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Catawba County Schools elections (2016)
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Three of the seven seats on the Catawba County Schools school board were up for at-large general election on November 8, 2016. Incumbents Ronn Abernathy and Cathy Starnes filed for re-election and was joined by eight newcomers in the race for the seats: Doug Brady, Becky Brittain, Ray Cerda, Beth Isenhour, Ron Jones, Donna Lutz-Carpenter, Brannon Pittman, and Tracey Stracener. Starnes, Abernathy, and Isenhour won the election. There was no primary.[1][2]
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The Catawba County Schools school board consists of seven members elected at large to four-year terms. There was a general election on November 8, 2016.
The filing deadline for school board candidates to get on the ballot in the general election was July 1, 2016. Candidates had to pay a filing fee of $10.[3] In order to run in the election, candidates had to collect petition signatures equal to 4 percent of the number of the county's registered voters as of January 1, 2016.[4]
At-Large
Results
| Catawba County Schools, At-Large General Election, 4-year terms, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Cathy Starnes Incumbent |
14.77% | 17,104 |
| Ronn Abernathy Incumbent |
14.62% | 16,932 |
| Beth Isenhour |
13.43% | 15,552 |
| Donna Lutz-Carpenter | 13.38% | 15,500 |
| Becky Brittain | 13.24% | 15,336 |
| Doug Brady | 9.95% | 11,526 |
| Tracey Stracener | 7.83% | 9,067 |
| Ron Jones | 5.52% | 6,396 |
| Brannon Pittman | 4.16% | 4,818 |
| Ray Cerda | 2.70% | 3,131 |
| Write-in votes | 0.41% | 477 |
| Total Votes (100) | 115,839 | |
| Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Official General Election Results-Catawba," accessed December 5, 2016 | ||
Candidates
Ronn Abernathy 
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Cathy Starnes
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Doug Brady | Becky Brittain | Ray Cerda |
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| Beth Isenhour
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Ron Jones | Donna Lutz-Carpenter | Brannon Pittman | Tracey Stracener |
Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: North Carolina elections, 2016
The following offices shared primary, general or both election dates with the school board elections in Catawba County:
- President
- U.S. Senate
- Governor
- Lieutenant Governor
- Attorney General
- Secretary of State
- State Treasurer
- State Auditor
- State Superintendent of Schools
- Agriculture Commissioner
- Labor Commissioner
- Insurance Commissioner
- State Senate
- State House of Representatives
- North Carolina Court of Appeals
- Judicial District Court
- Catawba County Board of Commissioners
- Catawba County Register of Deeds
- Catawba County Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor
Note: The date for North Carolina's congressional primary was June 7, 2016. This primary was originally scheduled for March 15, 2016.
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for this North Carolina school board election:[5]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| March 7, 2016 | First quarter campaign finance deadline |
| July 1, 2016 | Candidate filing deadline |
| July 12, 2016 | Second quarter campaign finance deadline |
| October 31, 2016 | Third quarter campaign finance deadline |
| November 8, 2016 | General Election Day |
| January 11, 2017 | Fourth quarter campaign finance deadline |
Endorsements
Do you know of an official or organization that endorsed a candidate in this race? Let Ballotpedia know by email at editor@ballotpedia.org.
Campaign finance
The only candidate who reported campaign financial activity to the Catawba County Board of Elections as of November 1, 2016, was Tracey Stracener. She reported $311.00 in contributions and $111.00 in expenditures.[6]
School board candidates in North Carolina were required to file campaign finance reports to their county's board of elections unless the candidate:
(1) Did not receive more than one thousand dollars ($1,000) in contributions, and
(2) Did not receive more than one thousand dollars ($1,000) in loans, and
(3) Did not spend more than one thousand dollars ($1,000).[7]
The third quarter campaign finance deadline was October 31, 2016, and the fourth quarter deadline was January 11, 2017.[8]
Past elections
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What was at stake?
Report a story for this election
Ballotpedia researches issues in school board elections across the United States, but information availability is a challenge for us in many school districts. Please contact us about the issues that impact your local school district. Note that not all submissions may meet Ballotpedia's coverage requirements for inclusion.
