supplement state funding. Her remarks drew criticism, in part because of Baldwin's support for a program allowing parents to use public money to help send their children to private schools. Churchill criticized Baldwin’s support for school vouchers and opportunity scholarships, which provide funding for children meeting certain income guidelines to attend private schools. Baldwin countered that the Buncombe County school system ranked 34th in per-pupil spending from local dollars and attributed cuts to textbook and instructional supplies funding to county leaders. When Baldwin attempted to interrupt Churchill, Churchill said, "This is my child's education. You may not care about public schools, but Ms. Baldwin, I swear to you I do."
Baldwin also drew criticism from Jan Blunt, former communications director for the school system, at the same meeting. Blunt, who also used to work for Cindy McMahon's school board campaign, took issue with statements Baldwin made in a video for a Greenville television station and an exchange Baldwin had with Buncombe County Emergency Services Director, Jerry VeHaun. She criticized a complaint Baldwin filed with the North Carolina State Bar against school board attorney Dean Shatley. Shatley tried to prevent Baldwin from speaking about Blunt during a January meeting following Blunt’s resignation, arguing that Baldwin, as a school board member, could not publicly question a school employee’s job performance. The complaint was later dismissed.[7]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the Buncombe County Schools election in 2014:[5]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| July 7, 2014 | Candidate filing begins |
| August 1, 2014 | Candidate filing ends |
| September 7, 2014 | Absentee voting by mail begins |
| October 10, 2014 | Voter registration ends |
| October 23, 2014 | One-Stop early voting begins |
| October 28, 2014 | Last day for voter to make application for an absentee ballot |
| November 1, 2014 | One-stop early voting ends |
| November 4, 2014 | Election day |
Additional elections on the ballot
In addition to the school board election, residents of Buncombe County voted in races for U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representative, North Carolina State Senate, North Carolina House of Representatives, North Carolina District Attorney, Board of Commissioners, Sheriff, Clerk of Superior Court, Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor, North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice, North Carolina Supreme Court Associate Justice, and North Carolina Court of Appeals Judge.[8]
See also
- North Carolina
- Buncombe County Schools, North Carolina
- North Carolina school board elections, 2014
- List of school board elections in 2014
- School board elections, 2014
- Buncombe County, North Carolina ballot measures
- Local ballot measures, North Carolina
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 United States Census Bureau, "Buncombe County, North Carolina," accessed August 8, 2014
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed February 18, 2014
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "NC Voter Statistics Results," accessed August 8, 2014
- ↑ Buncombe County Schools, "Board of Education," accessed August 8, 2014
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Buncombe County Board of Elections, "Filing Deadlines and Fees," accessed August 8, 2014
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Buncombe County Board of Elections, "Campaign Finance Search," accessed August 8, 2014
- ↑ The Citizen-Times, "Buncombe school board meeting turns heated," October 3, 2014
- ↑ Buncombe County Board of Elections, "Candidate list," accessed August 8, 2014
| 2014 Buncombe County Schools Schools Elections | |
| Buncombe County, North Carolina | |
| Election date: | November 4, 2014 |
| Candidates: | Enka District: Max Queen • Nancy Parker Cooper
Erwin District: Pat Bryant • Stephanie Buckner • Jason Summey Reynolds District: Lisa Baldwin • Cindy McMahon |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
