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Embroiled incumbents see differing outcomes in May 19 school board elections across five states

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May 21, 2015

By Margaret Koenig & Abbey Smith

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Incumbents saw mixed returns among the nation's largest school districts that held Tuesday elections in California, Idaho, New York and Oregon. Ongoing federal investigations, Common Core disputes and superintendent scandals hung over several incumbents, with some surviving the ballot better than others.

See also: Spotlight: Badly behaved incumbents see a variety of election outcomes

Meanwhile, 18 of Pennsylvania's largest school districts held partisan primaries to reduce the field of candidates for their general elections, which will be held November 3, 2015.

A full list of the general and primary election winners in these states may be found at the bottom of this page or by clicking here.

Stats by the state

California

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Just one of California's largest school districts, Los Angeles Unified School District, held elections on Tuesday to decide three seats that were not settled in the district's primary on March 3, 2015. District 1 incumbent George J. McKenna III ran unopposed in the primaries and, therefore, did not appear on the general election ballot. His fellow incumbents saw mixed outcomes in the general election. District 7 incumbent Richard A. Vladovic retained his seat. District 3 Tamar Galatzan was unseated by Scott Mark Schmerelson, and District 5 incumbent Bennett Kayser lost to challenger Ref Rodriguez. In total, the school board retained half of the incumbents up for election this year.[1][2]

Idaho

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Incumbents in six of Idaho's largest school districts lost at a rate of 44.44 percent in Tuesday's elections. Fourteen seats were up for election, and nine incumbents sought to retain their seats. Four of the five incumbents who were able to retain their seats were unopposed. Mike Vuittonet, the Zone 2 incumbent in West Ada School District, was the only Idaho incumbent to face and defeat a challenger. The other four incumbents who faced challengers were defeated. In total, nine challengers won seats on the Idaho boards.

New York

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Thirty-six seats on school boards in 14 of New York's largest school districts were up for election on Tuesday. A total of 22 incumbents and 34 challengers appeared across those ballots. Almost a third of the incumbents were defeated as seven were unseated by challengers. Meanwhile, 21 challengers will join these school boards on July 1, 2015, after successfully winning their respective races.

Wappingers Central School District at-large incumbent Ved Shravah was the most definitively defeated incumbent in these races, placing last in a field of six candidates for three seats on the board. Four other incumbents placed last in their at-large races against four challengers each. They were Pamela Freeman-Resch in Newburgh Enlarged City School District, Michael Donofrio in North Syracuse Central School District and Michael J. Isernia in Sachem Central School District.

Oregon

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In Oregon, 44 seats were up for election in 13 of the state's largest school districts. A total of 28 incumbents sought re-election in those races, most of them unopposed, while 88 challengers ran to fill open seats and to challenge sitting board members. In total, 18 challengers secured places in their respective races, and 26 incumbents retained their seats.

Only two incumbents in Oregon lost, one of them by less than a 1 percent margin: Medford School Board Position 5 incumbent Kim Wallan was just 66 votes shy of victorious challenger Michael Campbell. Bobbie Regan, the Zone 3 incumbent in Portland Public Schools, faced three challengers and finished in second place behind challenger Amy Carlsen Kohnstamm.

Pennsylvania

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Pennsylvania's largest school districts held primaries for their school boards on Tuesday, as well. The state, one of the few with widespread partisan school board elections, allows candidates to cross-file in more than one party's primary. A majority of the candidates in this year's primaries cross-filed to run in both the Republican and Democratic primaries. The number of candidates who advance from each primary to the general on November 3, 2015, equals the total number of seats up in a race.

Candidates could advance to the general election by winning in one or both primaries. Only three incumbents who ran for re-election failed to advance to the general election: at-large incumbent Basilio Bonilla in Bethlehem Area School District, Region 1 incumbent Jim Duffy in Central Bucks School District and Region 6 incumbent Tyler Tomlinson in Central Bucks School District.

A full list of the candidates who advanced to the general election may be viewed in the candidates section below.

