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Harlandale Independent School District elections (2015)
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Three seats on the Harlandale Independent School District Board of Trustees were up for general election on May 9, 2015.
In the District 5 race, incumbent Velma Ybarra faced two challengers: Cresencio Davila and Tomas Uresti. She was defeated by Uresti, who won a four-year term on the board. District 6 incumbent Anthony Alcoser did not file for re-election, and two challengers, Elizabeth Limon and Carlos Quezada, competed for his seat. Quezada won the election. Incumbent Jesse Alaniz lost the District 7 race to challenger Ricardo Moreno.[1][2]
Voters also considered a bond package worth $64.9 million, which was geared towards district-wide security, the replacement of two elementary schools and other ongoing projects in the district.[3]
About the district
Harlandale Independent School District is located in Bexar County, Texas. The county seat of Bexar County is San Antonio. Bexar County was home to an estimated 1,817,610 residents in 2013, according to the United States Census Bureau.[4] Harlandale Independent School District was the 76th-largest school district in Texas, serving 14,950 students during the 2011-2012 school year.[5]
Demographics
Bexar County underperformed in comparison to the rest of Texas in terms of higher education achievement in 2013. The United States Census Bureau found that 26.3 percent of Bexar County residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 26.7 percent for the state as a whole. The median household income in Bexar County was $50,112, compared to $51,900 statewide. The poverty rate in Bexar County was 17.6 percent, which was the same rate for the entire state.[4]
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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 Harlandale Board of Trustees consists of seven members elected by district to four-year terms. There was no primary election, and a general election took place on May 9, 2015. Three seats were on the ballot in May 2015.[7]
School board candidates submitted paperwork with the school district secretary by February 27, 2015. Each candidate must be at least 18 years old, a registered voter and a resident of the district for at least six months. Members filed two campaign finance reports with the district clerk prior to the election unless they did not receive or spend $500 during the campaign.[8]
Elections
2015
Candidates
District 5
- Velma Ybarra
- Incumbent
- Retired educator and administrator, Harlandale ISD
- Cresencio Davila
- Business development representative
- Tomas Uresti
- Legal assistant
District 6
- Elizabeth Limon
- Substitute teacher, Harlandale ISD
- Carlos Quezada
- 2014 judicial candidate, Bexar County Court at Law No. 9
- Graduate, Palo Alto College, St. Mary's University and Thurgood Marshall School of Law
- Attorney
District 7
- Jesse Alaniz
- Incumbent
- Retired business owner
- Ricardo Moreno
- Educator, South San Antonio ISD
Election results
District 5
| Harlandale Independent School District, District 5 General Election, 4-year term, 2015 |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Tomas Uresti |
39.2% | 248 | |
| Nonpartisan | Velma Ybarra Incumbent | 30.5% | 193 | |
| Nonpartisan | Cresencio Davila | 30.2% | 191 | |
| Total Votes | 632 | |||
| Source: Bexar County Clerk, "Joint City and School Election May 9, 2015: Official Results," accessed June 1, 2015 | ||||
District 6
| Harlandale Independent School District, District 6 General Election, 4-year term, 2015 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Carlos Quezada |
58.7% | 338 | |
| Nonpartisan | Elizabeth Limon | 41.3% | 238 | |
| Total Votes | 576 | |||
| Source: Bexar County Clerk, "Joint City and School Election May 9, 2015: Official Results," accessed June 1, 2015 | ||||
District 7
| Harlandale Independent School District, District 7 General Election, 4-year term, 2015 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Ricardo Moreno |
72.7% | 376 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jesse Alaniz Incumbent | 27.3% | 141 | |
| Total Votes | 517 | |||
| Source: Bexar County Clerk, "Joint City and School Election May 9, 2015: Official Results," accessed June 1, 2015 | ||||
Endorsements
Tomas Uresti, Carlos Quezada and Ricardo Moreno were endorsed by the San Antonio Express-News editorial board.[9] Quezada and Velma Ybarra were endorsed by the Stonewall Democrats of San Antonio.[10]
Campaign finance
No contributions or expenditures were reported as of April 9, 2015, according to the Texas Ethics Commission.[11] The next filing deadline was May 1, 2015.
Texas school board candidates and officeholders must file semiannual reports, which were due on January 15, 2015, and July 15, 2015. In addition, candidates in contested elections were required to file 30-day and 8-day pre-election reports, unless the candidate chose modified reporting.[8]
Candidates in contested elections who did not intend to exceed $500 in contributions or expenditures, excepting filing fees, were eligible for modified reporting. If they exceeded the threshold before the 30th day prior to the election, candidates were required to submit the 30- and 8-day reports. If they exceeded the threshold after the 30th day prior to the election, they were required to file a report within 48 hours of exceeding the threshold and participate in regular reporting for the rest of the election cycle.[12]
Past elections
Information about earlier elections can be found by clicking [show] at the right. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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2013
Note: District 2 candidate Christine Ann Carrillo ran unopposed and was elected by default.[13] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
What was at stake?
