Canyon Independent School District elections (2015)
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Canyon Independent School District Randall County, Texas ballot measures Local ballot measures, Texas |
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Four seats on the Canyon Independent School District Board of Trustees were up for election on May 9, 2015. Three seats were up for general election, while one seat was up for special election.
Place 1 incumbent Bruce Cobb, Place 2 incumbent Katharyn Wiegand and Place 7 incumbent Linda Hinders' terms were set to expire in 2015. All three incumbents filed to run for re-election, but no challengers filed to contest them. The elections for their seats were canceled, and the three incumbents were automatically re-elected.
While the three regular elections were unopposed, two candidates sought an unexpired two-year term up for special election. Place 4 incumbent Ann Girard announced in February 2015 that she would resign from the board effective May 8, 2015.[1] Two newcomers, Bill Jenkins and Dan Butcher, filed to run for the open Place 4 seat.[2] Jenkins defeated Butcher to win the election.[3]
About the district
Canyon Independent School District is located in Canyon, the county seat of Randall County, in the Texas Panhandle, the northern most portion of the state. The county was home to an estimated 128,220 residents in 2014, according to the United States Census Bureau.[4] Canyon Independent School District was the 111th-largest school district in Texas, serving 9,224 students in the 2012–2013 school year.[5]
Demographics
Randall County outperformed Texas as a whole in terms of higher education achievement, median household income and poverty rate in 2013. The United States Census Bureau found that 30.2 percent of 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 Randall County was $58,529, compared to $51,900 statewide. The poverty rate in the county was 10.3 percent, compared to 17.6 percent for the entire state.[4]
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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 Canyon ISD Board of Trustees is composed of seven members who are elected at-large to staggered four-year terms in specifically numbered seats. The seat numbers do not correlate to geographic districts or specific schools in the district. Rather, they serve to separate the elections for each seat on the board into its own race. Candidates file to run for a specific seat, but all voters in the school district are eligible to vote for every place seat up for election. Elections are held in May of odd-numbered years with three or four of the board's seats up for regular election each time. Places 1, 2 and 7 were up for general election on May 9, 2015, while Place 4 was up for special election due to a board member's resignation.
Prior to 2011, board members served three-year terms with two or three seats up for election each May. The school board voted to change the election cycle to May of odd-years and four-year terms in October 2011. In order to shift to the new cycle, some sitting board members at that time had their terms extended to line up with the new election dates. Place 1 Trustee Bruce Cobb and Place 2 Trustee Katharyn Wiegand, for example, had just been elected to three-year terms in May 2011. Their terms were extended by one year each to align with the new election system.[7]
Elections
2015
Candidates
Place 1
Bruce Cobb 
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Place 2
| Katharyn Wiegand
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Place 4 (two-year term)
| Dan Butcher | Bill Jenkins
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Place 7
| Linda Hinders
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Sample ballot
Election results
Place 1
This election was canceled due to a lack of opposition. Incumbent Bruce Cobb won re-election without opposition.
Place 2
This election was canceled due to a lack of opposition. Incumbent Katharyn Wiegand won re-election without opposition.
Place 4
| Canyon Independent School District, Place 4 General Election, 2-year term, 2015 |
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| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Bill Jenkins |
60.7% | 1,660 | |
| Nonpartisan | Dan Butcher | 39.3% | 1,076 | |
| Total Votes | 2,736 | |||
| Source: Randall County Election Administration, "City of Canyon Cumulative Report — Official," May 20, 2015 | ||||
Place 7
This election was canceled due to a lack of opposition. Incumbent Linda Hinders won re-election without opposition.
Endorsements
There were no official endorsements as of May 5, 2015.
Campaign finance
No contributions or expenditures were reported as of April 9, 2015, according to the Texas Ethics Commission.[8] The next filing deadline was May 1, 2015.
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.[9]
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.[10]
Past elections
Information about earlier elections can be found by clicking [show] at the right. | |
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2013The elections for Places 3, 4, 5 and 6 scheduled for May 11, 2013, were canceled due to a lack of opposition. Place 3 incumbent Randy Darnell, Place 5 incumbent Jim Murphy and Place 6 incumbent Sam Spradlin ran for re-election, while Place 4 incumbent Roger Short did not. Newcomer Ann Girard was the only candidate to file for the open seat. All four were automatically elected after the Canyon ISD Board of Trustees certified their races as unopposed and canceled the election at its meeting on March 4, 2013.[11] | |
What was at stake?
