Dallas Independent School District elections (2014)
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Three seats on the Dallas Board of Trustees were up for general election on May 10, 2014. Incumbent Mike Morath won re-election without opposition for the District 2 seat. Newcomers Joyce Foreman and Bertha Bailey Whatley advanced to a runoff election on June 21, 2014 to replace Carla Ranger in District 6. Foreman and Whatley did not receive 50 percent of the vote in the general election but Foreman won election in the runoff race. Miguel Solis won re-election against challengers Kristi Lara and Richard P. Sheridan in the District 8 race.[1]
The 2014 board election coincided with an effort to turn Dallas Independent School District into a home-rule district. A state law passed in 1995 allows school districts to create home-rule charters if they gain enough support from local voters. A home-rule charter provides more local control for a district and allows a district to develop its own curriculum standards, school calendars and teacher salaries. Support Our Public Schools is a local group that gathered petitions to get the home-rule charter on the ballot in November 2014. The group is supported by District 2 incumbent Mike Morath, led by current board member Wilton Hollins and receives funds from former hedge fund manager John Arnold.
Opponents of the home-rule effort included board members Lew Blackburn, Carla Ranger and Bernadette Nutall, who expressed concerns about the impacts of a new charter on minority groups in the district. Alliance-AFT, the teachers' union in Dallas, criticized the home-rule movement as an effort to weaken public schools. Supporters of the home-rule charter needed to submit 24,459 petitions from district residents, lobby a 15-member charter commission created by the board and receive a simple majority of votes if the charter reaches the ballot to achieve their goal. The group's petition drive submitted enough valid signatures in May 2014 to require the appointment of a charter commission at a school board meeting on June 19, 2014.[2][3][4][5]
About the district
Dallas Independent School District is located in Dallas, the county seat of Dallas County, Texas. According to the United States Census Bureau, Dallas was home to 1,241,162 residents in 2014.[6] Dallas Independent School District was the second-largest school district in Texas, serving 157,575 students during the 2011-2012 school year.[7]
Academic performance
Dallas Independent School District received a Met Standard designation from the Texas Education Agency in the state's 2013 accountability report. District schools met 91 percent of indicators established by state officials to measure academic progress. The district also surpassed target scores for student achievement, student progress, closing performance gaps and postsecondary readiness.[8]
Budget
Dallas Independent School District's total budget for the 2013-2014 school year was $1.2 billion. This was the second-largest operating budget for any school district in Texas behind Houston Independent School District. The district spent 69.8 percent of its budget on staff expenses, 19.7 percent on operational expenses, 10.1 percent on student services, 0.2 percent on debt service and 0.2 percent on miscellaneous expenses.[9]
Demographics
Dallas outperformed the rest of Texas in terms of higher education achievement in 2010. The United States Census Bureau found that 29.0 percent of Dallas residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree compared to 26.3 percent for Texas as a whole. The median household income in Dallas was $42,436 compared to $51,563 for the state of Texas. The poverty rate in Dallas was 23.6 percent compared to 17.4 percent for the entire state.[6]
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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 Dallas Board of Trustees consists of nine members elected by district to three-year terms. There was no primary election and a general election took place on May 10, 2014. Three seats are up for election every May. Seats in Districts 1, 3 and 9 were on the ballot in 2015 while Districts 4, 5 and 7 were up for election in 2016.[11]
Candidates for the Board of Trustees submitted paperwork with the school district secretary by February 28, 2014. Each candidate must be at least 18 years old, a registered voter and a resident of the district for at least six months. Members file their pre-election and post-election campaign finance reports with the district clerk unless they have not received or spent $500 during the campaign.[12]
The last day for district residents to register to vote for the May 10, 2014 election was April 10, 2014. Voters could submit applications for mailed ballots to the county elections office through May 1, 2014.[13] The county also administered early voting at 12 locations in Dallas from April 28, 2014 to May 6, 2014.[14]
Elections
2014
Candidates
District 2
- Mike Morath
- Incumbent
- Graduate, George Washington University
- Former president, Minute Menu Systems
Note: Matthew Barnebey withdrew from the race on February 14.[15] Sabrina Martinez Harrison withdrew from the race on March 3.[16]
District 6
- Lew Blackburn, Jr.
