Lawton Public Schools elections (2015)
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One seat on the Lawton Public Schools Board of Education was scheduled for general election on February 10, 2015. Area 5 incumbent Kent Jester was the only candidate to file for the election, which led to the cancellation of the election.[1]
About the district
- See also: Lawton Public Schools, Oklahoma
Lawton Public Schools is located in Comache County in southwestern Oklahoma. The county seat of Comanche County is Lawton. Comanche County was home to an estimated 124,937 residents in 2013, according to the United States Census Bureau.[2] Lawton Public schools enrolled 15,875 students during the 2011-2012 school year and was the seventh-largest by enrollment in the state of Oklahoma.[3]
Demographics
Comanche County underperformed in comparison to the rest of Oklahoma in terms of higher education achievement in 2013. The United States Census Bureau found that 19.9 percent of Comanche County residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree compared to 23.5 percent for the state as a whole. The median household income in Comanche County was $46,036 compared to $45,339 statewide. The poverty rate in Comanche County was 17.3 percent compared to 16.9 percent for the entire state.[2]
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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 Lawton Board of Education is made up of six members. Five of the seats are held by members who are elected to five-year terms with one board position up for election annually. The sixth seat is filled by a non-voting representative from Fort Sill who is appointed by the post's commanding general. The Area 5 seat was scheduled for election in 2015. There was no primary election, and the general election was scheduled to be held on February 10, 2015. However, the election was canceled due to the lack of opposition in the race.[5]
Candidates began to file affidavits of candidacy on December 1, 2014. The filing deadline for school board candidates to get on the ballot in the general election was December 3, 2014.[1]
Elections
2015
Candidates
Area 5
- Kent Jester
- Incumbent, first elected in 2010
- President and CEO of Arrow Sign Company
Endorsements
There were no official endorsements in this election.
Campaign finance
No contributions or expenditures were reported during the election, according to the Oklahoma Ethics Commission.[6]
Past elections
Information about earlier elections can be found by clicking [show] at the right. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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2014
2013Eric Sharum ran unopposed for re-election and won the Area 3 seat by default. The school district canceled the election due to the lack of opposition.[7] 2012Helena John ran unopposed for re-election and won the Area 2 seat by default. The school district canceled the election due to the lack of opposition.[8] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
What was at stake?
2015
Issues in the district
2014 bond funds new HVCA
Following the 2014 approval of a $30 million bond issue by Lawton voters, new heating and air conditioning units began being installed in district schools in January. The systems being replaced included two boilers from the 1970s and window air conditioning units from the 1980s which were both described as inefficient and undependable. The new system is controlled by each classroom. The installation process was expected to be completed in early 2015.[9]
Mentorship for children of incarcerated parents
A group of Lawton residents began developing a mentorship program in October 2014 that would aim to keep children whose parents are incarcerated from ending up in prison themselves. Rodney Mitchell, a Lawton pastor and former CIA agent, heads the group which hoped to have a program up and running by May 2015.[10]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the election in 2015:[5][11]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| December 1-3, 2014 | Candidate filing period |
| January 16, 2015 | Voter registration closes |
| February 4, 2015 | Absentee ballot request deadline |
| February 5-6, 2015 | Early voting period |
| February 10, 2015 | General election date |
| April 30, 2015 | Campaign finance report deadline |
Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Oklahoma elections, 2015
The statewide annual school election date was February 10, 2015. No other offices were scheduled for election on that date.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Lawton Public Schools Oklahoma. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Lawton Public Schools | Oklahoma | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 KSWO, "Southwest Oklahoma school board filings," December 3, 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 United States Census Bureau, "Comanche County, Oklahoma," accessed December 19, 2014
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed April 22, 2014
- ↑ Oklahoma State Election Board, "Voter Registration Reports," accessed December 19, 2014
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Oklahoma State Elections Board, "2015 Election Calendar," accessed December 5, 2014
- ↑ Oklahoma Ethics Commission, "Campaign Reporting Systems," accessed February 17, 2015
- ↑ 7 News, "Annual School Board Election filings for 2013," December 13, 2012
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedbios - ↑ KSWO, "Lawton school installs new HVAC system," January 14, 2015
- ↑ KSWO, "Group hopes to end cycle of crime," January 12, 2015
- ↑ Oklahoma Ethics Commission, "Reporting Calendar," accessed December 5, 2014
| 2015 Lawton Public Schools Elections | |
| Comanche County, Oklahoma | |
| Election date: | February 10, 2015 - Cancelled |
| Candidates: | Area 5: • Incumbent, Kent Jester |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
