Burke County Public Schools elections (2015)
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Four seats on the Burke County Public Schools Board of Education were up for general election on November 3, 2015. The board is made up of six members representing three geographical districts and one at-large representative.
Incumbent R. L. Icard defeated Robert Murray for the at-large seat. In the Central district, incumbent Don Hemstreet ran unopposed and won re-election. Incumbent Randy Burns defeated Tommy Fraley in the Eastern district. In the Western District, incumbent Edna B. Weller defeated Susan C. Jones.[1][2]
The district faced difficult decisions regarding teacher assistants and driver's education as a result of the proposed budget in the state legislature that threatens 24 teacher assistant positions and all funding for the driver's education program. The cut in funding for teacher assistant positions had the potential to result in the largest layoff in state history. The legislature was expected to pass the new budget in August 2015.[3][4]
About the district
Burke County Schools is located in western North Carolina in Burke County. The county seat is Morganton. The county was home to an estimated 89,486 residents in 2014, according to the United States Census Bureau.[5] In the 2012-2013 school year, Burke County Public Schools was the 27th-largest school district in North Carolina and served 13,343 students.[6]
Demographics
Burke 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 16.6 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 27.3 percent for North Carolina as a whole. The median household income in the county was $37,263, compared to $46,334 for the state. The poverty rate for the county was 20 percent, compared to 17.5 percent for the entire state.[5]
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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 Burke County Public Schools Board of Education consists of seven members elected to four-year terms. Six members are elected to one of the three geographical divisions, and one member is elected at-large. Four seats were up for election on November 3, 2015, and the remaining three seats were up for election on November 7, 2017.
School board candidates had to file for this election with the Burke County Board of Elections by July 17, 2015. To vote in the election, residents had to register by October 9, 2015.[8]
Elections
2015
Candidates
At-large
R. L. Icard 
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Robert Murray | ||
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Central District
| Don Hemstreet
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Eastern District
| Randy Burns
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Tommy Fraley | ||
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Western District
| Edna B. Weller
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Susan C. Jones | ||
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Election results
| Burke County Public Schools, At-Large, 4-year Term, General Election, 2015 | ||
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 R. L. Icard Incumbent |
53.4% | 2,975 |
| Robert Murray | 46.5% | 2,593 |
| Write-in votes | 0.13% | 7 |
| Total Votes (100% of precincts reporting) | 5,575 | |
| Source: North Carolina Secretary of State, "11/03/2015 Official Municipal Election Results," accessed November 10, 2015 | ||
| Burke County Public Schools, Central District, 4-year Term, General Election, 2015 | ||
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Don Hemstreet Incumbent |
99.0% | 5,208 |
| Write-in votes | 0.97% | 51 |
| Total Votes (100% of precincts reporting) | 5,259 | |
| Source: North Carolina Secretary of State, "11/03/2015 Official Municipal Election Results," accessed November 10, 2015 | ||
| Burke County Public Schools, Eastern District, 4-year Term, General Election, 2015 | ||
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Randy Burns Incumbent |
77.2% | 3,938 |
| Tommy Fraley | 22.4% | 1,145 |
| Write-in votes | 0.37% | 19 |
| Total Votes (100% of precincts reporting) | 5,102 | |
| Source: North Carolina Secretary of State, "11/03/2015 Official Municipal Election Results," accessed November 10, 2015 | ||
| Burke County Public Schools, Western District, 4-year Term, General Election, 2015 | ||
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Edna B. Weller Incumbent |
50.6% | 2,788 |
| Susan C. Jones | 49.3% | 2,716 |
| Write-in votes | 0.13% | 7 |
| Total Votes (100% of precincts reporting) | 5,511 | |
| Source: North Carolina Secretary of State, "11/03/2015 Official Municipal Election Results," accessed November 10, 2015 | ||
Endorsements
There were no official endorsements in this election.
Campaign finance
No contributions or expenditures were reported in this election, according to the North Carolina State Board of Elections.[9]
Past elections
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What was at stake?
2015
Four seats were up for election in 2015. All of the incumbents ran for re-election. Three of the four incumbents faced challengers in their races. Incumbent Don Hemstreet ran unopposed for a seat in the Central District.