2015
Issues in the election
Special election for Place 4
Only three seats on the Canyon ISD Board of Trustees were scheduled for regular election in 2015, but a fourth appeared on the ballot following the resignation of Place 4 incumbent Ann Girard.
Girard announced in February 2015 that she planned to resign from the board effective May 8, 2015. The resignation came as her husband accepted a job in the Plano area, moving their family outside of the district.[1]
Issues in the district
New superintendent
On April 16, 2015, the Canyon ISD Board of Trustees named Darryl Flusche its "lone finalist" in the district's search to replace Superintendent Mike Wartes. Texas law required districts to wait 21 days after naming a superintendent lone finalist before a contract could be signed.[12]
Flusche, the assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction for Frenship ISD, was found as part of the search which Bob E. Griggs and Associates was hired to perform for the district. The board ultimately interviewed five candidates in its search.[12]
Board President Linda Hinders described the type of candidate the board was seeking, saying:
| “ | We were looking for someone who had experience, a vision, someone who understands the culture we had here, an expectation of excellence, and someone who knew how to coach folks if they needed help. We took all that input and put it together, and I think we were looking for everything, and I think we found a great fit for CISD.[13] | ” |
| —Linda Hinders (2015)[12] | ||
Flusche holds a bachelor's degree from West Texas A&M University and a master’s degree in educational administration from Texas Tech University. He taught in Frenship ISD before taking on a variety of administrative roles in the district.[12]
Flushe commented on his reasons for applying for the superintendent's role at Canyon ISD, saying:
| “ | A lot of things were very attractive about Canyon ISD. For one, they’re a growth district that is highly respected in the education community for all of this side of Texas. They’re high-performing, they have great community support, there’s dedicated leadership at all levels, and they have an experienced school board that has provided excellent direction in the progress of the district.[13] | ” |
| —Darryl Flusche (2015)[12] | ||
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for Texas school board elections in May 2015:[9][14]
| Deadline | Event |
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| January 28, 2015 | First day to file paperwork for ballot placement |
| February 27, 2015 | Last day to file paperwork for ballot placement |
| March 4, 2015 | Last day to withdraw from ballot |
| April 9, 2015 | Last day for voter registration with county clerk |
| Campaign finance report due | |
| April 27, 2015- May 5, 2015 |
Early in-person voting period |
| April 30, 2015 | Last day to request mailed ballot from county clerk |
| May 1, 2015 | Campaign finance report due |
| 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
In February 2015, the Canyon ISD Board of Trustees voted to place a $34.8 million bond issue before voters on May 9, 2015. The bond would serve multiple purposes including the construction of a new fifth and sixth grade campus, classroom additions and roof repairs. If approved, the construction projects would be completed over the next four years.[1]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Canyon ISD Texas. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Canyon Independent School District | Texas | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The Canyon News, "Canyon ISD board calls for bond election," February 15, 2015
- ↑ Myhighplains.com, "Two Candidates File to Fill Canyon School Board Spots," March 13, 2015
- ↑ Randall County Election Administration, "City of Canyon Cumulative Report — Unofficial," May 9, 2015
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 United States Census Bureau, "Bastrop County, Texas," accessed April 22, 2015
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed April 20, 2015
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "1992 - Current Election History," accessed April 23, 2015
- ↑ Amarillio Globe-News, "Canyon ISD board changes terms, election dates," October 10, 2011
- ↑ Texas Ethics Commission, "Search Campaign Finance Reports," accessed April 10, 2015
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Texas Ethics Commission, "2015 Filing Schedule for Elections Held on Uniform Election Dates," accessed January 21, 2015
- ↑ Texas Ethics Commission, "Campaign Finance Guide for Candidates and Officeholders Who File with Local Filing Authorities," September 1, 2013
- ↑ Canyon News, "Canyon ISD cancels board election," March 9, 2013
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 Amarillo Globe-News, "CISD superintendent finalist set to return to area," April 20, 2015
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "May 9, 2015 Election Law Calendar," accessed January 21, 2015
| 2015 Canyon Independent School District Elections | |
| Randall County, Texas | |
| Election date: | May 9, 2015 |
| Candidates: | Place 1: Incumbent, Bruce Cobb
Place 2: Incumbent, Katharyn Wiegand
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| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