Candidate survey
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2016
Issues in the district
Transgender bathroom law
North Carolina passed the Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act (HB 2) which stated that individuals in government-operated facilities had to use the bathroom that corresponds with the gender stated on their birth certificate on March 23, 2016. The law was passed by the legislature in a one-day special session and was signed into law that night by Governor Pat McCrory (R). The bill reversed an earlier ruling that allowed transgender individuals to use the restroom of their preference, and it offset local ordinances in the state that let transgender citizens do so.[9]
On March 30, 2017, the North Carolina State Legislature approved and Gov. Roy Cooper (D) signed a repeal of HB 2. HB 142 repealed HB 2 but created a three-year moratorium on local anti-discrimination ordinances and prohibited local ordinances related to bathroom access.[10] The state house approved HB 142 by a 70-48 vote and the state senate voted 32-16 to pass the measure.[11]
HB 2's effect on NC school districts
When HB 2 was signed into law, many school districts in the state struggled to formulate a response, especially since Title IX prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex. North Carolina school districts were unsure of how to balance these two laws. In the Wake County Public School System, Wake County sheriff Donnie Harrison said he would consider pulling deputies out of schools if the district did not decide on a consistent transgender bathroom policy. Harrison said the district did not have a uniform policy on the use of bathrooms by transgender students, which was causing confusion and unease among parents.[12][13]
According to Lisa Luten, a Wake County Public School System spokesperson, transgender student issues with bathrooms and locker rooms were handled on a case-by-case basis. "No child has ever been at risk based on how we have handled this issue,” Luten said. “Because this issue is still being debated in federal courts, the school system is unable to create a formal policy.”[12] (Note: The court ruling on HB 2 was made on March 30, 2017.) The district's superintendent James Merrill said that transgender bathroom questions ought to be addressed by administrators rather than student resource officers. According to Nathan Smith, the director of public policy for the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network, the consequence is that many schools decide their transgender bathroom policies on a case-by-case basis, leading to conflicting rules between school campuses.[12][14]
Backlash
On July 21, 2016, the NBA announced it planned to move its All-Star Game from Charlotte, North Carolina, which was scheduled to be held there in 2017. According to the Charlotte Observer, this decision would cost the city approximately $100 million. On September 12, 2016, the NCAA moved seven championships that were scheduled to be held in the state during the 2016-2017 school year. Two days later, the Atlantic Coast Conference made a similar decision, revealing it planned to move the men's football championship game scheduled for December 2016 from Charlotte.
Want to see how this election related to state and national trends on this topic? Ballotpedia tracked this issue in the 2016 election cycle so you can see the connections and impact on this race in context.
About the district
- See also: Catawba County Schools, North Carolina
Catawba County Schools is located in Catawba County, North Carolina. The county seat is Newton. Catawba County was home to 155,056 residents between 2010 and 2015, according to the United States Census Bureau.[15] The district was the 23rd-largest school district in the state in the 2013–2014 school year and served 16,876 students.[16]
Demographics
Catawba County underperformed in comparison to North Carolina as a whole in terms of higher education achievement between 2010 and 2014. The United States Census Bureau found that 21.5 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 27.8 percent for state residents. The median household income in the county was $45,397, compared to $46,693 for the state. The poverty rate in the county was 16.2 percent, compared to 16.4 percent for the entire state.[15]
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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.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Catawba County Schools' 'North Carolina'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Catawba County Schools | North Carolina | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Catawba County Elections, "Locally Filed Candidates," accessed July 6, 2016
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Unofficial General Election Results-Catawba," accessed November 8, 2016
- ↑ Catawba County Elections, "Qualifications for office," accessed August 1, 2016
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Petitions in North Carolina," accessed September 3, 2016
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Reporting Schedules," accessed November 1, 2016
- ↑ Catawba County Elections, "2016 Catawba County Candidate Committees," accessed November 1, 2016
- ↑ General Assembly of North Carolina, "Chapter 163: Elections And Election Laws, Article 22A - Regulating Contributions and Expenditures in Political Campaigns," accessed February 11, 2016
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Reporting Schedules," accessed October 11, 2016
- ↑ Charlotte Observer, "Understanding HB2: North Carolina’s newest law solidifies state’s role in defining discrimination," March 26, 2016
- ↑ ABC 11, "GOV. COOPER SIGNS NORTH CAROLINA'S HB2 COMPROMISE BILL," March 30, 2017
- ↑ NBC News, "HB2 Repeal: North Carolina Legislature Votes to Overturn Controversial ‘Bathroom Bill’," March 30, 2017
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Daily Tarheel, "Wake County sheriff calls for consistent transgender bathroom policy," September 29, 2016
- ↑ CBS North Carolina, "Wake sheriff threatens to pull deputies over transgender bathroom policy," September 27, 2016
- ↑ The News & Observer, "Four things to remember about House Bill 2," September 13, 2016
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 United States Census Bureau, "Catawba County, North Carolina," accessed August 1, 2016
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed November 16, 2015
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "NC Voter Statistics Results," accessed August 13, 2014
| 2016 Catawba County Schools Elections | |
| Election date: | November 8, 2016 |
| Candidates: | At-Large: Incumbent, Ronn Abernathy • Incumbent, Cathy Starnes • Doug Brady • Becky Brittain • Ray Cerda • Beth Isenhour • Ron Jones • Donna Lutz-Carpenter • Brannon Pittman • Tracey Stracener |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
