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Dallas Independent School District elections (2015)

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2015 Dallas Independent School District Elections
General Election date:
May 9, 2015
Table of Contents
About the district
Method of election
Elections
What was at stake?
Key deadlines
Additional elections
External links
See also
Texas
Dallas Independent School District
Dallas County, Texas ballot measures
Local ballot measures, Texas
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Three seats on the Dallas Independent School District Board of Trustees were up for general election on May 9, 2015. A runoff election would have been held on June 13, 2015, if no candidate had received at least 50 percent of the vote in the general election. The seats from Districts 1, 3 and 9 were on the ballot.[1]

Incumbents Elizabeth Jones, Dan Micciche and Bernadette Nutall from Districts 1, 3 and 9, respectively, were up for re-election. Jones did not file to run for re-election, leaving District 1 open to a newcomer. Candidates Edwin Flores and Kyle Renard ran for the seat. Micciche faced one challenger, David Lewis, for the District 3 seat. In District 9, Nutall ran against challenger Damarcus Offord in her bid for re-election.[2]

Flores defeated Renard for the District 1 seat. Incumbent Micciche defeated Lewis in District 3. In District 9, Nuttall won re-election over Offord.[3]

A week before the election, Dallas Superintendent Mike Miles received a letter of concern from the board of trustees. Though three members tried to force him to resign in a special meeting on May 1, 2015, their motion was voted down 6-3. Concerns from the trustees included Miles' "questionable" hiring practices and the district's high turnover rate. A study that found improvements in a number of the district's high-poverty schools was not enough to dissuade his critics. Miles ultimately resigned on June 23, 2015.

See also: Issues in the district

About the district

See also: Dallas Independent School District, Texas
Dallas Independent School District is located in Dallas County, Texas.

Dallas Independent School District is located in Dallas, the county seat of Dallas County, Texas. Dallas was home to 1,257,676 residents in 2013, according to the United States Census Bureau.[4] During the 2012-2013 school year, Dallas Independent School District was the second-largest school district in Texas and served 158,932 students.[5]

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.[6]

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.[7]

Demographics

Dallas outperformed the rest of Texas in terms of higher education achievement in 2013. The United States Census Bureau found that 29.4 percent of Dallas residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 26.7 percent for Texas as a whole. The median household income in Dallas was $42,846, compared to $51,900 statewide. The poverty rate was 23.8 percent, while it was 17.6 percent for the entire state.[4]

Racial Demographics, 2010[4]
Race Dallas (%) Texas (%)
White 50.7 70.4
Black or African American 25.0 11.8
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.7 0.7
Asian 2.9 3.8
Two or More Races 2.6 2.7
Hispanic or Latino 42.4 37.6

Presidential votes, 2000-2012[8]
Year Democratic vote (%) Republican vote (%)
2012 57.1 41.6
2008 57.1 41.8
2004 48.9 50.3
2000 44.8 52.5

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. Three board members are up for election each year in May. Districts 2, 4 and 8 were up for election in 2014, and Districts 1, 3 and 9 were on the ballot in 2015. The general election was held on May 9, 2015. A runoff election would have been held on June 13, 2015, if no candidate had received at least 50 percent of the vote in the general election.[1]

To get on the ballot, school board candidates had to submit their nominating papers with the school board secretary by February 27, 2015.[1]

In order to vote in this election, residents of the district had to register with the Dallas County elections office by April 9, 2015. Early in-person voting began April 27, 2015, and ended May 5, 2015. Texas requires voter identification. At polling places, every voter must present one of the following: a Texas driver's license, a Texas Election Identification Certificate, a Texas personal identification card, a Texas concealed handgun license, a United States military identification card containing the person’s photograph, a United States citizenship certificate containing the person’s photograph or a United States passport.[1][9]

Elections

2015

Candidates

District 1

Edwin Flores Green check mark transparent.png Kyle Renard

Edwin Flores.PNG

  • Former officeholder, May 2005–May 2012
  • Patent attorney
  • J.D., University of Texas School of Law
  • Ph.D., Washington University
  • B.S., University of Texas

Kyle Renard.PNG

  • Precinct 2 member, Dallas County Schools Board of Trustees
  • Pediatrician
  • M.D., Southwestern Medical School
  • B.S., Southern Methodist University

District 3

Dan Micciche Green check mark transparent.png David Lewis

Dan Micciche.jpg

  • Incumbent, first elected in 2012
  • Attorney, Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld
  • J.D., University of Chicago Law School
  • B.A., Stony Brook University