Spotlight: Badly behaved incumbents see a variety of election outcomes

Eugene School District

See also: What was at stake in Eugene's 2015 school board election?
Eugene School District logo.gif

Eugene School Position 5 Director Jim Torrey was definitively victorious over his two challengers despite the recent attention to his role in the district's superintendent exit controversy. According to emails that are now public, the board allowed former Superintendent Sheldon Berman to craft his own exit plan so that he could evade a negative review. The district is currently in the middle of a lawsuit that it filed with the Register-Guard after deciding not to share email communication between the board and Berman.[3]

Torrey's opponents, Kevin Cronin and David Nickles, spoke out against the board's actions and were highly critical of Torrey's role in the matter. While Torrey has not publicly commented on his involvement with Berman's departure, he says the board has a "deep and abiding respect for Oregon’s public records and public meetings laws.”[4] Despite the controversy, Torrey won re-election with over 59 percent of votes cast in his favor.

Los Angeles Unified School District

See also: What was at stake in the Los Angeles Unified School District?
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The school district was mired in a number of conflicts during the election season, including a federal investigation into a $1.3 billion iPad program that was spearheaded by former superintendent John Deasy and ultimately canceled. Deasy stepped down from his position in October 2014, but the issues surrounding the investigation still influenced the election. Galatzan received a number of criticisms from both voters and her challengers for her support of Deasy while he was in office and for her support of the failed iPad program.[5]

Wappingers Central School District

See also: What was at stake in the Wappingers Central School District?

Two incumbents ran for re-election to their seats in the Wappingers Central School District election in New York, but only Robert Rubin retained his seat. Fellow incumbent Ved Shravah received the least amount of votes out of the six candidates running for the three seats on the ballot.[6] Shravah's candidacy was publicly supported with a number of letters to the editor in the Poughkeepsie Journal, but that did not erase the fact that a petition to remove him from office had been started by citizens of the district in December 2014 on the grounds of conflict of interest. The petition collected only 33 signatures, but its existence added to the negative remnants from Shravah's last re-election bid in 2014.[7][8]

Wappingers Central School District seal.png

The election had been divisive, including personal attacks and two camps of candidates pitted against each other: those supported by the teachers union and those supported by anti-Common Core groups. Shravah was supported by the teachers union at the time, as were all five candidates who won that year, but the anti-Common Core movement gained traction during the 2014-2015 school year, resulting in 40 percent of students in the district opting out of the state's English and language arts assessments in the spring of 2015. In 2014, only 6 percent of students opted out of the same test.[9][10]

Candidates

Note: An (i) next to a candidate's name indicates incumbent status.

California

Los Angeles Unified School District

District 3
Tamar Galatzan (i)
Scott Mark Schmerelson

District 5
Bennett Kayser (i)
Ref Rodriguez

District 7
Richard A. Vladovic (i)
Lydia Gutierrez

Idaho

Bonneville Joint
School District No. 93

Zone 1
Gregory Calder
Katie Davenport
Zone 4
Paul Jenkins

Coeur d'Alene Public Schools
Zone 2
Casey Morrisroe
Zone 3
Terri Seymour (i)
Tambra Pickford

Idaho Falls School District 91
Zone 3
Lisa Burtenshaw (i)
Zone 4
Larry Haws (i)
Zone 5
Deidre Warden

Pocatello-Chubbuck
School District No. 25

Zone 3
Jim Facer (i)
Zone 4
Paul Vitale (i)

West Ada School District
Zone 2
Mike Vuittonet (i)
Christine Bitler Whited
Zone 4
Anne Ritter (i)
Julie Madsen
Zone 5
Gregory Deitchler
Rosemary Demond
Russell Joki
Louis Pifher

Nampa School District
Zone 1
Jocabed Veloz (i)
Mandy Simpson
Jac Webb
Zone 2
Daren Coon (i)
Isaac B. Moffett
Janelle Stauffer

New York

Brentwood Union Free School District
Seat 5
Gail Kirkham (i)
Ricardo Gomez
Seat 6
Keith Allison (i)
Daniel Calderon
Seat 7
Eileen Felix

Greece Central School District
At-Large
Joe Grinnan (i)
Richard Cunningham
Emmy Thevanesan

