Lawrence Public Schools, Massachusetts elections (2017)
This page is about the 2017 school board election for Lawrence Public Schools in Massachusetts. For the Kansas school district of the same name, click here.
2019 →
← 2015 |
|---|
 |
|
|
|
|
| Enrollment (14-15) |
|
|
All seven seats on the Lawrence Public Schools School Committee were up for general election on November 7, 2017. One of the seats was held by the mayor of Lawrence, but this seat was not covered by Ballotpedia as the city fell outside of municipal elections coverage.[1][2] No incumbents filed for run for re-election to the District A, B, C, and F seats, leaving them open for new members. Donna Bertolino defeated Kemal Bozkurt to win the District A seat, and Elissa Salas defeated Edwin Urena for the District B seat. Adderly Gonzalez won the District C seat after running unopposed. No candidates filed for the District F seat. In her bid for re-election to District D, incumbent Marianela Rivera won re-election unopposed. District E incumbent Patricia Mariano defeated former candidate Homayoun Maali, which was a rematch from the 2015 and 2013 elections for that seat.[3][4]
A nonpartisan primary election was held on September 26, 2017. Because no more than two candidates ran per seat in the primary, all of the candidates advanced to the general election.[5][6]
The 2017 election had fewer unopposed seats on the ballot compared to the district's 2013 and 2015 elections. For information on election trends in the district, click here.
The Lawrence school district was under state receivership at the time of the election. The district was put under receivership in 2011 due to a 50 percent high school dropout rate, a less than 50 percent four-year graduation rate, and low English language arts and math scores.[7] As a result of the takeover, the Lawrence School Committee lost its formal powers and became a purely advisory board to Jeffrey C. Riley, the state-appointed superintendent/receiver for the school district.[8] Riley's contract was scheduled to end in 2018.[9]
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The Lawrence School Committee consists of seven members. Six of the members are elected by district from specific regions of the school district, and the seventh member is the mayor of Lawrence. The six regular school committee members are elected to two-year terms every November of odd-numbered years. Primary elections are held in September of odd-numbered years.[10]
To get on the ballot, school committee candidates had to file with the city of Lawrence between April 4, 2017, and August 8, 2017. The candidate withdrawal deadline was August 24, 2017.[1]
To vote in the primary election, citizens of the school district had to register by September 6, 2017, and to vote in the general election, they had to register by October 18, 2017.[1][11] Photo identification was not required to vote in Massachusetts.[12]
Candidates and results
District A
Results
| Lawrence Public Schools, District A General Election, 2-year term, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Donna Bertolino |
51.96% | 1,085 |
| Kemal Bozkurt | 47.46% | 991 |
| Write-in votes | 0.57% | 12 |
| Total Votes | 2,088 | |
| Source: City of Lawrence, "Official Results," accessed November 28, 2017 | ||
| Lawrence Public Schools, District A Primary Election, 2-year term, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Donna Bertolino |
68.01% | 959 |
| Kemal Bozkurt |
30.57% | 431 |
| Write-in votes | 1.42% | 20 |
| Total Votes | 1,410 | |
| Source: City of Lawrence, "Municipal Preliminary September 26, 2017: Official Results," accessed October 6, 2017 | ||
Candidates
Donna Bertolino 
|
Kemal Bozkurt | ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
||
District B
Results
| Lawrence Public Schools, District B General Election, 2-year term, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Elissa Salas |
55.67% | 1,169 |
| Edwin Urena | 43.52% | 914 |
| Write-in votes | 0.81% | 17 |
| Total Votes | 2,100 | |
| Source: City of Lawrence, "Official Results," accessed November 28, 2017 | ||
| Lawrence Public Schools, District B Primary Election, 2-year term, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Elissa Salas |
65.08% | 1,040 |
| Edwin Urena |
34.17% | 546 |
| Write-in votes | 0.75% | 12 |
| Total Votes | 1,598 | |
| Source: City of Lawrence, "Municipal Preliminary September 26, 2017: Official Results," accessed October 6, 2017 | ||
Candidates
| Elissa Salas
|
Edwin Urena | ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
||
District C
Results
| Lawrence Public Schools, District C General Election, 2-year term, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Adderly Gonzalez (unopposed) |