David Lewis (Texas candidate).jpg

  • Radio DJ
  • Graduate, American Broadcasting School

District 9

Bernadette Nutall Green check mark transparent.png Damarcus Offord

Bernadette Nutall.jpg

  • Incumbent, first elected in 2009
  • B.A., Sam Houston State University

Damarcus Offord.PNG

  • Consultant

Election results

District 1
Dallas Independent School District,
District 1 General Election, 3-year term, 2015
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Nonpartisan Green check mark transparent.pngEdwin Flores 59.7% 3,747
     Nonpartisan Kyle Renard 40.3% 2,530
Total Votes 6,277
Source: Dallas Independent School District, "Meeting Minutes," accessed June 15, 2015
District 3
Dallas Independent School District,
District 3 General Election, 3-year term, 2015
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Nonpartisan Green check mark transparent.pngDan Micciche Incumbent 71.8% 3,347
     Nonpartisan David Lewis 28.2% 1,312
Total Votes 4,659
Source: Dallas Independent School District, "Meeting Minutes," accessed June 15, 2015
District 9
Dallas Independent School District,
District 9 General Election, 3-year term, 2015
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Nonpartisan Green check mark transparent.pngBernadette Nutall Incumbent 53.7% 2,106
     Nonpartisan Damarcus Offord 46.3% 1,816
Total Votes 3,922
Source: Dallas Independent School District, "Meeting Minutes," accessed June 15, 2015

Endorsements

The following is a list of endorsements made in the Dallas ISD Board of Trustees election. A list of candidates with additional endorsements not shown in this section can be found below the table.

Candidate endorsements
Endorsement Edwin Flores Kyle Renard Dan Micciche David Lewis Bernadette Nutall Damarcus Offord
Local media
Dallas Morning News[10]
{{{1}}}
{{{1}}}
{{{1}}}
Local political organizations
NEA-Dallas employee association[11]
{{{1}}}
{{{1}}}
{{{1}}}
Dallas Kids First[11]
{{{1}}}
{{{1}}}
{{{1}}}
Alliance AFT teachers association[11]
{{{1}}}
{{{1}}}
{{{1}}}
Educate Dallas[11]
{{{1}}}
{{{1}}}
{{{1}}}
National politicians
U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions (R-32)[12]
{{{1}}}
Local politicians
Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings[12]
{{{1}}}
Dallas City Council District 4 member Dwaine Caraway[13]
{{{1}}}
Dallas City Council District 7 member Carolyn Davis[13]
{{{1}}}
Dallas City Council District 13 member Jennifer Staubach Gates[12]
{{{1}}}

Additional endorsements:

  • For a list of additional endorsements for Flores, click here.
  • For a list of additional endorsements for Renard, click here.

Campaign finance

Campaign Finance Ballotpedia.png
See also: List of school board campaign finance deadlines in 2015

Texas school board candidates and officeholders must file semiannual reports, which were due on January 15, 2015, and July 15, 2015. In addition, candidates in contested elections were required to file 30-day and 8-day pre-election reports, unless the candidate chose modified reporting.[14]

Candidates in contested elections who did not intend to exceed $500 in contributions or expenditures, excepting filing fees, were eligible for modified reporting. If they exceeded the threshold before the 30th day prior to the election, candidates were required to submit the 30- and 8-day reports. If they exceeded the threshold after the 30th day prior to the election, they were required to file a report within 48 hours of exceeding the threshold and participate in regular reporting for the rest of the election cycle.[15]

Reports

Candidates received a total of $296,224.44 and spent a total of $188,995.35 as of April 30, 2015, according to the Dallas Independent School District.[16]

District 1

Candidates in District 1 reported $137,416.82 in contributions and $96,333.44 in expenditures.

Candidate Existing balance Contributions Expenditures Cash on hand
Edwin Flores $0.00 $111,261.82 $66,810.37 $44,451.45
Kyle Renard $0.00 $26,155.00 $29,523.07 ($3,368.07)
District 3

Candidates in District 3 reported $73,647.38 in contributions and $41,755.05 in expenditures.

Candidate Existing balance Contributions Expenditures Cash on hand
Dan Micciche $9,379.25 $68,572.38 $41,664.75 $36,286.88
David Lewis $0.00 $5,075.00 $90.30 $4,984.70
District 9

Candidates in District 9 reported $85,160.24 in contributions and $50,906.86 in expenditures.

Candidate Existing balance Contributions Expenditures Cash on hand
Bernadette Nutall $11,141.59 $7,505.04 $6,906.86 $11,739.77
Damarcus Offord $0.00 $77,655.20 $44,000.00 $33,655.20

Note: In-kind donations as well as cash donations are included in the contributions.

Past elections

What was at stake?

2015

Issues in the district

Resignation of Superintendent Mike Miles
See also: Superintendent of Dallas ISD

Following Superintendent Mike Miles' performance review at the board of trustee's meeting on May 1, 2015, school board members adopted a letter of concern against Miles but did not fire him. The performance review came after board members Joyce Foreman, Elizabeth Jones and Bernadette Nutall sued the district when a performance review was not scheduled for Miles in a timely manner after they requested one. Dallas County District Judge Carl Ginsberg ruled in favor of the trustees, mandating a special meeting to review the superintendent on May 1, 2015.[17] At the meeting, Foreman called for a motion to force Miles to resign in December 2015. The motion failed 6-3, with Jones and Nutall voting with Foreman. Fellow trustee Eric Cowan said he was not satisfied with Miles' performance, but he believed making such a change would be "irresponsible."[17] The letter of concern with Miles was passed after the resignation motion failed. The letter was adopted with a vote of 7-2.[18]