Half Hollow Hills Central School District
At-Large
Stephanie Gurin
Adam Kleinberg
Scott McElhiney
Adrian Montalvo

Middle Country Central School District
Seat 7
Arlene Barresi (i)
Seat 8
Karen J. Lessler (i)
Seat 9
James H. Macomber (i)

Newburgh Enlarged City School District
At-Large
Pamela Freeman-Resch (i)
Philip Howard (i)
Joseph J. Minuta
Gregory Phillips
Debra E. Zambito

New Rochelle School District
At-Large
Lianne Merchant (i)
Maddali Paci Atallah
Vincent J. Malfetano

North Syracuse Central School District
At-Large
Michael Donofrio (i)
George Harrington (i)
Paul Farfaglia
Michael Leone
Michael Shusda 1-year term

Sachem Central School District
At-Large
Michael J. Isernia (i)
Robert Scavo (i)
Kelli Burnham
William A. Coggin
Laura Slattery

Schenectady City School District
At-Large
John J. Foley (i)
Mark E. Snyder

Shenendehowa Central School District
At-Large
Robert Pressly (i)
Samuel H. Hazleton V
Christina Rajotte
Kerensa Rybak

Smithtown Central School District
Seat 6
Christopher Alcure (i)
Seat 7
Jeremy Thode
Maryrose Rafferty

Utica City School District
At-Large
Evon Ervin (i)

Wappingers Central School District
At-Large
Robert Rubin (i)
Ved Shravah (i)
Deborah Torres Henning
Karen Mauhs Karath
Anne LaValle
Babu Munusamy

Williamsville Central School District
At-Large
Michael Littman (i)
Jay Smith (i)
Toni Vazquez (i)
Sam Alba
Robert Campo
Shawn P. Lemay
Mark Mecca

Oregon

Beaverton School District
Zone 3
Melissa Potter
Eric Simpson
Zone 6
John Somoza
Becky Tymchuk
Daniel Vazquez
Zone 7
Linda Degman (i)
Andrew Beach

Bend-La Pine Schools
Zone 3
Andy High (i)
Zone 4
Stuart Young (i)
Zone 5
Ron Gallinat (i)
At-Large Zone 6
Peggy Kinkade (i)

David Douglas School District
Position 4
Bryce Anderson (i)
Position 5
Kyle Riggs (i)
Position 7
Frieda Christopher (i)

Eugene School District
Position 1
Alicia Hays (i)
Lisa Christon Write-in candidate
Position 4
Scott Landgreen
Eileen Nittler
John Baumann
Position 5
Jim Torrey (i)
Kevin Cronin
David Nickles
Position 7
Mary Walston (i)
Colin Farnsworth

Gresham-Barlow School District
Position 1
Kathy Ruthruff (i)
Position 2
Kris Howatt (i)
Position 6
Sharon Garner (i)
Position 7
John Hartsock

Hillsboro School District
Position 4
Kim Strelchun (i)
Christian Honl
Tim Reeves
Position 5
Lisa Allen
Christopher Barry
Bart Rask
Position 7
Wayne Clift (i)
Jaime Rodriguez

Medford School District
Position 4
Karen Starchvick
Position 5
Michael Campbell
Kim Wallan (i)
Position 6
Curt Ankerberg
Janet Lightheart
Position 7
Lilia Caballero
Kevin Christiansen
Don Libby

North Clackamas School District
Position 1
Rein Vaga (i)
Position 2
Lee Merrick
Position 3
Trisha Claxton (i)
Timothy McMenamin
Position 7
Steven Schroedl

Portland Public Schools
Zone 1
Julie Esparza Brown
Andrew Davidson
Zone 2
Paul Anthony
José González
Emma Russac Williams
John Sweeney
Zone 3
Bobbie Regan (i)
Amy Carlsen Kohnstamm
Gretchen Hollands
Wes Soderback
Zone 7
Mike Rosen

Reynolds School District
Position 1
Diane Whitehead (i)
Position 5
Tamara Schaffner (i)
Position 6
Dane Nickerson (i)
Position 7
Bruce McCain (i)

