Huntsville runoff, Alaskan general school board elections on Tuesday
October 2, 2014
While two of Alaska's three largest school districts will be holding elections on October 7, 2014, only one has contested races for voters to decide. Across the country in Alabama, the District 3 seat on the Huntsville City Schools Board of Education will be decided in a runoff election.
The Fairbanks North Star Borough School District Board of Education has three seats up for election this year, but only two will require voters to cast ballots. Incumbent John Thies is running against Michael O’Brien for Seat E, and newcomer Denis Gardella is challenging incumbent Wendy Charmaine Dominique for Seat G. The third seat, Seat F, is held by incumbent Sean Rice, who is running unopposed to retain it.
The Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District Board of Education will see no contested races in this year's general election. Incumbents R. "Ole" Larson and Tiffany R. Scott are running unopposed for re-election to seats D and E, respectively.
Spotlight: Huntsville City Schools
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| Education policy is a major issue in Alabama. To learn more, see "Public education in Alabama." |
The general election on August 26, 2014, left one seat undecided on the Huntsville City Schools Board of Education: District 3. Elisa Ferrell and Anson Knowles were the top two vote recipients out of the field of five contenders for the open seat. While Ferrell collected the most votes, she did not meet the majority requirement of 50 percent plus one to avoid a runoff election. Whichever newcomer wins the runoff will be joining a board with desegregation disputes to manage.
Due to a desegregation lawsuit from 1963, the district is required to have its rezoning plans approved by a federal judge. The district had submitted redistricting plans in February 2014, but the U.S. Department of Justice rejected the plans. On June 30, 2014, U.S. District Judge Madeline Hughes Haikala ordered both sides to enter into mediation to examine all elements of racial disparities across the school district and to create a rezoning plan on which both parties can agree. She said, "the fact that the district integrated the student bodies of many of its schools in the early 1970s does not automatically lead to the conclusion that the district does not currently operate a dual system." Haikala appointed Chief Magistrate Judge John Ott to oversee the mediation process.[1]
Candidates
Note: An (i) next to a candidate's name indicates incumbent status.
AlaskaFairbanks North Star Borough School District |
AlabamaHuntsville City Schools |
See also
- School board elections, 2014
- Huntsville City Schools elections (2014)
- Fairbanks North Star Borough School District elections (2014)
- Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District elections (2014)
- Alabama school board elections, 2014
- Alaska school board elections, 2014
Footnotes
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