Throughout the summer of 2015 the North Carolina legislature debated a proposed budget that could havge affected Burke County Public Schools in a variety of ways. Over 20 teacher assistant jobs were on the chopping block. The budget would have also cut funding for driver's education programs leaving schools or students on the hook for the full cost of the class.[10]
Issues in the district
Teacher assistant jobs on the line
The North Carolina legislature finally agreed on a state budget on September 14, 2015, more than two months after the end of the fiscal year. One of the biggest issues that kept the legislature from passing the budget was funding for teachers assistants. The proposed budget in the state Senate would have had an immediate effect on Burke County Public Schools teacher assistants. The school district would have lost $600,000 in funding resulting in the loss of 15 percent of the district's teacher assistants if the budget passed. In 2015, Burke County Public Schools employed 158 teacher assistants that served as aides for special education, kindergarten and pre-kindergarten classrooms as well as in computer labs, in-school suspension departments and pre-kindergarten mobile buses.
Approximately 8,500 teacher assistants throughout the state would have lost their jobs if the budget passed, making it the largest layoff in North Carolina history. Teachers and teacher assistants associated with the North Carolina Teacher Assistants Association rallied at the capitol on June 30, 2015, to protest the funding cuts. After weeks of deliberation, the North Carolina legislature included a stipulation in the budget that banned money earmarked for teachers assistants' salaries from being used for teachers' salaries. This puts teachers' jobs in jeopardy since the overall education budget was cut.[11][12][13]
Driver's education plan cuts funding to schools
In the state of North Carolina a driver's education class is required for teenagers to obtain their driver's license. Due to this requirement, the state offers funds for a substantial portion of the class to schools that offer it. A budget battle in the summer of 2015, put this funding and the class requirement in jeopardy.
A proposed budget would have cut all funding for driver's education in Burke County Public Schools. The class cost the district $250 per student. The district charges students a fee to take the class. The Burke County Board of Education voted to increase the fee from $40 to $45 in May 2015 to keep up with the rising cost of conducting the class. The decision to increase the fee was made upon the assumption of continued state funding. In the 2014-2015 school year, Burke County Public Schools served 1,162 students in their driver's education program.[14]
In September 2015 the state legislature passed a budget that protected funding for driver's education classes in public schools.[15]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the Burke County Public Schools Board of Education election in 2015:[8]
| Deadline | Event |
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| July 6-17, 2015 | Candidate filing period |
| October 2, 2015 | Absentee voting by mail begins |
| October 9, 2015 | Last day to register to vote in election |
| October 22-31, 2015 | In-person absentee voting period |
| November 3, 2015 | Election Day |
Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: North Carolina elections, 2015
This election shared the ballot with elections for mayor and other municipal positions in Glen Alpine, Connelly Springs, Drexel, Hildebran, Morganton, Rhodhiss, Rutherford College and Valdese.[1]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Burke County Public Schools North Carolina. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Burke County Public Schools | North Carolina | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Burke County, North Carolina, "Candidate List," accessed July 21, 2015
- ↑ North Carolina Secretary of State, "11/03/2015 Unofficial Municipal Election Results," accessed November 3, 2015
- ↑ The News Herald, "Proposed NC budget would cut positions," July 13, 2015
- ↑ The News Herald, "Budget could halt driver’s education," July 13, 2015
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 United States Census Bureau, "Burke County, North Carolina," accessed June 18, 2015"
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Burke County Public Schools," accessed June 18, 2015
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Election Results," accessed June 29, 2015
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Burke County, North Carolina, "Board of Elections," accessed June 18, 2015
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "NC Campaign Report Search by Entity," accessed February 2, 2016
- ↑ Citizen-Times, "Tax cuts, schools, worker pay at issue in NC budget," July 14, 2015
- ↑ The News Herald, "Proposed NC budget would cut positions," July 13, 2015
- ↑ Citizen-Times, "Tax cuts, schools, worker pay at issue in NC budget," July 14, 2015
- ↑ News and Observer, "NC budget leaves hundreds of teacher jobs uncertain," September 16, 2015
- ↑ The News Herald, "Budget could halt driver’s education," July 13, 2015
- ↑ ABC 11, "North Carolina Budget Protects Teacher Assistants, Driver's Education," September 15, 2015