98.08% | 1,685 |
| Write-in votes | 1.92% | 33 |
| Total Votes | 1,718 | |
| Source: City of Lawrence, "Official Results," accessed November 28, 2017 | ||
| Lawrence Public Schools, District C Primary Election, 2-year term, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Adderly Gonzalez (unopposed) |
96.85% | 1,230 |
| Write-in votes | 3.15% | 40 |
| Total Votes | 1,270 | |
| Source: City of Lawrence, "Municipal Preliminary September 26, 2017: Official Results," accessed October 6, 2017 | ||
Candidates
| Adderly Gonzalez
| |
|---|---|
|
|
|
District D
Results
| Lawrence Public Schools, District D General Election, 2-year term, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Marianela Rivera Incumbent (unopposed) |
96.99% | 1,484 |
| Write-in votes | 3.01% | 46 |
| Total Votes | 1,530 | |
| Source: City of Lawrence, "Official Results," accessed November 28, 2017 | ||
| Lawrence Public Schools, District D Primary Election, 2-year term, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Marianela Rivera Incumbent (unopposed) |
96.11% | 1,162 |
| Write-in votes | 3.89% | 47 |
| Total Votes | 1,209 | |
| Source: City of Lawrence, "Municipal Preliminary September 26, 2017: Official Results," accessed October 6, 2017 | ||
Candidates
| Marianela Rivera
| |
|---|---|
|
|
|
District E
Results
| Lawrence Public Schools, District E General Election, 2-year term, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Patricia Mariano Incumbent |
88.34% | 2,644 |
| Homayoun Maali | 11.16% | 334 |
| Write-in votes | 0.5% | 15 |
| Total Votes | 2,993 | |
| Source: City of Lawrence, "Official Results," accessed November 28, 2017 | ||
| Lawrence Public Schools, District E Primary Election, 2-year term, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Patricia Mariano Incumbent |
88.77% | 1,968 |
| Homayoun Maali |
10.60% | 235 |
| Write-in votes | 0.63% | 14 |
| Total Votes | 2,217 | |
| Source: City of Lawrence, "Municipal Preliminary September 26, 2017: Official Results," accessed October 6, 2017 | ||
Candidates
| Patricia Mariano
|
Homayoun Maali | ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
District F
Results
General election
Write-in candidates received a total of 507 votes in the general election.[13]
Primary election
Write-in candidates received a total of 251 votes in the primary election.[5]
Candidates
No candidates filed to run for this seat.[3]
Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Massachusetts elections, 2017
The Lawrence School Committee primary and general elections shared the ballot with primary and general elections for the Lawrence City Council and for the mayor of Lawrence.[3]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the 2017 Lawrence School Committee election:
Endorsements
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
Candidates received a total of $2,213.85 and spent a total of $2,786.77 in the election, according to the Lawrence Election Division.[14]
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District A | ||||
| Donna Bertolino | $0.00 | $349.84 | ($349.84) | |
| Kemal Bozkurt | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | |
| District B | ||||
| Elissa Salas | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | |
| Edwin Urena | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | |
| District C | ||||
| Adderly Gonzalez | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | |
| District D | ||||
| Marianela Rivera | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | |
| District E | ||||
| Patricia Mariano | $2,213.85 | $2,145.89 | $67.96 | |
| Homayoun Maali | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | |
Reporting requirements
Candidates who ran in the Lawrence School Committee election had to file three campaign finance reports. The reports were due on September 18, 2017, October 30, 2017, and January 22, 2018.[15]
Past elections
To see results from past elections in Lawrence Public Schools, click here.
What was at stake?
Report a story for this election
Ballotpedia researches issues in school board elections across the United States, but information availability is a challenge for us in many school districts. Please contact us about the issues that impact your local school district. Note that not all submissions may meet Ballotpedia's coverage requirements for inclusion.
Election trends
- See also: School boards in session: 2015 in brief
The 2017 election had fewer unopposed seats than the district's 2013 and 2015 elections had. In 2017, half of the seats on the ballot were unopposed, while in both 2013 and 2015, two-thirds of the seats on the ballot were unopposed.
