Columbus City Schools elections (2017)
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Three of the seven seats on the Columbus City Schools Board of Education in Ohio were up for at-large general election on November 7, 2017. Incumbents Michael Cole, Dominic Paretti, and Ramona Reyes defeated challengers Amy Harkins, Erin Upchurch, and Abby Vaile, who ran as a slate. The incumbents and the slate of challengers were affiliated with Democratic-leaning positions. Two Republican-affiliated candidates (Zach Amos and Seth Golding) ran but lost in the May 2 primary.[1][2]
Harkins, Upchurch, and Vaile ran together as the Yes We Can slate.[3]
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The Columbus City Schools Board of Education consists of seven members elected to four-year terms. All members represent the district at large. Board member terms began on the first day of January following the election.[4] Three seats were up for election in 2017. A primary election was necessary because more than twice the number of candidates as open seats filed to run in the election. The primary election was held on May 2, 2017, to determine the six candidates who would advance to the general election. Voters selected three candidates in the general election on November 7, 2017.
Candidates had to file for this election with the Franklin County Board of Elections by February 1, 2017. To vote in the primary election, residents had to register by April 3, 2017. To vote in the general election, residents had to register by October 10, 2017. For information on the voter identification requirements in Ohio, please click here.[5]
Candidates and results
At-large (General election)
Results
| Columbus City Schools, General Election, 4-year terms, 2017 |
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|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Ramona Reyes Incumbent |
20.23% | 34,695 |
| Michael Cole Incumbent |
19.81% | 33,983 |
| Dominic Paretti Incumbent |
18.35% | 31,470 |
| Erin Upchurch | 15.55% | 26,679 |
| Amy Harkins | 13.93% | 23,902 |
| Abby Vaile | 12.13% | 20,798 |
| Total Votes | 171,527 | |
| Source: Franklin County Board of Elections, "2017 General Election, Official Results," accessed November 27, 2017 | ||
Candidates
Michael Cole 
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Amy Harkins | Dominic Paretti
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| Ramona Reyes
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Erin Upchurch | Abby Vaile | |||
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At-large (Primary election)
Results
| Columbus City Schools, Primary Election, 4-year terms, 2017 |
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|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Michael Cole Incumbent |
17.37% | 12,722 |
| Ramona Reyes Incumbent |
17.13% | 12,547 |
| Dominic Paretti Incumbent |
14.60% | 10,695 |
| Erin Upchurch |
12.25% | 8,971 |
| Amy Harkins |
12.08% | 8,848 |
| Abby Vaile |
10.49% | 7,684 |
| Zach Amos | 8.33% | 6,102 |
| Seth Golding | 7.74% | 5,672 |
| Total Votes | 73,241 | |
| Source: Franklin County Board of Elections, "2017 Primary Elections–Official Results," accessed May 22, 2017 | ||
Candidates
| Zach Amos | Michael Cole
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Seth Golding | Amy Harkins
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| Dominic Paretti
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Ramona Reyes
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Erin Upchurch
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Abby Vaile
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Ohio elections, 2017
The Columbus Board of Education election shared the ballot with elections for three Franklin County Municipal Court judges, two statewide ballot measures, three seats on the Columbus City Council, the Columbus city attorney, and the Columbus city auditor.[6]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the Columbus City Schools Board of Education elections in 2017:[5]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| February 1, 2017 | Candidate filing deadline |
| April 3, 2017 | Voter registration deadline to vote in primary election |
| April 20, 2017 | Pre-primary election campaign finance deadline |
| May 2, 2017 | Primary election day |
| June 9, 2017 | Post-primary election campaign finance deadline |
| October 10, 2017 | Voter registration deadline to vote in general election |
| October 26, 2017 | Pre-general election campaign finance deadline |
| November 7, 2017 | General election day |
| December 15, 2017 | Post-general election campaign finance deadline |
Endorsements
The following is a list of official endorsements made in the Columbus City Schools Board of Education election:
Incumbents Cole, Paretti, and Reyes were each officially endorsed by the Franklin County Democratic Party.[7]
The members of the Yes We Can slate of candidates—Harkins, Upchurch, and Vaile—were officially endorsed by Yes We Can Columbus, a progressive political organization.[3]
Primary election challengers Amos and Golding were officially endorsed by the Franklin County Republican Party.[8] They did not advance to the general election.
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
Candidates received a total of $79,942.65 and spent a total of $75,133.73 as of December 15, 2017, according to the Franklin County Board of Elections.[9]
| Candidate | Balance prior to election | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Cole | $0.37 | $11,424.82 | $10,876.77 | $548.68 |
| Dominic Paretti | $0.29 | $33,572.85 | $33,481.74 | $91.40 |
| Ramona Reyes | $8,333.57 | $16,535.00 | $12,007.81 | $12,709.08 |
| Erin Upchurch | $0.00 | $5,701.00 | $5,578.64 | $271.39 |
| Amy Harkins | $0.00 | $4,052.10 | $3,459.89 | $697.21 |
| Abby Vaile | $0.00 | $1,903.00 | $2,975.00 | $0.00 |
| Upchurch, Harkins, and Vaile for Change* | $0.00 | $6,753.88 | $6,753.88 | $0.00 |
| Primary election challengers | ||||
| Zach Amos | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Seth Golding | $0.16 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.16 |
| *Upchurch, Harkins, and Vaile for Change reported its contributions and expenditures in a joint candidate committee campaign finance form from January 29, 2017, to June 9, 2017. The three candidates named on the form were Erin Upchurch, Amy Harkins, and Abby Vaile. | ||||
There were four campaign finance deadlines for Columbus City Schools Board of Education candidates in 2017:[10]
- The Pre-Primary was due on April 20, 2017,
- The Post-Primary was due on June 9, 2017,
- The Pre-General was due on October 26, 2017, and
- The Post-General was due on December 15, 2017.