Salem-Keizer Public Schools
Zone 2
Marty Heyen
Vilma Chan Vasquez
Zone 4
Jim Green (i)
Zone 6
Chuck Lee
Timothy Moles

Springfield School District
Position 1
Laurie Adams (i)
Position 4
Sandra Boyst (i)

Tigard-Tualatin School District
Position 2
Terri Burnette
Position 4
Jill Zurschmeide (i)

Pennsylvania primaries

The following candidates advanced from the primaries to the general election on November 3, 2015. This symbol, Cross filed Republican Party/Democratic Party, indicates a candidate who won both the Republican and Democratic primaries in a district. A pure red dot, Republican Party, or a pure blue dot, Democratic Party, indicates a candidate who won in just one primary. While Pennsylvania allows school board candidates to cross-file, not every candidate filed to run in both party primaries.

Allentown City School District
At-large
Cross filed Republican Party/Democratic Party Ce-Ce Gerlach (i)
Cross filed Republican Party/Democratic Party Robert Smith (i)
Cross filed Republican Party/Democratic Party Charlie Thiel (i)
Democratic Party Elizabeth Martinez
Democratic Party Audrey Mathison
Republican Party Mark Smith (i)
Republican Party Scott Armstrong (i)

Bethlehem Area School District
Region 2
Cross filed Republican Party/Democratic Party Craig Neiman (i)
Region 3
Cross filed Republican Party/Democratic Party Eugene McKeon (i)
At-large
Cross filed Republican Party/Democratic Party Dean Donaher
Cross filed Republican Party/Democratic Party Thomas Thomasik
Cross filed Republican Party/Democratic Party Dan Treffinger
Democratic Party Karen Beck Pooley

Central Bucks School District
Region 1
Cross filed Republican Party/Democratic Party Karen Smith
Region 2
Cross filed Republican Party/Democratic Party Dennis Weldon
Region 3
Republican Party Glenn Schoeffel
Democratic Party Phyllis Melendez
Region 6
Cross filed Republican Party/Democratic Party Sharon Collopy
Region 8
Cross filed Republican Party/Democratic Party Beth Darcy

Central Dauphin School District
Region 1
Four-year term
Cross filed Republican Party/Democratic Party Bill Roberts (i)
Two-year term
Cross filed Republican Party/Democratic Party Jeanne Webster (i)
Region 2
Cross filed Republican Party/Democratic Party Linda Dallago
Cross filed Republican Party/Democratic Party Cara Fickes
Region 3
Cross filed Republican Party/Democratic Party Stephen Smith (i)
Cross filed Republican Party/Democratic Party Ford S. Thompson (i)

Council Rock School District
Region 1
Cross filed Republican Party/Democratic Party Bill Foster (i)
Region 2
Cross filed Republican Party/Democratic Party Edward Tate
Region 4
Republican Party Wendi Thomas (i)
Democratic Party Richard Wilkinson
Region 5
Republican Party Jerold S. Grupp (i)
Democratic Party Leslie Rothberg
Region 7
Republican Party Michael Thorwart
Democratic Party Michelle Held

Downingtown Area School District
Region 1
Cross filed Republican Party/Democratic Party Jackie Fenn (i)
Region 3
Cross filed Republican Party/Democratic Party Carl K. Kroft (i)
Region 5
Cross filed Republican Party/Democratic Party Colleen Cranney (i)
Region 7
Cross filed Republican Party/Democratic Party Jane S. Bertone (i)
Region 9
Cross filed Republican Party/Democratic Party Jamie Mehler (i)

Erie City School District
At-large
Cross filed Republican Party/Democratic Party Linda Aleksandrowicz (i)
Cross filed Republican Party/Democratic Party Robert S. Casillo (i)
Cross filed Republican Party/Democratic Party Robbie Fabrizi (i)
Cross filed Republican Party/Democratic Party John C. Harkins (i)
Cross filed Republican Party/Democratic Party Frank Petrungar Jr. (i)

Hazleton Area School District
At-large
Cross filed Republican Party/Democratic Party Tony Bonomo (i)
Cross filed Republican Party/Democratic Party Bob Fiume
Cross filed Republican Party/Democratic Party Marie Kay
Cross filed Republican Party/Democratic Party Vincent Zola
Republican Party Jackie Scarcella
Democratic Party Carmella Yenkevich