The 2017 election was guaranteed to add four new members to the board due to open seats. The board also added four new members in 2015, while two new members were elected in 2013.
| School board election trends | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Candidates per seat | Unopposed seats | Incumbents running for re-election | Incumbent success rate | Seats won by newcomers | |
| Lawrence Public Schools | ||||||
| 2017 | 1.33 | 50.00% | 33.33% | 100.00% | 66.67% | |
| 2015 | 0.67 | 66.67% | 33.33% | 100.00% | 66.67% | |
| 2013 | 1.17 | 66.67% | 66.67% | 100.00% | 33.33% | |
| Massachusetts | ||||||
| 2015 | 1.49 | 25.49% | 68.63% | 85.71% | 33.33% | |
| United States | ||||||
| 2015 | 1.72 | 35.95% | 70.37% | 82.66% | 40.81% | |
Candidate survey
|
|
Ballotpedia invites school board candidates to participate in its annual survey. |
About the district
- See also: Lawrence Public Schools, Massachusetts
The Lawrence school district is located in northeast Massachusetts in Essex County. The county seats are Lawrence and Salem. The county was home to an estimated 779,018 residents in 2016, according to the United States Census Bureau.[16] The district was the seventh-largest school district in the state in the 2014-2015 school year and served 13,889 students.[17]
Demographics
Essex County underperformed compared to Massachusetts as a whole in terms of higher education achievement between 2011 and 2015. The United States Census Bureau found that 37.5 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 40.5 percent of state residents. During the same time period, the median household income in Essex County was $69,068, compared to $68,563 for the entire state. The county's poverty rate was 11.5 percent, and it was also 11.5 percent statewide.[16]
| Racial Demographics, 2016[16] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | Essex County (%) | Massachusetts (%) |
| White | 86.0 | 81.8 |
| Black or African American | 6.7 | 8.6 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.8 | 0.5 |
| Asian | 3.8 | 6.7 |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Two or More Races | 2.5 | 2.3 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 20.0 | 11.5 |
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 Lawrence Public Schools Massachusetts election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Lawrence Public Schools | Massachusetts | School Boards |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
|
|
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 City of Lawrence, "2017 Election Calendar," accessed July 25, 2017
- ↑ City of Lawrence, "2017 Nomination Papers City of Lawrence Election Division Report," accessed August 9, 2017
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 City of Lawrence, "2017 Nomination Papers City of Lawrence Election Division Report," accessed August 28, 2017
- ↑ Eagle-Tribune, "UPDATE: Lawrence municipal election results," November 7, 2017
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 City of Lawrence, "Election Summary Report: Preliminary Report Unofficial Results," accessed September 27, 2017
- ↑ Abbey Smith, "Phone communication with City of Lawrence Election Division," August 28, 2017
- ↑ Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education, "Board of Elementary and Secondary Education Declares Lawrence Public Schools as 'Chronically Underperforming,'" November 29, 2011
- ↑ The Eagle-Tribune, "Editorial: Time to reinvent the Lawrence School Committee," May 12, 2013
- ↑ WGBH News, "Lawrence Public School System Becomes A Model For Bouncing Back," March 30, 2017
- ↑ Lawrence Public Schools, "School Committee Members," accessed August 9, 2017
- ↑ Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, "Registering to Vote," accessed August 9, 2017
- ↑ Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, "Identification Requirements," accessed June 28, 2017
- ↑ City of Lawrence, "Election Summary Report," accessed November 9, 2017
- ↑ Lawrence Election Division, "Campaign Finance Reports and Information," accessed January 23, 2018
- ↑ Office of Campaign and Political Finance Commonwealth of Massachusetts, "Campaign Finance Guide: Candidates for Municipal Office (Non-Depository)," accessed September 8, 2017
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 United States Census Bureau, "Essex County, Massachusetts," accessed June 28, 2017
- ↑ U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, "Common Core of Data, file ccd_lea_052_1414_w_0216161a, 2014-2015," accessed November 16, 2016
| Lawrence Public Schools elections in 2017 | |
| Essex County, Massachusetts | |
| Election date: | Primary election: September 26, 2017 • General Election: November 7, 2017 |
| Candidates: | District A: • Donna Bertolino • Kemal Bozkurt District B: • Elissa Salas • Edwin Urena District C: • Adderly Gonzalez District D: • Incumbent, Marianela Rivera District E: • Incumbent, Patricia Mariano • Homayoun Maali District F: No candidates filed to run for this race. |
| Important information: | What's at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