All Board of Education candidates whose names appear on the ballot are required to file pre- and post-election reports. A pre-election report is due 12 days before the election if candidates spend or receive $1,000 or more in monetary or in-kind contributions between the time they last filed a report and 20 days before the election. Post-election reports must be filed within 38 days after the election. Board of Education candidates are required to file a semiannual report by the last business day in July if the candidate does not file a post-primary report and the candidate receives $10,000 or more during the semiannual reporting period.[11]
Past elections
- See also: Past elections in Columbus City Schools
To see results from past elections in Columbus City Schools, click here.
What was at stake?
2017
Election trends
- See also: School boards in session: 2015 in brief
Since 2011, the Columbus City Schools Board of Education saw the number of candidates running per seat grow from 0.75 candidates running per seat in 2011 to 2.66 candidates running per seat in 2017. Incumbents regularly ran for re-election and were generally successful. This trend did not hold true in 2013 when newcomers defeated two of the three incumbents running to retain their seats.
In the 2017 election, three of the eight candidates ran as a slate in the primary and general elections. No other slates were formed between 2011 and 2017.
| School board election trends | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Candidates per seat | Unopposed seats | Incumbents running for re-election | Incumbent success rate | Seats won by newcomers | |
| Columbus City Schools | ||||||
| 2017 | 2.66 | 0.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 0.00% | |
| 2015 | 2.5 | 0.00% | 75.00% | 100.00% | 25.00% | |
| 2013 | 2 | 0.00% | 100.00% | 33.33% | 66.66% | |
| 2011* | 0.75 | 100.00% | 50.00% | 100.00% | 25.00% | |
| Ohio | ||||||
| 2015 | 1.74 | 34.78% | 78.3% | 83.33% | 34.78% | |
| United States | ||||||
| 2015 | 1.72 | 35.95% | 70.37% | 82.66% | 40.81% | |
| *Only the three candidates who appeared on the ballot are included in this analysis. An additional incumbent, Gary Baker, defeated seven other write-in candidates competing for the fourth seat. Ballotpedia did not cover the 2011 election.[12] | ||||||
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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About the district
- See also: Columbus City Schools, Ohio
Columbus City Schools is located in central Ohio in Franklin County. The county seat is Columbus. The county was home to an estimated 1,264,518 residents from 2010 to 2016, according to the United States Census Bureau.[13] The district was the largest school district in the state in the 2014-2015 school year and served 50,407 students.[14]
Demographics
Franklin County overperformed in comparison to the rest of Ohio in terms of higher education achievement from 2011 to 2015. The United States Census Bureau found that 37.6 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 26.1 percent of state residents. The median household income in Franklin County was $52,341, while it was $49,429 for Ohio. The county poverty rate was 17.1 percent, compared to the state's 14.6 percent.[13]
| Racial Demographics, 2010-2016[13] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | Franklin County (%) | Ohio (%) |
| White | 68.5 | 82.5 |
| Black or African American | 22.9 | 12.8 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.3 | 0.3 |
| Asian | 5.1 | 2.2 |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Two or More Races | 3.1 | 2.2 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 5.3 | 3.7 |
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 Columbus City Schools Ohio election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Columbus City Schools | Ohio | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Franklin County Board of Elections, "2017 Primary Elections–Official Results," accessed May 22, 2017
- ↑ Franklin County Board of Elections, "2017 General Election, Unofficial Results," accessed November 7, 2017
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Yes We Can Columbus, "Release: All 5 Yes We Can Columbus Endorsed Candidates Move Through To The General Election," accessed May 16, 2017
- ↑ Columbus City Schools Bylaws & Policies, "0140 - Membership," accessed June 5, 2017
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Ohio Secretary of State, "2017 Ohio Elections Calendar," accessed February 25, 2017
- ↑ Franklin County, Ohio, "Candidate List," accessed February 25, 2017
- ↑ Franklin County Democratic Party, "Candidates and Issues Endorsed by the Franklin County Democratic Party," accessed May 16, 2017
- ↑ Franklin County Republican Party, "2017 Endorsed Candidates," accessed May 16, 2017
- ↑ Franklin County Board of Elections, "Campaign Finance Reports," accessed December 22, 2017
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, "2017 Ohio Campaign Finance Reporting Calendar," accessed May 19, 2017
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State. (2012). Ohio Campaign Finance Handbook, "Chapter 2: Candidates," accessed May 19,2017
- ↑ The Columbus Dispatch, "Write-in Baker, 3 ballot candidates win Columbus school-board seats," accessed June 6, 2017
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 United States Census Bureau, "Franklin County, Ohio," accessed October 7, 2017
- ↑ U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, "Common Core of Data, file ccd_lea_052_1414_w_0216161a, 2014-2015," accessed November 16, 2016
| Columbus City Schools elections in 2017 | |
| Franklin County, Ohio | |
| Election date: | November 7, 2017 |
| Candidates: | At-large: Incumbent, Michael Cole • Incumbent, Dominic Paretti • Incumbent, Ramona Reyes • Zach Amos • Seth Golding • Amy Harkins • Erin Upchurch • Abby Vaile |
| Important information: | What's at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