- Graduate, Prairie View A&M University and University of Texas-Austin
- IT service manager
- Son of current District 5 trustee Lew Blackburn
- Joyce Foreman
- Community activist
- D. Marcus Ranger
- Attorney
- Husband of current District 6 trustee Carla Ranger
- Carlos Sherman
- Graduate, University of North Texas
- Retired account manager, Verizon
- Bertha Bailey Whatley
- Graduate, College of Wooster and University of Minnesota
- Attorney, Fort Worth Independent School District
District 8
- Kristi Lara
- Community activist
- Richard P. Sheridan
- Community activist
- Miguel Solis
- Incumbent
- Graduate, Lamar University and Harvard University
- Former special assistant to Superintendent Mike Miles
District map
Election results
Runoff election
Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Nonpartisan | ![]() |
65.2% | 1,588 | |
Nonpartisan | Bertha Bailey Whatley | 34.8% | 848 | |
Total Votes | 2,436 | |||
Source: Dallas County Elections, "Unofficial Combined Election Results," June 21, 2014 |
General election
Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Nonpartisan | ![]() |
41.3% | 974 | |
Nonpartisan | ![]() |
36.4% | 858 | |
Nonpartisan | Lew Blackburn, Jr. | 12.8% | 301 | |
Nonpartisan | Carlos Sherman | 5.1% | 120 | |
Nonpartisan | D. Marcus Ranger | 4.4% | 104 | |
Total Votes | 2,357 | |||
Source: Dallas County Elections, "Unofficial Cumulative Results," May 10, 2014 |
Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Nonpartisan | ![]() |
68.1% | 515 | |
Nonpartisan | Kristi Lara | 23.5% | 178 | |
Nonpartisan | Richard P. Sheridan | 8.3% | 63 | |
Total Votes | 756 | |||
Source: Dallas County Elections, "Unofficial Cumulative Results," May 10, 2014 |
Note: Mike Morath won re-election in District 2 without opposition when he faced no opposition by the ballot deadline. Joyce Foreman and Bertha Bailey Whatley advanced to a June 21, 2014 runoff election for the District 6 seat.
Endorsements
Educate Dallas, a political action committee run by the Dallas Regional Chamber, endorsed Mike Morath, Bertha Bailey Whatley and Miguel Solis on March 5, 2014.[17] Dallas Kids First PAC endorsed Whatley and Solis on March 19, 2014.[18] The Dallas Morning News also endorsed Whatley and Solis on April 27, 2014.[19] Joyce Foreman, received the endorsement of outgoing District 6 trustee Carla Ranger prior to the runoff election.[20]
Campaign finance
Candidates received a total of $102,341.75 and spent a total of $9,629.62 prior to the election, according to the district office.[21]
In the District 2 race, candidates raised a total of $58,969.70 and spent a total of $342.01.
Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
---|---|---|---|
Sabrina Martinez Harrison | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Mike Morath | $58,969.70 | $342.01 | $58,627.69 |
In the District 6 race, candidates raised a total of $21,710.95 and spent a total of $3,977.57.
Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
---|---|---|---|
Lew Blackburn, Jr. | $1,250.00 | $221.38 | $1,028.62 |
Joyce Foreman | $3,650.00 | $3,113.91 | $536.09 |
D. Marcus Ranger | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Carlos Sherman | $1,810.95 | $451.30 | $1,359.65 |
Bertha Bailey Whatley | $15,000.00 | $190.98 | $14,809.02 |
In the District 8 race, candidates raised a total of $21,661.10 and spent a total of $5,310.04.
Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
---|---|---|---|
Kristi Lara | $1,523.00 | $481.08 | $1,041.92 |
Richard P. Sheridan | $40.00 | $73.88 | -$33.88 |
Miguel Solis | $20,098.10 | $4,755.08 | $40,997.86 |
Past elections
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2013
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What was at stake?
