Kanawha County Schools elections (2016)
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Two of the five seats on the Kanawha County Schools Board of Education were up for general election on May 10, 2016. In his bid for re-election, incumbent Jim Crawford Sr. faced three challengers—Ric Cavender, Bill Carpenter, and Adam Henry Knauff.[1][2] Crawford won re-election, and Cavender won the open seat.[3]
Though the election was held at large, only two members from the same geographic district could be on the board during a given term. Crawford was from District 3. Cavender and Carpenter were from District 1, and Knauff was from District 4.[1] The board had one member from District 1: Ryan White. Because of this, only Cavender or Carpenter could have won a seat, not both of them. There were no members from District 4, and Crawford was the only member from District 3.[4]
All four candidates in this race met with reporters from the Charleston Gazette-Mail. Click here to view this meeting.
The district's 2016 election attracted fewer candidates per seat compared to recent election years. See how else this race compared to past school board elections in both the district and the state in the "Election trends" section below.
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The Kanawha County Board of Education consists of five members elected to four-year terms. Board members are elected at large, but they represent different geographical districts. No more than two members elected from any district may serve on the board during a given term. Primary elections are not used in West Virginia school board elections.[5] Three seats were up for general election on May 13, 2014, and two seats were up for general election on May 10, 2016.[6]
To run in this election, candidates had to file with the Kanawha County Clerk's Office by January 30, 2016.[7] Candidates also had to be at least 18 years old, hold a high school diploma or GED, and be residents of the county. The cost to file for this election was $25.00.[8]
To vote in the election, district residents had to register by April 19, 2016.[7] Photo identification was not required to vote in West Virginia.
Candidates and results
At-large
Results
| Kanawha County Schools, At-Large General Election, 4-Year Term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Ric Cavender |
36.26% | 21,180 |
| Jim Crawford Sr. Incumbent |
26.56% | 15,510 |
| Bill Carpenter | 18.85% | 11,009 |
| Adam Henry Knauff | 18.05% | 10,545 |
| Write-in votes | 0.28% | 161 |
| Total Votes | 58,405 | |
| Source: Kanawha County Clerk, "Primary Election: Official Summary Report," accessed May 27, 2016 | ||
Candidates
Jim Crawford Sr. 
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Ric Cavender
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| Bill Carpenter | Adam Henry Knauff | ||
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: West Virginia elections, 2016
The Kanawha County Schools election shared the ballot with the state's presidential primary election as well as primary elections for a seat on the U.S. House of Representatives and five state executive offices: governor, attorney general, treasurer, auditor, and agriculture commissioner. Primary elections for two State Senate seats and three House of Delegates seats were also on the ballot.[7][9][10][11]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for West Virginia school board elections in 2016:[7][12]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| January 11, 2016 - January 30, 2016 | Candidate filing period |
| April 1, 2016 | First campaign finance reporting deadline |
| April 19, 2016 | Voter registration deadline |
| April 27, 2016 - May 7, 2016 | Early voting period |
| April 29, 2016 | Pre-primary campaign finance reporting deadline |
| May 10, 2016 | Election Day |
| June 21, 2016 | Post-primary campaign finance reporting deadline |
| July 1, 2016 | Board members take office |
Endorsements
Challenger Ric Cavender and incumbent Jim Crawford Sr. were endorsed by the Charleston Gazette and the Charleston Daily Mail.[13][14]
Cavender further received endorsements from the American Federation of Teachers - Kanawha, the Kanawha Valley Labor Council, the West Virginia School Service Personnel Association, Regenerate West Virginia, Teamsters Local 175, the Charleston Chamber of Commerce, and the Beacon Digest.[15][16][17]
Challenger Adam Henry Knauff was also endorsed by the West Virginia School Service Personnel Association, as well as the Kanawha County Education Association and the Kanawha County School Service Personnel Association.[18]
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 first campaign finance reporting deadline for this election was April 1, 2016. If the total of all of a candidate's financial transactions did not exceed $500 at that time, a waiver could be submitted in lieu of the report. All candidates had to file a pre-primary report with the county clerk's office by April 29, 2016, and a post-primary report by June 21, 2016.[12][19]
Reports
Candidates received a total of $20,001.95 and spent a total of $17,445.13 in the election, according to the Kanawha County Election Center.[20]
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Crawford Sr. | $3,925.00 | $3,925.00 | $0.00 |
| Ric Cavender | $12,030.00 | $9,808.22 | $2,221.78 |
| Bill Carpenter | $44.95 | $44.95 | $0.00 |
| Adam Henry Knauff | $4,002.00 | $3,666.96 | $335.04 |
Past elections
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What was at stake?
