Hamblen County Schools elections (2016)
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Three of the seven seats on the Hamblen County Schools Board of Education were up for by-district general election on August 4, 2016.[1] Incumbents Joe Gibson Jr. and Jim Grigsby ran unopposed and won the seats representing Districts 3 and 4 and 13 and 14, respectively. In the race for the seat representing Districts 7 and 8, incumbent Roger Greene defeated challenger Richard Tuttle to win another term.[2][3][4]
Though only one seat was contested in this race, the district's 2016 election had fewer unopposed seats and attracted more candidates per seat than its 2014 election. To see how this race compared to past elections in both the district and the state, check out the "Election trends" section below.
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The Hamblen County Board of Education consists of seven members elected by district to four-year terms. Elections are held on a staggered basis every August of even-numbered years. Four seats representing Districts 1 and 2, 5 and 6, 9 and 10, and 11 and 12 were up for election on August 7, 2014, and three seats representing Districts 3 and 4, 7 and 8, and 13 and 14 were up for general election on August 4, 2016. There was no primary election.[5][6]
To get on the ballot, school board candidates had to file their qualifying documents by April 7, 2016. The deadline to withdraw from the election was April 14, 2016.[1]
To vote in this election, residents of the district had to register by July 5, 2016.[1] Photo identification was required to vote in this election.[7]
Candidates and results
Districts 3 & 4
Results
| Hamblen County Schools, Districts 3 & 4 General Election, 4-Year Term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Joe Gibson Jr. Incumbent (unopposed) |
98.65% | 292 |
| Write-in votes | 1.35% | 4 |
| Total Votes | 296 | |
| Source: Hamblen County Election Commission, "August 4, 2016 Election Results," accessed August 5, 2016 | ||
Candidates
Joe Gibson Jr. 
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Districts 7 & 8
Results
| Hamblen County Schools, Districts 7 & 8 General Election, 4-Year Term, 2016 |
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|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Roger Greene Incumbent |
76.76% | 664 |
| Richard Tuttle | 23.24% | 201 |
| Total Votes | 865 | |
| Source: Hamblen County Election Commission, "August 4, 2016 Election Results," accessed August 5, 2016 | ||
Candidates
| Roger Greene
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Richard Tuttle | ||
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Districts 13 & 14
Results
| Hamblen County Schools, Districts 13 & 14 General Election, 4-Year Term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Jim Grigsby Incumbent (unopposed) |
99.06% | 423 |
| Write-in votes | 0.94% | 4 |
| Total Votes | 427 | |
| Source: Hamblen County Election Commission, "August 4, 2016 Election Results," accessed August 5, 2016 | ||
Candidates
| Jim Grigsby
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Tennessee elections, 2016
The Hamblen County Schools election shared the ballot with the state's primary election for seats on the Tennessee State Senate and the Tennessee House of Representatives as well as the Hamblen County general election for county offices.[8]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for Tennessee school board elections in 2016:[1]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| April 7, 2016 | Candidate filing deadline |
| April 11, 2016 | 1st quarter campaign finance report due |
| April 14, 2016 | Candidate withdrawal deadline |
| July 5, 2016 | Voter registration deadline |
| July 11, 2016 | 2nd quarter campaign finance report due |
| July 15, 2016 - July 30, 2016 | Early voting period |
| July 28, 2016 | Pre-election campaign finance report due |
| August 4, 2016 | Election day |
| October 11, 2016 | 3rd quarter campaign finance report due |
| January 25, 2017 | 4th quarter campaign finance report due |
Endorsements
No candidates received official endorsements in the election.
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
The pre-general campaign financial disclosure report for this election was due July 28, 2016. Candidates were also required to file quarterly reports for the 2016 election year. Those reports were due on April 11, 2016; July 11, 2016; October 11, 2016; and January 25, 2017.[1]
The Hamblen County Election Commission did not publish school board campaign finance reports online for this election. Ballotpedia staff directly requested this information, but the county did not provide it.
Past elections
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What was at stake?
2016
Election trends
- See also: School board elections, 2014
Hamblen County's 2016 school board race attracted more candidates per seat than the district's 2014 election, and it had a lower percentage of unopposed seats. Two of the three seats on the ballot in 2016 were unopposed. In 2014, 100 percent of the seats were unopposed. The 2014 race attracted one candidate for each seat; in 2016, an average of 1.33 candidates ran per seat. Overall in 2014, an average of 1.94 candidates ran per seat in Tennessee's largest school districts, and 36.78 percent of school board seats were unopposed.
One new member had the chance to be elected to the Hamblen County Board of Education in 2016. Though all three incumbents ran to retain their seats, a candidate filed to challenge one of them. The challenger could not defeat the incumbent, however, so incumbents experienced a 100 percent success rate. The district added one new school board member in 2014, accounting for 25 percent of the seats up for election. That newcomer won an open seat. Statewide in 2014, newcomers took 45.98 percent of school board seats on the ballot.
At least two incumbents won re-election in the district's 2016 race, guaranteeing a retention rate of at least 66.67 percent. District incumbents in 2014 saw a 100 percent re-election rate. Statewide, 75.41 percent of incumbents won re-election in 2014.