Lancaster School District
At-large
Democratic Party Randolph Carney (i)
Democratic Party Stacey Marten (i)
Democratic Party Linda Owens (i)
Democratic Party Candace Roper (i)
Democratic Party Cheryl Desmond

North Penn School District
At-large
Republican Party Cory Brown (i)
Republican Party John Schilling (i)
Republican Party Edward Diasio
Republican Party Patrick McGee Jr.
Republican Party Theresa Prykowski
Democratic Party Suzan Leonard (i)
Democratic Party Carolyn Murphy (i)
Democratic Party Beverly Dodds
Democratic Party Benjamin Litman
Democratic Party Tina Stoll

Parkland School District
At-large
Cross filed Republican Party/Democratic Party Lisa Adams (i)
Cross filed Republican Party/Democratic Party David Kennedy (i)
Cross filed Republican Party/Democratic Party Carol Facchiano
Republican Party Jef Reyburn (i)
Republican Party Martin Brans
Democratic Party Bob Bold (i)
Democratic Party Rochell Figueroa

Pennsbury School District
Region 1
Republican Party Carla Neubaum
Democratic Party T.R. Kannan
Region 2
Cross filed Republican Party/Democratic Party Jacqueline Redner (i)
Cross filed Republican Party/Democratic Party John Palmer (i)
Cross filed Republican Party/Democratic Party Gary Sanderson (i)
Region 3
Four-year term
Republican Party Annette Dearolf
Democratic Party Kim Hilty
Two-year term
Republican Party Allan Weisel
Democratic Party Christian Schwartz

Pittsburgh School District
District 2
Cross filed Republican Party/Democratic Party Regina B. Holley (i)
District 4
Cross filed Republican Party/Democratic Party Lynda Wrenn
District 6
Cross filed Republican Party/Democratic Party Moira B. Kaleida
District 8
Democratic Party Kevin L. Carter
Republican Party Rosemary Moriarty

Pocono Mountain School District
Region 1
Cross filed Republican Party/Democratic Party Eddie Coover
Region 2
Cross filed Republican Party/Democratic Party Rusty Johnson (i)
Region 3 (two seats)
Cross filed Republican Party/Democratic Party John Davis (i)
Cross filed Republican Party/Democratic Party Jacquelyn Leonard (i)

Reading School District
Four-year terms
Cross filed Republican Party/Democratic Party Brian Buerke
Cross filed Republican Party/Democratic Party Jean Kelleher
Democratic Party Bernardo Carbajal (i)
Democratic Party Abraham J. Cepeda (i)
Democratic Party Julio Martinez
Republican Party William Cinfici
Republican Party Lydia Colon

Two-year term
Cross filed Republican Party/Democratic Party David McCoy

Scranton School District
Cross filed Republican Party/Democratic Party Paul Duffy (i)
Cross filed Republican Party/Democratic Party Carol Owens Oleski (i)
Cross filed Republican Party/Democratic Party Tom Schuster
Democratic Party Bob Lesh
Democratic Party James Timlin
Republican Party Greg Popil
Republican Party Larry Wynne

Upper Darby School District
Cross filed Republican Party/Democratic Party Judith Gentile (i)
Democratic Party Alfred Achtert Jr.
Democratic Party Heather Boyd
Democratic Party Edward Brown
Democratic Party Saheed Sims
Republican Party Kenneth P. Rucci (i)
Republican Party Ronald Berry
Republican Party Brian M. Dietzler
Republican Party Lee A. Jordan

West Chester Area School District
Region 1
Democratic Party Sue Tiernan (i)
Democratic Party Kate Shaw
Republican Party Debra Maccariella
Republican Party Vince Paul

Region 2
Democratic Party Samantha Bloom
Democratic Party Matthew Morley
Republican Party Karen Herrman
Republican Party Christopher Tabakin

Region 3
Democratic Party Gary Bevilacqua (i)
Republican Party Matthew Illich

See also

Footnotes