Issues in the district
Home-rule effort by Support Our Public Schools
Volunteers with a local group called Support Our Public Schools circulated petitions starting on March 4, 2014, to turn the Dallas Independent School District into a home-rule district. A state law passed in 1995 allows local residents to replace their existing district structure with a home-rule charter. This charter could bypass some state regulations including minimum salary schedules for teachers, curriculum standards and the number of days in a school year. On January 20, 2015, a commission voted 10-5 against granting Dallas a home-rule charter.[22] Commission members had until June 2015 to develop a home-rule charter for the district. If approved by the Texas Commissioner of Education, voters would have approved or rejected the charter at the polls. State law requires a simple majority and at least 25 percent of registered voters to cast ballots in the charter election.[2]
Support Our Public Schools was funded by former hedge fund manager John Arnold and several anonymous donors through his nonprofit organization, the Action Now Initiative. Arnold worked with local officials, including board member Mike Morath, to form the group due to concerns about the district's record of academic performance. Morath supported Support Our Public Schools but did not serve on the group's board.[23] The organization hoped to complete the entire process in time for the gubernatorial election on November 4, 2014. If successful, Dallas Independent School District would have been the first school district in Texas to use the home-rule charter process.[2]
Support Our Public Schools submitted more than 48,000 petition signatures to the school district in May 2014. District officials certified that enough valid signatures were submitted to proceed to the next step in the process.[4][24] The group had to gather at least 24,459 valid signatures, or five percent of registered voters in the district, to force the creation of a charter commission by the school board. School board members appointed 15 members to the charter commission during a meeting on June 19, 2014.[5]
Two members of the commission were selected by the entire board, four educators were selected by an advisory panel and each trustee selected one commission member. D. Marcus Ranger, the husband of former trustee Carla Ranger, and Lew Blackburn, Jr., the son of trustee Lew Blackburn Sr., were appointed to the commission. The state's home-rule charter law does not restrict spouses or relatives of current board members from serving on commissions. An article published following the failure of the home-rule effort noted that eight of the nine Dallas board members opposed the initiative, which Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings suggested resulted in anti-initiative appointees. Commission chairman Bob Weiss rejected this argument and stated, "I certainly respect the mayor’s point of view but will politely disagree with the inference that the process was doomed because the commission did not act in good faith. This commission was not responsible for the appointment process."[22]
The following table details the charter commission, including how they were appointed:[5]
Charter commission[5] | |
---|---|
Member | Appointed by |
Bob Weiss | Entire board |
Stephanie Elizalde | Entire board |
Melissa Malonson | District 1 trustee Elizabeth Jones |
Edwin Flores | District 2 trustee Mike Morath |
Jeff Veazey | District 3 trustee Dan Micciche |
Ricardo Mendez | District 4 trustee Nancy Bingham |
Lew Blackburn, Jr. | District 5 trustee Lew Blackburn Sr. |
D. Marcus Ranger | District 6 trustee Carla Ranger |
Jerome Garza | District 7 trustee Eric Cowan |
Danae Gutierrez | District 8 trustee Miguel Solis |
Shirley Ison-Newsome | District 9 trustee Bernadette Nutall |
Isaac Freeman | Advisory panel |
Ron Oliver | Advisory panel |
Bonita Reece | Advisory panel |
Julie Sandel | Advisory panel |
Investigation into superintendent legal bills
In late 2013, the Board of Trustees solicited legal opinions regarding legal fees accrued by Superintendent Mike Miles during an investigation into a contract awarded earlier in the year. Miles was billed $18,143 by law firm Adams, Lynch and Loftin for representation during a hearing by arbitrator Paul Coggins in July 2013. The district paid the superintendent's legal fees due to a clause in his contract that covered fees for legal proceedings. The board heard legal opinions during a February 13, 2014, meeting to determine if reimbursement was appropriate for an internal investigation. Coggins did not find any wrongdoing by Miles in awarding contracts, but determined that Miles talked to witnesses throughout the investigation. The final report by Coggins also found that Miles helped write a resignation letter for a former district official that criticized the Board of Trustees. Miles was given a 90-day employee improvement period and a letter of reprimand after the hearing.[25]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the Dallas Independent School District election in 2014:[26]
Deadline | Event |
---|---|
January 29, 2014 | First day to file paperwork for ballot placement |
February 28, 2014 | Last day to file paperwork for ballot placement |
April 10, 2014 | Last day for voter registration with county clerk |
April 28, 2014 | First day of early voting |
May 1, 2014 | Last day to request mailed ballot from county clerk |
May 6, 2014 | Last day of early voting |
May 10, 2014 | Election day |
Additional elections on the ballot
No other local elections appeared on the ballot on May 10, 2014.
