Colquitt County Schools elections (2014)
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Method of election Elections What was at stake? Key deadlines Additional elections External links |
| See also |
Colquitt County Schools Colquitt County, Georgia ballot measures Local ballot measures, Georgia |
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Three seats on the Colquitt County Schools school board were up for general election on May 20, 2014. Incumbent Trudie Hill and newcomer Robbie Pitts ran unopposed in District 1 and District 4. Incumbent Patricia H. Anderson defeated Billy Taylor in a runoff election on July 22, 2014 for the District 5 seat.
About the district
- See also: Colquitt County Schools, Georgia
Colquitt County Schools is located in Colquitt County, Georgia. Colquitt County is home to 46,275 residents, according to the United States Census Bureau.[1] Colquitt County Schools was the 40th-largest school district in Georgia, serving 9,459 students during the 2011-2012 school year.[2]
Demographics
Colquitt County underperformed in comparison to the rest of Georgia in terms of higher education achievement in 2012. The United States Census Bureau found that 13.3 percent of Colquitt County residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree compared to 27.8 percent for Georgia as a whole. The median household income in Colquitt County was $33,186 compared to $49,604 for the state of Georgia. The poverty rate in Colquitt County was 25.7 percent compared to 17.4 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
The Colquitt school board consists of six members elected by geographic electoral districts to four-year terms. There was no primary election and the general election was held on May 20, 2014. Since no candidate received the simple majority of votes in District 5, a runoff election was held between the top two candidates on July 22, 2014. Three seats were on the ballot in 2014 and three seats were on the ballot in 2016.[4]
Candidates began to file affidavits of candidacy on March 3, 2014. The filing deadline for school board candidates to get on the ballot in the general election was March 7, 2014.[5]
Elections
2014
Candidates
District 1
- Trudie Hill
- Incumbent
District 4
District 5
- Patricia H. Anderson
- Incumbent
- Graduate, Valdosta State University
- Retired teacher
- Jerry W. Holmes
- Graduate, Florida State University
- Technology teacher, Willie J. Williams Middle School
- Billy Taylor
- Graduate, Thomas College
- Retired VP of Operations, Windstream Corporation
Election results
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Patricia H. Anderson Incumbent |
51% | 466 | |
| Nonpartisan | Billy Taylor |
49% | 448 | |
| Total Votes | 914 | |||
| Source: Georgia Secretary of State, "General Primary Runoff and General Nonpartisan Election Runoff," accessed June 12, 2015 | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Trudie Hill Incumbent |
100% | 374 | |
| Total Votes | 374 | |||
| Source: Georgia Secretary of State, "General Primary/General Nonpartisan/Special Election," accessed July 23, 2014 | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Robbie Pitts |
100% | 396 | |
| Total Votes | 396 | |||
| Source: Georgia Secretary of State, "General Primary/General Nonpartisan/Special Election," accessed July 23, 2014 | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Patricia H. Anderson Incumbent |
47.9% | 476 | |
| Nonpartisan | Billy Taylor |
45.8% | 455 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jerry W. Holmes | 6.3% | 63 | |
| Total Votes | 994 | |||
| Source: Georgia Secretary of State, "General Primary/General Nonpartisan/Special Election," accessed July 23, 2014 | ||||
Endorsements
No candidate received an endorsement in this election.
Campaign finance
No candidate filed a campaign finance report with the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission.[6]
Past elections
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2012
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What was at stake?
Three seats on the Colquitt County school board were at stake in the May election. Incumbent Trudie Hill ran unopposed for re-election to the District 1 seat and newcomer Robbie Pitts ran unopposed for election to the District 4 seat. In the District 5 race, incumbent Patricia H. Anderson faced Jerry W. Holmes and Billy Taylor.
Issues in the election
April 15 candidate forum
All three District 5 candidates participated in a candidate forum on April 15, 2014. The candidates discussed the best measures of student success and the implementation of vocational agriculture teachers. Incumbent Patricia H. Anderson advocated for smaller class sizes, which she would implement by hiring more teachers. Jerry W. Holmes said that student success cannot be measured until students have been out of school for 5 to ten years. He stated that in order to get the best results, teachers should be given more time to teach by cutting wasteful paperwork. Billy Taylor stated that the best measure of student success is how many students graduate high school ready for employment. He said that he believes children learn at different rates and should be grouped accordingly. He also said schools should focus on creating good behavior early so teachers won’t have to deal with as much bad behavior later.
Since the forum was held by the Colquitt County Farm Bureau, vocational agriculture was also a topic of discussion. Anderson emphasized the importance of agriculture education and advocated for its expansion in the elementary schools. Holmes suggested that an agriculture technology class be implemented in place of his technology class, which is being phased out with his retirement. Taylor has no strong suggestions on the subject, but stated that the school should do what it can to keep students interested in farming.[7]
Issues in the district
Principal asked to resign
In May 2014, the Colquitt County NAACP chapter said that Dr. Thelma Jackson, the principal at Charlie A. Gray Junior High, was asked to step down from her post. They said she was asked to resign after teachers at the school felt she lacked good communication and was too tough in some instances. The NAACP chapter held a public meeting in early May to ask for the community's support in fighting to keep Dr. Jackson's job.[8]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the Colquitt County Schools election in 2014:[5]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| March 3, 2014 | First day to file affidavits of candidacy |
| March 7, 2014 | Last day to file affidavits of candidacy |
| April 21, 2014 | Last day to register to vote |
| April 28, 2014 | Early voting begins |
| May 7, 2014 | Last day to request an absentee ballot |
| May 20, 2014 | Election day |
Additional elections on the ballot
In addition to the school board, residents of Colquitt County voted in races for U.S. Senate, U.S. House Governor, Georgia Secretary of State, Georgia Commissioner of Insurance, Georgia State Superintendent of Schools, Georgia Commissioner of Labor, Georgia Public Service Commissioner, State Superintendent of Schools, County Commissioner and Superior Court of the Southern Judicial Circuit judge.[9]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Colquitt + County + Schools + Georgia"
See also
- Georgia
- Colquitt County Schools, Georgia
- Georgia school board elections, 2014
- List of school board elections in 2014
- School board elections, 2014
- Colquitt County, Georgia ballot measures
- Local ballot measures, Georgia
- Newcomers win three-quarters of school board seats in Georgia runoff elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 United States Census Bureau, "Colquitt County, Georgia," accessed May 11, 2014
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed February 18, 2014
- ↑ Georgia Secretary of State, "Current and Past Election Results," accessed May 11, 2014
- ↑ Colquitt County Schools, "Board of Education," accessed May 11, 2014
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Georgia Secretary of State, "2014 Election Event Dates," accessed May 11, 2014
- ↑ Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission, "Campaign Reports," accessed May 11, 2014
- ↑ The Moultrie Observer, "Candidates answer questions at Farm Bureau forum," April 16, 2014 (dead link)
- ↑ Fox 31, "Colquitt County principal asked to resign," May 5, 2014
- ↑ The Moultrie Observer, "Voters can cast early ballots on Saturday, May 10," May 8, 2014 (dead link)
| 2014 Colquitt County Schools Elections | |
| Colquitt County, Georgia | |
| Election date: | May 20, 2014 |
| Candidates: | District 1: • Incumbent, Trudie Hill District 5: • Incumbent, Patricia Anderson • Jerry W. Holmes • Billy Taylor |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
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