2016
Issues in the election
Meeting with candidates
All four candidates in this race attended a meeting with reporters from the Charleston Gazette-Mail. The meeting can be viewed below.
Election trends
- See also: School board elections, 2014
The 2016 school board election in Kanawha County Schools attracted a lower average number of candidates than it did in recent years. An average of two candidates ran per seat on the ballot in 2016, compared to the average of 2.33 candidates who ran in 2014 and the average of three who ran in 2012. An average of 1.86 candidates ran per seat in West Virginia's largest school districts in 2014.
With one of the two incumbents whose seats were on the ballot running for re-election, at least one new board member was guaranteed to be elected to the Kanawha County Board of Education in 2016. There was also the potential for a second newcomer to join, but incumbent Jim Crawford Sr. was re-elected instead. In 2014, two incumbents were re-elected and one newcomer won an open seat. Statewide, newcomers won 42.86 percent of the school board seats on the ballot in the largest districts in 2014.
No school board seats in Kanawha County were unopposed in the 2012, 2014, or 2016 elections. A total of 10.71 percent of school board seats up for election in West Virginia's largest school districts were unopposed in 2014.
Issues in the district
School board to layoff employees for 2016-2017 school year
In February 2016, the Kanawha County Board of Education announced 25 employees would be laid off at the end of the 2015-2016 school year due to declining enrollment, which affected state funding. The 25 employees included 21 teacher aid positions and four Garnet Career Center employees. Board President Robin Rector said there was a possibility some employees could be hired back if the enrollment numbers increased for the 2016-2017 school year.[21]
Rector expressed regret at the announcement. “In many times they’ve become part of the family at the schools they work with. They’re very invested in the students and the teachers are invested in the school. It’s just something you hate to do,” she said.[21]
In April 2016, the board finalized the plan for the 2016-2017 school year. They announced that there would be a total of 90 fewer positions in the district, including 52 fewer teaching positions. Due to retirements and transfers, only four teachers lost their jobs. Another 20 positions for service employees, such as custodians and classroom aides, were also cut.[22]
Other school districts in the state were affected by declining enrollment and decreased state funding. The Cabell County Board of Education in February 2016 announced there would be layoffs. In that district, 61 employees were let go at the end of the 2015-2016 school year. The board also announced there would be 97 transfers within the district.[23]
Wood County Schools also announced layoffs due to declining enrollment. In that district, 54 employees were let go at the end of the 2015-2016 school year.[24]
Superintendent's contract renewed
The Kanawha County School Board voted to renew Superintendent Ron Duerring's contract for another school year at a school board meeting on March 22, 2016. Board President Robin Rector said she and other members of the board were "pleased" with his performance. "During a time of financial concerns with the declining budget and students, KCS is performing well academically and is financially sound,” said Rector in a prepared statement.[25]
Board member Pete Thaw said the district was feeling the affects of a drop in enrollment of 590 students from the 2014-2015 school year to the 2015-2016 school year. "We’re in very rocky water right now, with enrollment down and everything else, and we’re very pleased with how things are going in a very difficult environment," said Thaw.[25]
The board renewed Duerring's contract without a raise. Duerring said he did not request a raise, as the district was looking at a $5.3 million decrease in funds for the 2016-2017 school year. “We have to watch the budget carefully, and this was not a time to have a raise,” he said.[25]
With his extra year, Duerring said he planned to work on keeping the district financially sound, increasing student achievement, and increasing the district's graduation rate. The 2015-2016 school year was his 18th year with the district.[25]
Candidate survey
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About the district
- See also: Kanawha County Schools, West Virginia
The Kanawha County school system is located in Kanawha County in south-central West Virginia. The county seat is Charleston. Kanawha County was home to 190,223 residents in 2014, according to the United States Census Bureau.[26] The district was the largest school district in the state in the 2013–2014 school year and served 28,378 students.[27]
Demographics
Kanawha County outperformed West Virginia as a whole in terms of higher education achievement in 2013. The United States Census Bureau found that 25.0 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 18.3 percent for West Virginia as a whole. The median household income in Kanawha County was $46,085, compared to $41,043 for the entire state. The poverty rate in Kanawha County was 14.1 percent, while it was 17.9 percent statewide.[26]
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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 'Kanawha County Schools' 'West Virginia'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Kanawha County Schools | West Virginia | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Kanawha County Clerk, "Kanawha County Election Filings," accessed February 1, 2016
- ↑ Kanawha County Schools, "Kanawha County Board of Education," accessed February 1, 2016
- ↑ Tristateupdate.com, "WV Primary Election Results," accessed May 10, 2016
- ↑ Charleston Gazette-Mail, "Kanawha BOE candidates discuss future of system," February 19, 2016
- ↑ West Virginia Legislature, "Chapter 18. Education: Article 5. County Board Of Education," accessed February 1, 2016
- ↑ Kanawha County, "Kanawha County Election Center," accessed March 6, 2014
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 West Virginia Secretary of State, "2016 West Virginia Election Dates and Deadlines," accessed February 1, 2016
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "Offices on the 2016 Ballot," accessed February 1, 2016
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "Offices on the 2016 Ballot," accessed February 18, 2016
- ↑ West Virginia Legislature, "Senate District Maps - 2010 Plan," accessed February 18, 2016
- ↑ West Virginia Legislature, "House of Delegates District Map," accessed February 18, 2016
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 West Virginia Secretary of State, "2016 Campaign Finance Report Deadlines," accessed February 24, 2016
- ↑ Charleston Gazette, "Gazette endorsement: Cavender, Crawford for Kanawha school board," April 21, 2016
- ↑ Charleston Daily Mail, "Daily Mail endorsement: Kanawha school board can use fresh ideas, consistency," April 20, 2016
- ↑ Ric Cavender Kanawha County Board of Education, "Home," accessed March 21, 2016
- ↑ Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Ric Cavender," April 13, 2016
- ↑ Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Ric Cavender," April 28, 2016
- ↑ Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Adam Knauff," April 18, 2016
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "2016 Best Practices Guide for Campaign Finance," accessed April 4, 2016
- ↑ Kanawha County Election Center, "Candidate Financial Reports," accessed June 30, 2016
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 Metro News, "Kanawha County Schools to layoff 25 employees at school year’s end," February 18, 2016
- ↑ WSAZ News Channel 3, "Kanawha County Schools dropping 90 positions," April 29, 2016
- ↑ The Herald-Dispatch, "Cabell school board approves layoffs, transfers," February 24, 2016
- ↑ The News Center, "Update: Wood County "RIF's" Continue," February 24, 2015
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 25.3 Charleston Gazette-Mail, "Kanawha schools chief gets 1-year contract extension," March 22, 2016
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 United States Census Bureau, "Kanawha County, West Virginia," accessed February 8, 2016
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed November 16, 2015
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, " Voter Registration Totals," accessed February 8, 2016
| 2016 Kanawha County Schools Elections | |
| Kanawha County, West Virginia | |
| Election date: | May 10, 2016 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Jim Crawford Sr. • Ric Cavender • Bill Carpenter • Adam Henry Knauff |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
