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Ferguson-Florissant School District elections (2017)
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Three seats on the Ferguson-Florissant School District school board were up for at-large general election on April 4, 2017. In their bids for re-election, board incumbents Donna Paulette-Thurman and Robert Chabot faced Jessica Ponder and former candidates Roger Hines and Donna Dameron. Paulette-Thurman, Ponder, and Chabot won the election.[1][2]
Former challenger Raychel Proudie originally filed for this race but later withdrew her candidacy.
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The Ferguson-Florissant school board is composed of seven at-large members serving three-year terms. Three seats were up for election in 2014 and two seats were up for election in both 2015 and 2016. The general election was held on April 4, 2017.
Missouri school board candidates had to be at least 24 years old, U.S. citizens, and Missouri residents for one year preceding the school board election. They were also required to physically reside in the district for which they ran.
To get on the ballot, candidates had to file a declaration of intent in person and in writing by January 17, 2017. Candidates also had to sign a statement that acknowledged their receipt of both a notice of their obligation to file a personal financial disclosure statement and a copy of the summary of laws from the Missouri Ethics Commission. Write-in candidates were allowed. The terms of candidates elected in the race began on April 18, 2017.[3]
To vote in Missouri, one had to be 18 years old, a U.S. citizen, and a Missouri resident. Voters in Missouri had to present identification at the polls. Valid forms of identification included the following: a driver's license or state-issued ID card, a U.S. passport, or a copy of a utility bill, bank statement, or paycheck. In order to vote in this election, voters had to register to vote by March 8, 2017.[4]
- See also: Voting in Missouri and Voter identification laws by state
Candidates and results
At-large
Results
| Ferguson-Florissant School District, At-Large General Election, 3-year terms, 2017 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Donna Paulette-Thurman Incumbent |
27.95% | 5,572 |
| Jessica Ponder |
26.09% | 5,201 |
| Robert Chabot Incumbent |
22.17% | 4,420 |
| Roger Hines | 10.44% | 2,081 |
| Donna Dameron | 7.31% | 1,458 |
| Raychel Proudie | 5.56% | 1,108 |
| Write-in votes | 0.49% | 98 |
| Total Votes | 19,938 | |
| Source: St. Louis County, "Summary Report - General Municipal Election," accessed May 24, 2017 | ||
Candidates
| Donna Paulette-Thurman | Robert Chabot | Jessica Ponder | |||
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| Roger Hines | Donna Dameron | ||
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Missouri elections, 2017
The Ferguson-Florissant school board election shared the ballot with Proposition P, which asked county voters to approve a one-half percent sales tax in order to provide funding to improve police and public safety.[5]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for this Missouri election in 2017:[4]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| January 17, 2017 | Last day to file nominating petitions |
| March 8, 2017 | Last day to register to vote |
| April 4, 2017 | General election day |
| April 18, 2017 | Latest day new terms of office begin |
Endorsements
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
School board candidates in Missouri were only required to file campaign finance reports if they spent or received more than $500, or if a single contributor other than the candidate gave more than $350 to the campaign. Exempt candidates had to file a sworn exemption statement stating they did not intend to exceed the $500 threshold limit.
If, after filing the exemption statement, a candidate exceeded the limit, he or she would have had to file a rejection of the exemption statement and a statement of organization. At that point, the candidate would have had to file reports of all contributions and expenditures.[6]
There were four campaign finance deadlines in 2017:[7]
- The 40 Day Before Report was due February 23, 2017,
- The committee organization deadline was due March 5, 2017,
- The 8 Day Before Report was due March 27, 2017, and
- The 30 Day After Report was due May 4, 2017.
What was at stake?
Report a story for this election
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About the district
Ferguson-Florissant School District is located in east-central Missouri in St. Louis County. The county seat is Clayton. St. Louis County was home to 1,003,362 residents between 2010 and 2015, according to the United States Census Bureau. The district was the 18th-largest school district in the state in the 2014-2015 school year and served 11,466 students.[8][9]
Demographics
St. Louis County outperformed Missouri as a whole in terms of higher education achievement from 2011 to 2015. The United States Census Bureau found that 41.6 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree or higher, compared to 27.1 percent for the state as a whole. The median household income in the county was $59,755, compared to $48,173 for the entire state. County residents lived below the poverty level at a rate of 10.3 percent, while that rate was 14.8 percent for the state as a whole.[9]
| Racial Demographics, 2015[9] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | St. Louis County (%) | Missouri (%) |
| White | 69.5 | 83.3 |
| Black or African American | 24.1 | 11.8 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.2 | 0.6 |
| Asian | 4.2 | 2.0 |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0.0 | 0.1 |
| Two or More Races | 2.0 | 2.2 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 2.8 | 4.1 |
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 Ferguson-Florissant School District Missouri election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Ferguson-Florissant School District | Missouri | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Elisabeth Moore, "Email conversation with Heike Janis," January 18, 2017
- ↑ St. Louis County, "Summary Report - General Municipal Election," accessed April 4, 2017 These election results are unofficial and will be updated after official vote totals are made available.
- ↑ Missouri School Boards' Association, "A Candidate’s Guide to Running for the School Board," accessed February 20, 2017
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Missouri Secretary of State, "2017 Missouri Election Calendar," accessed February 20, 2017
- ↑ St. Louis County, "April 2017 Election-Issues & Candidates," accessed February 27, 2017
- ↑ Missouri General Assembly, "Missouri Revised Statutes, Chapter 130, Campaign Finance Disclosure Law," accessed March 6, 2017
- ↑ Missouri Ethics Commission, "2017 Campaign Finance Filing Requirements and Dates," accessed March 6, 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
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 United States Census Bureau, "St. Louis County, Missouri," accessed February 22, 2017
| Ferguson-Florissant School District elections in 2017 | |
| St. Louis County, Missouri | |
| Election date: | April 4, 2017 |
| Candidates: | At-Large: Incumbent, Donna Paulette-Thurman • Incumbent, Robert Chabot • Jessica Ponder • Roger Hines • Donna Dameron |
| Important information: | What was at stake? |
