José González (Oregon)
José González was a candidate for Zone 2 representative on the Portland Board of Education in Oregon. He lost in the general election on May 19, 2015.
Across all seats up for election in the district, the 2015 election was more competitive than in the district's two most recent election cycles. While an average of 2.75 candidate filed for each of the seats up for election, González faced three opponents.
Biography
González is the founder and executive director of Miracle Theatre Group, also known as Milagro. He earned his MFA from UCLA and his B.A. in humanities from Santa Clara University. He is a graduate of Benson Polytechnic High School.[1]
Elections
2015
- See also: Portland Public Schools elections (2015)
Four of the seven seats on the Portland Board of Education were up for general election on May 19, 2015. The seats of Zone 1 incumbent Ruth Adkins, Zone 2 incumbent Matt Morton, Zone 3 incumbent Bobbie Regan and Zone 7 incumbent Greg Belisle were up for election.
Regan was the only incumbent to file to seek re-election. He faced three challengers, Amy Carlsen Kohnstamm, Gretchen Hollands and Wes Soderback, and was defeated by Kohnstamm.
Julie Esparza Brown defeated Andrew Davidson in the race for the open Zone 1 seat. Four candidates—Paul Anthony, José González, Emma Russac Williams and John Sweeney—filed for the open Zone 2 race. Anthony was successful in that race. Mike Rosen won the open Zone 7 seat unopposed.
Results
| Portland Public Schools, Zone 2 General Election, 4-year term, 2015 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Paul Anthony |
54.1% | 27,471 | |
| Nonpartisan | José González | 28.3% | 14,356 | |
| Nonpartisan | Emma Russac Williams | 11.4% | 5,808 | |
| Nonpartisan | John Sweeney | 5.7% | 2,900 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.4% | 219 | |
| Total Votes | 50,754 | |||
| Source: Washington County Elections Divsion, "Official Summary Report: Special District Election May 19, 2015," June 4, 2015, Multnomah County, Oregon, "May 2015 Special Election Results," June 3, 2015, and Clackamas County, Oregon, "Specail District Election May 19, 2015, Official Results for Election," accessed June 9, 2015 | ||||
Funding
González reported $36,075.03 in contributions and $32,040.90 in expenditures to the Oregon Secretary of State, which left his campaign with $4,034.13 in cash on hand in this election. However, González had $10.40 in outstanding personal expenditures, leaving his campaign account with effectively $4,023.73 in cash.[2]
Endorsements
González has been endorsed by the following organizations and officials:
- Portland Public School Board Members Ruth Adkins, Pam Knowles and Matt Morton
- Portland City Commissioner Amanda Fritz
- State Rep. Alissa Keny-Guyer (D-46)
- Communities of Color for a Just Oregon (Color PAC)
- Stand for Children
- Democratic Party of Oregon Latino Caucus
- IBEW 48
- NW Carpenters Local 146
- Roofers Union Local 49
Campaign themes
2015
Multnomah County voter's pamphlet
González provided the following statement for the Multnomah County voter's pamphlet:
| “ | PRIORITIZING STUDENTS
After years of cuts, Portland Public Schools’ is now investing in our schools. This opportunity comes with responsibility. José will put our students first and set a strong vision for student success; prioritizing strategic investments to achieve those goals. FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY Through budget cuts or new investments, the Board must make tough choices to balance schools’ needs, and ensure every student’s success. In his three decades overseeing a budget, payroll, and staff, José has made tough decisions for the long-term financial health and success of the organization he founded and leads. QUALITY EDUCATION Every student deserves a high-quality education that engages them now, and presents real career opportunities in the future. A PPS grad and parent, José knows dedicated teachers and rich educational opportunities—arts, STEM, and partnerships with industry, labor and colleges—increase students’ success.[3] |
” |
| —José González (2015)[1] | ||
What was at stake?
2015
Issues in the election
The 2015 election for the Portland Public Schools Board of Education was the most competitive out of the district's most recent elections. In 2011, the district's elections averaged 2.5 candidates per seat up for election. That number dropped to just 1.67 in the 2013 election. By contrast, an average of 2.75 candidates filed for each seat up for election in the district on the 2015 ballot.
Just one incumbent sought re-election in 2015, which was down from two in both 2011 and 2013. Of the four incumbents who sought re-election in those two years, three retained their seats for a retention rate of 75 percent.
The 2015 election was on par with other recent elections for the number of unopposed races. In 2011, 2013 and 2015, one seat up for election saw only one official candidate file for it. This made for an average unopposed race percentage of 27.27 percent over the three elections.
Issues in the district
Common Core debate: opt-outs and opposition from teacher's union
Conflict over Common Core standards, heatedly debated nationwide, came to the surface in Portland Public Schools as the first year of testing to the new standards took effect. Opposition from teachers and parents led to higher opt-out rates in Portland than in its neighboring districts.[4]
As of April 10, 2015, approximately 5 percent of students at Portland Public Schools had opted out of Common Core testing. This was higher than other local school districts, such as Hillsboro, Beaverton and North Clackamas. Oregon only allowed children to be opted out from testing due to disabilities or religious beliefs.[4]
The opt-outs also came on the heels of the Portland Association of Teachers publicly decrying the "Smarter Balanced" tests, which are based on the Common Core standards, in February 2015. According to the Oregon Department of Education, the district's overall rating could be affected if less than 95 percent of students in particular categories, such as English language learners, do not participate in the testing.[4]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms José González Portland Public Schools. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Portland Public Schools, Oregon
- Portland Public Schools elections (2015)
- Embroiled incumbents see differing outcomes in May 19 school board elections across five states (May 21, 2015)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Multnomah County, Oregon, "Voters' Pamphlet - May 2015 Special Election," accessed May 19, 2015
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "Committee/Filer Search by Name," accessed June 17, 2015
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 The Oregonian, "5 percent of Portland Public Schools students opt out of Common Core tests," April 11, 2015
| 2015 Portland Public Schools Elections | |
| Multnomah County, Oregon | |
| Election date: | May 19, 2015 |
| Candidates: | Zone 1: Julie Esparza Brown • Andrew Davidson Zone 2: Paul Anthony • José González • Emma Russac Williams • John Sweeney |
| Important information: | Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
