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Fort Smith Public Schools elections (2015)
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Three seats on the Fort Smith Public Schools Board of Education were up for general election on September 15, 2015.
In the Zone 1, Position 6 race, incumbent Russell Owen lost against challenger Wade Gilkey. In the At-large Position 4 race, Bill Hanesworth defeated incumbent Rick Wade Jr. Zone 4, Position 3 incumbent Yvonne Keaton-Martin won re-election without opposition.[1]
About the district
- See also: Fort Smith Public Schools, Arkansas
Fort Smith Public Schools is located in Sebastian County in western Arkansas. The county seat of Sebastian County is Fort Smith. Sebastian County was home to 126,776 residents in 2014, according to the United States Census Bureau.[2] Fort Smith Public Schools was the sixth-largest school district in Arkansas, serving 14,374 students during the 2012-2013 school year.[3]
Demographics
Sebastian County underperformed in comparison to the rest of Arkansas in terms of higher education achievement in 2013. The United States Census Bureau found that 18.7 percent of Sebastian County residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree compared to 19.8 percent for Arkansas as a whole. The median household income in Sebastian County was $40,247 compared to $40,531 for the state of Arkansas. The poverty rate in Sebastian County was 20.5 percent compared to 18.7 percent for the entire state.[2]
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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 Fort Smith school board consists of seven members elected to three-year terms. Four members are elected by geographic electoral districts and three members are elected at large. There was no primary election, and the general election was held on September 15, 2015. Three seats were on the ballot in 2015.[5]
Individuals interested in running for the board began filing for candidacy on June 7, 2015. The filing deadline for the 2015 general election was July 7, 2015. Each candidate had to file a petition of candidacy, political practices pledge, affidavit of eligibility and nomination petitions with at least 20 valid signatures to the county clerk.[6]
Elections
2015
Candidates
Zone 1, Position 6
| Russell Owen | Wade Gilkey 
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Zone 4, Position 3
| Yvonne Keaton-Martin
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At-large Position 4
| Rick Wade Jr. | Bill Hanesworth
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Election results
Zone 1, Position 6
This election was held September 15, 2015.
| Fort Smith Public Schools, Zone 1, Position 6, General Election, 2015 | ||
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Russell Owen Incumbent | 24.7% | 295 |
 Wade Gilkey |
75.3% | 900 |
| Total Votes (100% of precincts reporting) | 1,195 | |
| Source: Sebastian County Clerk, "Sebastian County Election Results," accessed September 15, 2015 | ||
Zone 4, Position 3
This election was held September 15, 2015.
| Fort Smith Public Schools, Zone 4, Position 3, General Election, 2015 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Yvonne Keaton-Martin Incumbent |
100.0% | 177 |
| Total Votes (100% of precincts reporting) | 177 | |
| Source: Sebastian County Clerk, "Sebastian County Election Results," accessed September 15, 2015 | ||
At-large Position 4
This election was held September 15, 2015.
| Fort Smith Public Schools, At-large Position 4, General Election, 2015 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Rick Wade Jr. Incumbent | 28.5% | 928 |
| Bill Hanesworth |
71.5% | 2,333 |
| Total Votes (100% of precincts reporting) | 3,261 | |
| Source: Sebastian County Clerk, "Sebastian County Election Results," accessed September 15, 2015 | ||
Endorsements
No endorsements were made in this election.
Past elections
Information about earlier elections can be found by clicking [show] at the right. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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2014
2013
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Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the Fort Smith Public Schools election in 2015:[7]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| June 7, 2015 | First day to file for place on general election ballot |
| July 7, 2015 | Last day to file for place on general election ballot |
| Last day for write-in candidates to file | |
| September 15, 2015 | General election day |
Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Arkansas elections, 2015
This election shared the ballot with a proposed millage rate increase to fund district school improvements. The millage rate increase was approved with 57 percent of the vote.[8]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Fort Smith Public Schools Arkansas. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Fort Smith Public Schools | Arkansas | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Lauren Dixon, "Email communication with Suzanne Morgan, Sebastian County Election Coordinator," July 20, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 United States Census Bureau, "Sebastian County, Arkansas," accessed July 17, 2014
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed April 12, 2015
- ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, "Election Results," accessed July 17, 2014
- ↑ Fort Smith Public Schools, "Fort Smith Public Schools Board of Education," accessed August 12, 2015
- ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, "2015 Annual School Board Election Dates," accessed August 12, 2015
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs nameddeadlines - ↑ Sebastian County County Clerk, "2015 School Election," September 15, 2015
