Elizabeth Public Schools elections (2015)
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Three seats on the Elizabeth Public Schools Board of Education were up for general election on November 3, 2015. Incumbent Charlene Bathelus won re-election, while challengers Stephanie Goncalves and Daniel Nina joined the board. They defeated four other candidates including incumbents Tony Monteiro and Elcy Castillo-Ospina. The district has a history of competitive races due to high candidate filings. Virginia San Pedro initially filed as a candidate but withdrew prior to the general election.[1] Castillo-Ospina, Monteiro and Velez-Jonte were running as part of the Continue the Progress slate.[2]
Incumbent Bathelus was identified as a member of the board's minority faction by NJ.com, along with Board President Jose Rodriguez, Maria Carvalho and Stan Neron. With a 5-4 split on the board, the majority-minority power was on the line in this election. Concerned parents and community members voiced dissent regarding some board behavior, going so far as to call a canceled board meeting an "insult."
About the district
- See also: Elizabeth Public Schools, New Jersey
Elizabeth Public Schools is located in Union County in northern New Jersey. The county seat is Elizabeth. Union County was home to 552,939 residents in 2014, according to estimates by the United States Census Bureau.[3] During the 2012-2013 school year, Elizabeth Public Schools was the fourth-largest school district in New Jersey and served 23,988 students.[4]
Demographics
Union County underperformed compared to the state's median household income as measured by the United States Census Bureau. The median household income in Union County was $68,507, compared to $71,629 for the state of New Jersey. The poverty rate in Union County was 10.8 percent, compared to 10.4 percent for the entire state. The U.S. Census also found that 31.8 percent of Union County residents aged 25 years and older attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 35.8 percent in New Jersey.[3]
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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 Elizabeth Board of Education consists of nine members elected at large to three-year terms. Elections are staggered with three seats up for election each year. Candidates for the school board must be 18 years old and have resided within the district for at least one year prior to their election or appointment. There are no term limits.
There was no primary election, and the general election was November 3, 2015. Candidates had to file by July 27, 2015.
Elections
2015
Candidates
At-large
General election candidates
Charlene Bathelus 
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Elcy Castillo-Ospina | Tony Monteiro | |||
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| Stephanie Goncalves
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Maria Medeiros-DaRassi | ||
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| Daniel Nina
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Michelle Velez-Jonte | ||
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Withdrawn candidates
| Virginia San Pedro | |
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Election results
| Elizabeth Board of Education, At-large, General Election, 2015 | ||
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Stephanie Goncalves |
17.74% | 5,027 |
| Charlene Bathelus Incumbent |
17.51% | 4,961 |
| Daniel Nina |
17.18% | 4,868 |
| Tony Monteiro Incumbent | 15.93% | 4,514 |
| Michelle Velez-Jonte | 14.90% | 4,222 |
| Elcy Castillo-Ospina Incumbent | 14.74% | 4,177 |
| Maria Medeiros-DaRassi | 1.93% | 548 |
| Write-in votes | 0.05% | 13 |
| Total Votes | 28,330 | |
| Source: Union County Clerk, "Election Results," accessed December 18, 2015 | ||
Endorsements
Tony Monteiro, Elcy Castillo-Ospina and Michelle Velez-Jonte were endorsed by the Elizabeth Education Association.[7]
Campaign finance
Candidates received a total of $61,501.31 and spent a total of $48,551.24 as of October 27, 2015, according to the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission.[8]
Note: Elcy Castillo-Ospina, Tony Monteiro and Michelle Velez-Jonte were running as part of the Continue the Progress slate. The slate's campaign finance totals are italicized in the table below.
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| At-large | |||
| Charlene Bathelus (incumbent) | $15,442.00 | $16,126.00 | -$684.00 |
| Elcy Castillo-Ospina (incumbent) | $5,950.00 | $4,135.00 | $1,815.00 |
| Tony Monteiro (incumbent) | $5,950.00 | $4,135.00 | $1,815.00 |
| Stephanie Goncalves | $22,440.00 | $11,701.22 | $10,738.78 |
| Maria Medeiros-DaRassi | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Daniel Nina | $17,669.31 | $16,589.02 | $1,080.29 |
| Virginia San Pedro | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Michelle Velez-Jonte | $5,950.00 | $4,135.00 | $1,815.00 |
Background
The New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission regulates school board campaign contributions. Candidates who receive any contributions, including their own contributions, are required to appoint a treasurer and open a bank account for their campaign contributions and expenditures. Within 10 days of doing so, candidates must file Certificate of Organization and Designation of Campaign Treasurer and Depository forms with the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission.[9]
Individual candidates who expect to spend more than $4,500, receive more than $300 in contributions from one source or receive any cash contributions are required to file campaign finance reports. Similarly, joint campaigns who exceed the threshold of $8,500 for two candidates or $12,300 for three or more candidates must also file.[9]
The deadline for the 29-day pre-election campaign finance report was October 5, 2015. Between October 21, 2015, and November 3, 2015, candidates and committees were required to report any expenditure or contribution from any one source in excess of $1,400 within 48 hours of receiving it. The 11-day pre-election report deadline was October 23, 2015, and the 20-day post-election report was due November 23, 2015.[9]
Past elections
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What was at stake?