Issues in the state
Transgender bathroom bill withdrawn
State Rep. Susan Lynn (R-57) proposed legislation in January 2016 that would require public school students in kindergarten through college to use the bathroom and locker room that corresponded with the sex listed on their birth certificates. Four months later, she withdrew the bill. "I am still absolutely 100 percent in support of maintaining the privacy of all students. But I'm going to roll the bill over until next year so we can work on those issues," Lynn said.[9][10]
House Bill 2414 drew criticism from local media and some companies threatened to withhold business from the state if the bill were passed. Lynn said that was not why she withdrew the bill; instead, she put it on hold in order to further study the issue. She said school districts in Tennessee were "largely following what the bill says."[9][11]
While HB 2414 was still in committee, Gov. Bill Haslam (R) expressed concern about the bill. “I’m hearing that our school boards have figured out how to adjust to each situation that arises, and to date, I’m not hearing parents say we have [a] problem in our schools today,” said Haslam.[12]
State Reps. Mike Stewart (D-52) and Harry Brooks (R-19) asked for an opinion on the issue from Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery (R). Slatery responded by warning that the state could lose federal Title IX funding if the bill were passed.[13]
| “ | As things currently stand, we must, as a practical matter, assume that H.B. 2414 would violate Title IX, because the enforcer of Title IX has clearly interpreted — and enforced — Title IX to prohibit as 'discriminatory on the basis of sex' what H.B. 2414 is designed to accomplish.[14] | ” |
| —Attorney General Herbert Slatery (April 2016)[13] | ||
Stewart said Slatery's opinion was the "final nail in the coffin" for the bill. He and State Rep. John Ray Clemmons (D-55) said the bill could also hinder the state's goal of creating a business-friendly climate.[13] Executives of dozens of companies had signed a letter to state lawmakers asking them to reject the bill on the grounds that it was discriminatory.[15]
David Fowler, former state senator and president of the Family Action Council of Tennessee, objected to Slatery's opinion. He said the attorney general had used settlement agreements rather than court decisions to warn the state legislature away from passing the bill. "Settlement agreements have no persuasive value as a matter of law, unlike the court decisions that have actually ruled in favor of sex-designated bathrooms," Fowler said.[13]
After the bill was withdrawn, Fowler issued a statement:
| “ | But we join the thousands of parents across the state who are profoundly disappointed that at this point in the process Rep. Lynn has decided not to proceed with a bill that would have simply protected the privacy of the children they have entrusted to our public schools.[14] | ” |
| —David Fowler (April 2016)[9] | ||
In addition to receiving support from the Family Action Council of Tennessee, the bill was backed by approximately 30 pastors from the Tennessee Pastors Network. At least 67,000 state citizens opposed the bill, as two transgender high school students turned in that many signatures to the governor's office. They were joined by the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee, the Tennessee Equality Project, the Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition, and the Human Rights Campaign.[9]
Candidate survey
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About the district
- See also: Hamblen County Schools, Tennessee
The Hamblen County school district is located in Hamblen County in eastern Tennessee. The county seat is Morristown. Hamblen County was home to 63,402 residents in 2015, according to the United States Census Bureau.[16] The district was the 19th-largest school district in the state in the 2013–2014 school year and served 10,212 students.[17]
Demographics
Hamblen County underperformed compared to Tennessee as a whole in terms of higher education achievement from 2010 to 2014. The United States Census Bureau found that 16.1 percent of Hamblen County residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 24.4 percent of state residents. The median household income in Hamblen County was $38,600, compared to $44,621 for the entire state. The poverty rate was 23.4 percent, compared to 18.3 percent statewide.[16]
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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.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Hamblen County Schools' 'Tennessee'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Hamblen County Schools | Tennessee | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Tennessee Secretary of State, "Election Calendar 2016," accessed March 30, 2016
- ↑ Abbey Smith, "Phone communication with the Hamblen County Election Commission," April 11, 2016
- ↑ Hamblen County Schools, "Board Members," accessed April 11, 2016
- ↑ Hamblen County Election Commission, "August 4, 2016 Election Results," accessed August 5, 2016
- ↑ Tiffany Rouse, "Email communication with Hamblen County Administrator of Elections Jeff Gardner," March 11, 2015
- ↑ Hamblen County Department of Education, "Information About Our School Board," accessed March 30, 2016
- ↑ Tennessee Secretary of State, "What ID is required when voting?" accessed March 30, 2016
- ↑ Hamblen County Election Commission, "Election Commission," accessed April 14, 2016
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 The Tennesseean, "Transgender bathroom bill dead for year," April 18, 2016
- ↑ Open States, "HB 2414," accessed April 19, 2016
- ↑ Knoxville News Sentinel, "Tennessee lawmakers should stay out of students’ restrooms," April 3, 2016
- ↑ Huffington Post, "Tennessee Governor Skeptical Of Anti-Transgender Bathroom Bill," April 13, 2016
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 The Tennesseean, "Attorney general: Tennessee bathroom bill threatens Title IX funds," April 11, 2016
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ CBS News, "Tennessee lawmakers under fire over transgender bathroom bill," April 13, 2016
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 United States Census Bureau, "Hamblen County, Tennessee," accessed April 7, 2016
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed November 16, 2015
- ↑ Tennessee Secretary of State, "Election Results," accessed July 7, 2014
| 2016 Hamblen County Schools Elections | |
| Hamblen County, Tennessee | |
| Election date: | August 4, 2016 |
| Candidates: | Districts 3 & 4: • Incumbent, Joe Gibson Jr. Districts 7 & 8: • Incumbent, Roger Greene • Richard Tuttle Districts 13 & 14: • Incumbent, Jim Grigsby |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
