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Chuck Maricle
Chuck Maricle was a candidate for the Position 7 seat on the Pasadena Board of Trustees in Texas. He was defeated in the general election on May 9, 2015.
Maricle participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 survey of school board candidates. To read his responses, check out his 2015 campaign themes.
Maricle was also a 2014 Republican candidate for District 129 of the Texas House of Representatives.
Biography
Maricle is a veteran U.S. Army engineer who was serving the U.S. Coast Guard as a district captain at the time of his candidacy. He served in the U.S. Army as an engineer from 1981 until 1988. He was a charter board member of the Port of Houston Harbor Safety Committee and co-founder of the Maritime Youth Expo program, which connects schools to maritime career opportunities. Maricle is active in the Clear Lake, Pasadena, South Houston and South Belt-Ellington Chambers of Commerce. In 2014, Maricle was recognized by former Governor Rick Perry (R) with a commission as an admiral of the Texas Navy for his work in maritime education.
He and his wife, Xia, own and operate AixiZ LLC and XK Sports, small manufacturing businesses in the electronics and sporting goods industry. He earned a bachelor's degree from Canisius College in 1982.[1]
Elections
2015
The general election on May 9, 2015, in the Pasadena Independent School District featured three seats up for election. In the Position 5 race, incumbent Larry Savala faced challengers Alvino Gonzalez and Kenny Fernandez. Fernandez defeated Savala.
Position 6 incumbent Marshall Kendrick defeated Lydia Velasquez. In the Position 7 race, incumbent Vickie Morgan defeated challengers Chuck Maricle and Erica Davis Rouse.
Results
| Pasadena Independent School District, Position 7 General Election, 4-year term, 2015 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Vickie Morgan Incumbent |
58.3% | 1,214 | |
| Nonpartisan | Erica Davis Rouse | 25.2% | 525 | |
| Nonpartisan | Chuck Maricle | 16.5% | 344 | |
| Total Votes | 2,083 | |||
| Source: Pasadena Independent School District, "Cumulative Report - Official," accessed June 1, 2015 | ||||
Endorsements
Maricle was endorsed by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the Harris County AFL-CIO Council.[2]
2014
Elections for all 150 seats in the Texas House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on March 4, 2014. Those candidates who did not receive 50 percent or more of the vote in their party primary on March 4 faced an additional May 27 primary runoff. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in these elections was December 9, 2013. John Gay was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Sheryl Berg and Dennis Paul defeated Briscoe Cain, Mary Huls, Jeff Larson, Chuck Maricle and Brent Perry in the Republican primary. Paul defeated Berg in the May 27 Republican primary. Paul defeated Gay in the general election.[3][4][5]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Dennis Paul |
67.8% | 26,415 | |
| Democratic | John Gay | 32.2% | 12,540 | |
| Total Votes | 38,955 | |||
Campaign themes
2015
Ballotpedia survey responses
Maricle participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 survey of school board candidates. The following sections display his responses to the survey questions. When asked what his top priority would be if elected, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | Start changing the mindset of the board, get them involved and listening to the community and employees again. Through outreach programs an a more "community schools" friendly concept, establish a personal connection. Start "keeping our ear to the ground" and remembering to whom were our elected responsibilities are.[6] | ” |
| —Chuck Maricle (2015)[7] | ||
He also included the following statement with his responses:
| “ | There is a strong sense of disenfranchisement among the teachers and employees of the district. Through several district policies and the pressures that are faced in the classroom, many are seriously considering leaving the district. We as a district have also alienated the trade unions and other professional association who want to offer much time and talent to our vocational programs. There is a sense that the board is a "rubber stamp" and have lost the ability to consider or represent the community they serve. The board itself has adopted policies contrary to state law and seems to think we believe that a 5% dropout rate accurately reflects what happens when a freshman class of 1000 turns into graduating class of 500. We MUST get back to the community, stop "scrubbing the numbers" and do all we can to treat our employees with dignity and respect.[6] | ” |
| —Chuck Maricle (2015)[7] | ||
Ranking the issues
The candidate was 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 this candidate's rankings from most to least important:
| Education policy |
|---|
 |
Click here to learn more about education policy in Texas. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Expanding career-technical education | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Improving college readiness | |
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer 10 questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are in the left column and the candidate's responses are in the right column of the following table:
| Question | Response |
|---|---|
| "Modifications are required before they are implemented." | |
| "No." | |
| "No." | |
| "No." | |
| "We must stop teaching the test and having policies without flexibility that no not permit modification of curriculum appropriate to a students capability. The teacher is a professional and should be trusted to determine the best course for each of their students. Input for polices must come from the classroom, not from people who have never spent a day in that classroom. We must create an atmosphere and policy of collaboration." | |
| "Expulsion cases must be viewed on a case-by-case basis rather than the district having an overarching policy." | |
| "Adopt a community schools policy. A community school is both a place and a set of partnerships between a school and other community resources and programs. Its integrated focus on academics, health and social services, youth and community development and engagement, leads to improved student learning, stronger families, and healthier communities.
| |
| "No." | |
| "Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district." | |
| "The current Pasadena ISD school board has taken a very hands off attitude and from the perspective of the teachers, employees and parents I have interviewed, is perceived as disconnected and "out of touch". PISD should return to active community sessions where ideas can be heard. The school board works for the community that voted them into the office, they do not work for the school district, TASB or any other entity. They are a direct representative of the taxpayers and parents who placed them in the office and need to be accountable for the policies and funds spent. I would also suggest implementing an ombudsman program for parents in various areas of the district for direct outreach to the school board." |
2014
Maricle's website highlighted the following campaign themes:[8]
- Excerpt: "Support of our community military members (current and veterans), law enforcement, emergency services personnel and their families without question or hesitation."
- Excerpt: " Use experience and skills developed as a US Army Corps of Engineers officer, Project Manager and as a member of Team Coast Guard to benefit our District Citizens."
- Excerpt: "Focus on programs that promote community education, health awareness, mental health treatment and an educational system that responds to our needs for growth in both college and vocational training."
- Excerpt: "Remove from our laws all language that discriminates against anyone regardless of age, race, gender, beliefs or orientation."
- Excerpt: "With all effort, defend the State of Texas From Federal over-reach into our communities."
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Chuck Maricle Pasadena Independent School District. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Pasadena Independent School District, Texas
- Pasadena Independent School District elections (2015)
- Texas State Legislature
- Texas state legislative districts
- Texas House of Representatives
- Texas House of Representatives elections, 2014
- Decreased success for school board incumbents in Texas; 1/3 defeated in largest districts (May 11, 2015)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Lauren Dixon, "Email correspondence with Chuck Maricle," April 6, 2015
- ↑ Lauren Dixon, "Email correspondence with Tanner Williams, Regional Coordinator, Texas AFT," April 7, 2015
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "1992 - Current ELECTION HISTORY," accessed December 2, 2014
- ↑ The Libertarian Party of Texas, "2014 Texas Representative Candidate List," accessed July 30, 2014
- ↑ Green Party of Texas, "Greens Release Candidate List," accessed July 30, 2014
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2015, "Chuck Maricle responses," April 3, 2015
- ↑ Chuck Maricle, "Issues," accessed February 12, 2014