2015
Election trends
The past two election cycles in Elizabeth Public Schools were highly competitive compared to the average in the nation's 1,000 largest school districts by enrollment. In 2013 and 2014, three candidates filed for each seat up for election on the district's board. In 2014, the nation's largest districts averaged 1.89 candidates per seat up for election. While New Jersey's largest districts were slightly more competitive with two candidates per seat that year, Elizabeth Public School candidate filings still outpaced that average. The 2015 election saw a slight decrease to an average of 2.67 candidates per seat.
Issues in the district
Canceled board meeting frustrates district residents
Community members and parents were "insulted" after the Elizabeth Public Schools Board of Education canceled a board meeting at the last minute. The meeting, scheduled for June 15, 2015, had already been rescheduled from the prior week. The cancelation was announced less than half an hour before the meeting was slated to begin due to a lack of a quorum for the meeting; five of the board's nine members must be present for a meeting to be held.[10]
Many hoping to attend the meeting were members of the group Elizabeth Parents and Students Care, which supports the board's minority: Jose Rodriguez, Maria Carvalho, Stan Neron and Charlene Bathelus. The four minority members were among the crowd for the meeting, but Carvalho stated she was informed the meeting would be canceled via an email at 5:35 p.m.[10]
The board was scheduled to vote on a $38,481,900 million short-term loan with an interest rate of 4 percent at the meeting. Board President Rodriguez emphasized the importance of that vote and that the board could not wait long to do it. The district, however, would not be fully responsible for the loan or its interest. State funding payments for part of June 2015, which were delayed until the start of the next fiscal year, would be temporarily replaced by the loan. The state would then repay it.[10][11]
The moved added insult to an existing injury in the minds of some hoping to attend the meeting. The rescheduled meeting was set an hour earlier than the board's usual meeting time of 7 p.m. Board procedures require those who wish to provide public comments at the meeting to arrive an hour before the meeting convenes. Some who wanted to speak at the meeting called it "unrealistic and inconsiderate of work schedules" to expect them to arrive at 5 p.m.[10]
Board member Carvalho and community members also commented on the resources put into preparing the planned meeting. "There's food inside, there's tables and chairs, the IT department's there," Carvalho said. Additionally, district security guards and Elizabeth police officers were hired for the meeting, and students who were supposed to present the colors were bused to and from the event.[10]
On the same day as the canceled regular meeting, it was announced that the board would hold a special meeting on that Thursday, June 18, 2015. The special meeting format precluded holding a vote on the loan matter at that time.[10]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the annual November school board elections in New Jersey in 2015:[9][12]
| Deadline | Event |
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| July 27, 2015 | Candidate filing deadline |
| August 10, 2015 | Drawing of ballot positions for candidates |
| September 3, 2015 | Last day to amend a defective candidate petition |
| September 4, 2015 | Candidate withdrawal deadline |
| October 5, 2015 | Campaign finance report due |
| October 13, 2015 | Voter registration deadline |
| October 23, 2015 | Campaign finance report due |
| November 3, 2015 | Election Day |
| November 18, 2015 | Deadline for recount applications |
| November 23, 2015 | Campaign finance report due |
| December 1, 2015 | Deadline to certify election results |
Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: New Jersey elections, 2015
The Elizabeth Public Schools election shared the ballot with elections for two New Jersey General Assembly seats, Union County clerk, three Union County Board of Chosen Freeholder seats and two seats on the county committee.[13]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Elizabeth Public Schools New Jersey. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Elizabeth Public Schools | New Jersey | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Abbey Smith, Email communication with Lisa Bobish," August 4, 2015
- ↑ Facebook, "Continue the Progress Team," accessed October 27, 2015
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 United States Census Bureau, "Union County, New Jersey," accessed January 21, 2015
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed April 29, 2015
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedCensus - ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "NJ Election Information and Results Archive," accessed January 20, 2014
- ↑ TAPinto.net, "Elizabeth Education Association Endorses Board of Education Candidates," September 22, 2015
- ↑ New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission, "View a Candidate or Election Related Committee Report," accessed October 27, 2015
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission, "2015 Reporting Dates," accessed January 20, 2015
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 NJ.com, "Canceled school board meeting sparks backlash in Elizabeth," June 15, 2015
- ↑ New Jersey, "School Finance: Application to Borrow Due to Delayed June 2015 Payments," accessed June 25, 2015
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State Division of Elections, "2015 Election Information: General Election Timeline," accessed January 20, 2015
- ↑ Union County Clerk, "Official Primary Election Sample Ballot," accessed August 4, 2015
| 2015 Elizabeth Public Schools Elections | |
| Union County, New Jersey | |
| Election date: | November 3, 2015 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Charlene Bathelus • Incumbent, Elcy Castillo-Ospina • Incumbent, Tony Monteiro • Stephanie Goncalves • Maria Medeiros-DaRassi • Daniel Nina • Michelle Velez-Jonte |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