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Dallas + Independent + School + District"
See also
- Texas
- Dallas Independent School District, Texas
- Texas school board elections, 2014
- List of school board elections in 2014
- School board elections, 2014
- Dallas County, Texas ballot measures
- Local ballot measures, Texas
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Dallas Morning News, "Dallas ISD election: Whatley and Foreman off to a runoff; Solis easily keeps seat," May 10, 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Dallas Morning News, "Group pushes for election to remake Dallas ISD as freer home-rule district," March 2, 2014
- ↑ Dallas Morning News, "Superintendent Mike Miles: Home rule not key to a better Dallas ISD," March 19, 2014
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Dallas Morning News, "Dallas ISD trustees struggle with how to form home-rule commission," May 30, 2014
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Dallas Morning News, "Dallas ISD trustees name 15-member commission to write home-rule charter," June 20, 2014
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 United States Census Bureau, "Dallas, Texas," accessed February 12, 2014
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed May 1, 2014
- ↑ Dallas Independent School District, "Accountability Summary 2013," accessed February 12, 2014
- ↑ Dallas Independent School District, "Dallas ISD Budget," accessed April 25, 2014
- ↑ Dallas County Elections, "Historical Election Results," accessed February 12, 2014
- ↑ Dallas Independent School District, "Policy: Elections," July 20, 2011
- ↑ Dallas Independent School District, "Policy: Eligibility/Qualifications," October 19, 2011
- ↑ Dallas County Elections, "Upcoming Election Info," accessed April 28, 2014
- ↑ Dallas County Elections, "Early Voting Locations," accessed April 28, 2014
- ↑ Dallas Independent School District, "Certificate of Withdrawal," February 14, 2014
- ↑ Dallas Independent School District, "Certificate of Withdrawal," accessed March 3, 2014
- ↑ Dallas Morning News, "Educate Dallas endorses Dallas ISD school board candidates in May election," March 5, 2014
- ↑ Dallas Morning News, "Dallas Kids First PAC makes endorsements in Dallas ISD races," March 19, 2014
- ↑ The Dallas Morning News, "Editorial: We recommend these five candidates in May 10 local races," April 27, 2014
- ↑ Dallas Morning News, "Joyce Foreman defeats Bertha Bailey Whatley to win Dallas ISD District 6 race," June 21, 2014
- ↑ Dallas Independent School District, "Campaign Finance Reports," accessed April 14, 2014
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 The Dallas Morning News, "Dallas ISD home-rule commission votes against writing charter," January 21, 2015
- ↑ Dallas Morning News, "Dallas ISD trustee Mike Morath explains his role in home-rule group," March 10, 2014
- ↑ Dallas Morning News, "Dallas attorney Mark Melton's group releases proposed home-rule charter for Dallas ISD," May 21, 2014
- ↑ Dallas Morning News, "Dallas ISD pays superintendent’s legal bill in investigation," February 10, 2014
- ↑ Dallas Independent School District, "Notice of Elections," accessed February 13, 2014
2014 Dallas Independent School District Elections | |
Dallas, Texas | |
Election date: | May 10, 2014 |
Candidates: | District 2: • Mike Morath District 6: • Lew Blackburn, Jr. • Joyce Foreman • D. Marcus Ranger • Carlos Sherman • Bertha Bailey Whatley |
Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |