Katy Independent School District elections (2015)
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Two seats on the Katy Independent School District Board of Trustees were up for general election on May 9, 2015.
In the Position 6 race, incumbent Bryan Michalsky faced challenger John Pendergraff. Position 7 incumbent Charles Griffin competed against challenger Leonard Ledford.[1] Both incumbents won re-election to the board.[2]
About the district
- See also: Katy Independent School District, Texas
Katy Independent School District is located in north Harris County, Texas. The county seat of Harris County is Houston. Harris County was home to an estimated 4,336,853 residents in 2013, according to the United States Census Bureau.[3] Katy Independent School District was the 12th-largest school district in Texas, serving 62,414 students during the 2011-2012 school year.[4]
Demographics
Harris County outperformed the rest of Texas in terms of higher education achievement in 2013. The United States Census Bureau found that 28.4 percent of Harris 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 Harris County was $53,137, compared to $51,900 statewide. The poverty rate in Harris County was 18.5 percent, compared to 17.6 percent for the entire state.[3]
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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 Katy Board of Trustees consists of seven members elected to three-year terms. Each member is elected to a specific position but represents the entire district. There was no primary election, and a general election took place on May 9, 2015. Two seats were on the ballot in May 2015.[6]
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.[7]
Elections
2015
Candidates
Position 6
- Bryan Michalsky
- Incumbent
- Graduate, Sam Houston State University
- Chief financial officer, Cotton Holdings, Inc.
- John Pendergraff
- Graduate, University of Missouri
- Engineer
Position 7
- Charles Griffin
- Incumbent
- Veteran, U.S. Air Force
- Pilot, United Airlines
- Leonard Ledford
- Graduate, University of Texas at Austin
- Business owner
Election results
Position 6
| Katy Independent School District, Position 6 General Election, 3-year term, 2015 |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Bryan Michalsky Incumbent |
61.8% | 1,604 | |
| Nonpartisan | John Pendergraff | 38.2% | 993 | |
| Total Votes | 2,597 | |||
| Source: Lauren Dixon, "Email correspondence with Bill Haskett, Katy ISD Elections Administrator," June 24, 2015 | ||||
Position 7
| Katy Independent School District, Position 7 General Election, 3-year term, 2015 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Charles Griffin Incumbent |
64.5% | 1,675 | |
| Nonpartisan | Leonard Ledford | 35.5% | 922 | |
| Total Votes | 2,597 | |||
| Source: Lauren Dixon, "Email correspondence with Bill Haskett, Katy ISD Elections Administrator," June 24, 2015 | ||||
Endorsements
No candidate received any official endorsements for his or her campaign during the election.
Campaign finance
No contributions or expenditures were reported as of April 9, 2015, according to the Texas Ethics Commission.[8] 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.[7]
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.[9]
Past elections
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2014
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What was at stake?
Issues in the election
Challengers decline One Katy endorsement
Leonard Ledford and John Pendergraff both decided not to seek the endorsement of the political action committee (PAC) called One Katy in this election. Pendergraff declined immediately, while Ledford changed his mind in late March 2014 and decided not to speak with the group. Ledford called the endorsement process with One Katy "a farce" and that he didn't want to participate in "a dog and pony show just to further their agenda." One Katy was the same group that supported the district's $748 million bond that passed in November 2014. The 2014 bond was a divisive move for the community, with Superintendent Frailey going so far as to call opponents of the bond "segregationists" and "thorns" that need to be plucked. The group had a history of marching to the same beat as Katy Superintendent Alton Frailey and the school board. “They are calling themselves ‘One Katy,’ and the problem is the school district is far from ‘one’; it’s almost fractured in half,” Ledford said. In response, Melissa Nixon, a representative for One Katy, told local newspaper Covering Katy that it was "our desire to get to know all of our elected officials and candidates so we can work together for the betterment of our entire community."[10][11]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the Katy Independent School District election in 2015:[7][12]
| 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 Harris County.
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Katy + Independent + School + District + Texas"
- All stories may not be relevant to this page due to the nature of the search engine.
See also
| Katy Independent School District | Texas | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Lauren Dixon, "Email correspondence with Bill Haskett, Elections Administrator, Katy ISD," March 2, 2015
- ↑ Katy Independent School District, "KATY ISD BOARD ELECTION TABULATION MAY 9, 2015," accessed May 9, 2015
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 United States Census Bureau, "Harris County, Texas," accessed February 11, 2015
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed May 5, 2014
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Harris County," accessed December 31, 2014
- ↑ Katy Independent School District, "Board of Trustees," accessed March 6, 2015
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Texas Ethics Commission, "2015 Filing Schedule for Elections Held on Uniform Election Dates," accessed January 21, 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
- ↑ Covering Katy, "Katy School Board Challengers Decline To Seek One Katy Endorsement," April 6, 2015
- ↑ Covering Katy, "Frailey On Those Who Didn’t Support The Bond: “That’s A Thorn… Pluck It Out…. Be Rid Of It.”," November 17, 2014
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Important 2015 Election Dates," accessed January 20, 2015
| 2015 Katy Independent School District Elections | |
| Harris County, Texas | |
| Election date: | May 9, 2015 |
| Candidates: | Position 6: Incumbent, Bryan Michalsky • John Pendergraff Position 7: Incumbent, Charles Griffin • Leonard Ledford |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