Issues in the district
2015 bond package
Also on the ballot in May, voters in Harlandale ISD were asked to consider a bond package worth $64.9 million. The package included $35.5 million for the replacement of two elementary schools in the district, $18.9 million for updates on various campuses, $4.5 million for district-wide security and $6.8 million towards new elementary classrooms and parking lots. This bond package will not increase the tax rate for taxpayers and homeowners.[3]
Backlash on superintendent departure
After Superintendent Robert Jaklich parted ways with Harlandale ISD in 2012, the board received criticism from community members and then-San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro. Jaklich, who came to the district in 2008, had been credited with turning the district around and restoring public trust after a scandal that sent a trustee to prison. Jaklich resigned from Harlandale ISD following reports that two then board members, Velma Ybarra and Jesse Alaniz, had given him the lowest possible ranking on an evaluation. Ybarra later released a statement that this was due to "high pregnancy rates and what she said were expected to be low test scores on the state's new STAAR test." According to trustee Tomás Uresti, a supporter of Jaklich, he had limited support from the majority on the board, the pressure from which led him to resign from Harlandale. Following his resignation, Castro spoke out publicly in dismay over the actions of Harlandale's board members. On his Facebook page, Castro stated that, "certain Harlandale trustees made a huge mistake in driving out Superintendent Robert Jaklich" and that he "[wondered] if they realized how badly they have shortchanged Harlandale's students.”[14][15]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the Harlandale Independent School District election in 2015:[8][16]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| December 29, 2014 | Deadline to post notice of candidate filing deadline |
| January 28, 2015 | First day to file for place on general election ballot |
| February 27, 2015 | Last day to file for place on general election ballot |
| March 4, 2015 | Last day to withdraw from ballot |
| March 10, 2015 | First day to apply for ballot by mail |
| April 9, 2015 | Last day for voter registration with county clerk |
| Campaign finance report due | |
| April 27, 2015 | First day of early voting |
| April 30, 2015 | Last day to apply for ballot by mail |
| May 1, 2015 | Campaign finance report due |
| May 5, 2015 | Last day of early voting |
| May 9, 2015 | Election Day |
| May 20, 2015 | Final day for canvassing of votes |
| July 15, 2015 | Campaign finance report due |
Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Texas elections, 2015
The election on May 9, 2015, shared the ballot with other municipal elections in Bexar County.
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Harlandale + Independent + School + District + Texas"
See also
| Harlandale Independent School District | Texas | School Boards |
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External links
- Harlandale Independent School District
- Bexar County Clerk
- Bexar County, Texas
- Texas Secretary of State
Footnotes
- ↑ Lauren Dixon, "Email correspondence with Marisa Ramirez, Administrative Assistant to the Assistant Superintendent of Business, Harlandale ISD," March 2, 2015
- ↑ Bexar County Clerk, "Joint City and School Board Election May 9, 2015: Unofficial Results," accessed May 9, 2015
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Harlandale Independent School District, "Bond 2015," accessed March 11, 2015
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 United States Census Bureau, "Bexar County, Texas," accessed February 11, 2015
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed May 5, 2014
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Bexar County," accessed December 31, 2014
- ↑ Harlandale Independent School District, "Board of Trustees," February 4, 2015
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Texas Ethics Commission, "2015 Filing Schedule for Elections Held on Uniform Election Dates," accessed January 21, 2015
- ↑ San Antonio Express-News, "Take the time to cast vote; here are our election picks," April 30, 2015
- ↑ Stonewall Democrats of San Antonio, "From Scott Meltzer, SAISD Board District 6 candidate," April 24, 2015
- ↑ Texas Ethics Commission, "Search Campaign Finance Reports," accessed April 10, 2015
- ↑ Texas Ethics Commission, "Campaign Finance Guide for Candidates and Officeholders Who File with Local Filing Authorities," September 1, 2013
- ↑ San Antonio Charter Moms, "School board elections 2013: Harlandale ISD," March 16, 2013
- ↑ My San Antonio, "Mayor slams Harlandale school board for superintendent departure," June 6, 2012
- ↑ My San Antonio, "Jaklich leaving Harlandale post for Victoria," June 1, 2012
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Important 2015 Election Dates," accessed January 20, 2015
| 2015 Harlandale Independent School District Elections | |
| Bexar County, Texas | |
| Election date: | May 9, 2015 |
| Candidates: | District 5: Incumbent, Velma Ybarra • Cresencio Davila • Tomas Uresti District 6: Elizabeth Limon • Carlos Quezada |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