Superintendent Mike Miles announced his resignation on July 23, 2015. Miles stated he was resigning due to family matters.[19] Miles spoke of his impact in the district highlighting the district's updated teacher evaluation system and increase in early childhood education under his leadership. According to NBC 5, Miles stated that he had "made decisions that, while not always popular, were done with the best interests of children and the district in mind."[19]

Miles joined the school district in 2012 after serving as the superintendent of Harrison School District Two in Colorado for six years. He previously worked as a foreign service officer with the U.S. State Department.[19]

Study finds both positive and negative changes in high-poverty schools

The Dallas Independent School District saw better performance from its high-poverty schools compared to any other urban school district in the state during the 2014-2015 school year. A new study released by the non-profit children's advocacy group Children At Risk gave an A or B in overall performance to 24 high-poverty schools in the district. Another 17 schools improved at least one letter grade from the previous year's study.[20]

Four of the district's high schools, three magnet schools, and one charter school, were ranked in the top five high schools in northern Texas.[21]

The same study, however, also gave failing grades to an increased number of high-poverty schools in the district. Three of the district's regular high schools ranked in the bottom five of the region.[20][21]

Children At Risk attributed the increase in positive grades to Mike Miles, the district's superintendent. While the group called him a reformer, his critics have cited low morale and high teacher turnover since he started his position.[20]

Key deadlines

The following dates were key deadlines for Texas school board elections in May 2015:[1][14][9]

Deadline Event
January 28, 2015 First day to file paperwork for ballot placement
February 27, 2015 Last day to file paperwork for ballot placement
March 4, 2015 Last day to withdraw from ballot
April 9, 2015 Last day for voter registration with county clerk
Campaign finance report due
April 27, 2015-
May 5, 2015		 Early in-person voting period
April 30, 2015 Last day to request mailed ballot from county clerk
May 1, 2015 Campaign finance report due
May 9, 2015 General Election Day
May 20, 2015 Final day for canvassing of votes
June 13, 2015 Runoff Election Day (if needed)
July 15, 2015 Campaign finance report due

Additional elections on the ballot

See also: Texas elections, 2015

This election shared the ballot with other Dallas County elections on May 9, 2015. There were a number of municipal elections for the offices of mayor and council members and several other school board elections.[22]


See also

Dallas Independent School District Texas School Boards
School Board badge.png
Seal of Texas.png
School Board badge.png

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Dallas Independent School District, "Election Information," accessed May 5, 2015
  2. ↑ Dallas Independent School District, "May 9, 2015 General Election Candidates," accessed May 5, 2015
  3. ↑ Dallas County Elections, "Joint Election - May 9, 2015," accessed May 9, 2015
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 United States Census Bureau, "Dallas, Texas," accessed May 5, 2015
  5. ↑ National Central for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed April 29, 2015
  6. ↑ Dallas Independent School District, "Accountability Summary 2013," accessed February 12, 2014
  7. ↑ Dallas Independent School District, "Dallas ISD Budget," accessed April 25, 2014
  8. ↑ Dallas County Elections, "Historical Election Results," accessed February 12, 2014
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Texas Secretary of State, "May 9, 2015 Election Law Calendar," accessed January 21, 2015
  10. ↑ Dallas Morning News, "A roundup of Dallas Morning News recommendations in the May 9 elections," April 22, 2015
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Dallas Morning News, "Endorsements rolling in for Dallas ISD school board races," April 1, 2015
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Edwin Flores for School Board-DISD 1, "View Endorsements," accessed May 6, 2015
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Damarcus Offord for DISD District 9, "Home," accessed May 6, 2015
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Texas Ethics Commission, "2015 Filing Schedule for Elections Held on Uniform Election Dates," accessed January 21, 2015
  15. ↑ Texas Ethics Commission, "Campaign Finance Guide for Candidates and Officeholders Who File with Local Filing Authorities," September 1, 2013
  16. ↑ Dallas Independent School District, "Campaign Finance Reports," accessed May 6, 2015
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Dallas Observer, "Mike Miles Doesn't Get Fired at Special Dallas ISD Board Review," archived May 5, 2015
  18. ↑ Kera News, "Dallas School Superintendent Mike Miles Survives Another Attempt To Oust Him," archived May 6, 2015
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 Dallas Independent School District, "Superintendent," accessed February 12, 2014
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 WFAA, "Study: Positive change in high-poverty schools in DISD," April 30, 2015
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Dallas Morning News, "How does your school stack up? Nonprofit's grades out today," May 2, 2015
  22. ↑ Dallas County Elections Department, "The following entities will be having an Election on May 9, 2015," accessed May 5, 2015
2015 Dallas Independent School District Elections
Dallas County, Texas
Election date:May 9, 2015
Candidates:District 1: • Edwin Flores • Kyle Renard
District 3: • Incumbent, Dan Micciche • David Lewis
District 9: • Incumbent, Bernadette Nutall • Damarcus Offord
Important information:What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot
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