McAllen Independent School District elections (2015)
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McAllen Independent School District Hidalgo County, Texas ballot measures Local ballot measures, Texas |
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Four seats on the McAllen Independent School District Board of Trustees were up for general election on May 9, 2015.
In the Place 1 race, four challengers competed for the seat since incumbent Debbie Crane Aliseda did not file for re-election. They were Maricruz Del Villar Abbott, Dalinda Gonzalez Alcantar, Enedelia Olivarez and Marco Suarez. Suarez was elected to the board. Place 2 incumbent Hilda Garza-DeShazo faced Conrado Alvarado and Don Delaney. Alvarado won the election. In the Place 4 race, incumbent Erica de la Garza-Lopez was defeated by challenger Tony Forina. Place 5 incumbent Daniel Vela ran unopposed and won re-election.[1][2]
The McAllen Board of Trustees also put a $297 million bond package to voters in this election, which included $201 million for district-wide upgrades, $36 million for mechanical renovations and $14 million for safety and security throughout the district.[3] It was defeated by more than 70 percent of the votes being cast against the measure.
About the district
McAllen Independent School District is located in Hidalgo County, Texas. The county seat of Hidalgo County is Edinburg. Hidalgo County was home to an estimated 815,996 residents in 2013, according to the United States Census Bureau.[4] In the 2011-2012 school year, McAllen Independent School District was the 48th-largest school district in Texas and served 25,252 students.[5]
Demographics
Hidalgo County underperformed in comparison to the rest of Texas in terms of higher education achievement in 2013. The United States Census Bureau found that 15.9 percent of Hidalgo County residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 26.7 percent for Texas as a whole. The median household income in Hidalgo County was $34,146 , compared to $51,900 for the state of Texas. The poverty rate in Hidalgo County was 34.8 percent, compared to 17.6 percent for the entire state.[4]
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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 McAllen Board of Trustees consists of seven members elected to four-year terms. There was no primary election, and a general election took place on May 9, 2015. Four seats were on the ballot in May 2015.[7]
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.[8]
Elections
2015
Candidates
Place 1
| Maricruz Del Villar Abbott | Dalinda Gonzalez Alcantar | ||
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| Enedelia Olivarez | Marco Suarez 
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Place 2
| Hilda Garza-DeShazo | Conrado Alvarado
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Don Delaney | |||
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Place 4
| Erica de la Garza-Lopez | Tony Forina
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Place 5
| Daniel Vela
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Election results
Place 1
| McAllen Independent School District, Place 1 General Election, 4-year term, 2015 |
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| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Marco Suarez |
36.7% | 3,122 | |
| Nonpartisan | Maricruz Del Villar Abbott | 31.4% | 2,672 | |
| Nonpartisan | Dalinda Gonzalez Alcantar | 24% | 2,043 | |
| Nonpartisan | Enedelia Olivarez | 7.8% | 661 | |
| Total Votes | 8,498 | |||
| Source: Hidalgo County Clerk, "Mcallen I.s.d.- May 9, 2015 Election: Official Results," accessed June 1, 2015 | ||||
Place 2
| McAllen Independent School District, Place 2 General Election, 4-year term, 2015 |
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| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Conrado Alvarado |
52.3% | 4,382 | |
| Nonpartisan | Hilda Garza-DeShazo Incumbent | 35.2% | 2,946 | |
| Nonpartisan | Don Delaney | 12.5% | 1,047 | |
| Total Votes | 8,375 | |||
| Source: Hidalgo County Clerk, "Mcallen I.s.d.- May 9, 2015 Election: Official Results," accessed June 1, 2015 | ||||
Place 4
| McAllen Independent School District, Place 4 General Election, 4-year term, 2015 |
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| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Tony Forina |
53.3% | 4,378 | |
| Nonpartisan | Erica de la Garza-Lopez Incumbent | 46.7% | 3,831 | |
| Total Votes | 8,209 | |||
| Source: Hidalgo County Clerk, "Mcallen I.s.d.- May 9, 2015 Election: Official Results," accessed June 1, 2015 | ||||
Place 5
| McAllen Independent School District, Place 5 General Election, 4-year term, 2015 |
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| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Daniel Vela Incumbent |
100% | 7,183 | |
| Total Votes | 7,183 | |||
| Source: Hidalgo County Clerk, "Mcallen I.s.d.- May 9, 2015 Election: Official Results," accessed June 1, 2015 | ||||
Endorsements
No candidate received any official endorsements for his or her campaign during the election.
Campaign finance
Candidates received a total of $69,253.58 and spent a total of $69,365 as of April 9, 2015, according to the Texas Ethics Commission.[9]
| Candidate | Receipts | Disbursements | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place 1 | |||
| Maricruz Del Villar Abbott | $19,450.00 | $21,789.90 | -$2,339.90 |
| Dalinda Gonzalez Alcantar | $7,925.00 | $3,913.51 | $4,011.49 |
| Enedelia Olivarez | $0.00 | $3,636.48 | -$3,636.48 |
| Marco Suarez | $21,548.83 | $7,545.80 | $14,003.03 |
| Place 2 | |||
| Hilda Garza-DeShazo | $7,129.75 | $4,543.34 | $2,586.41 |
| Conrado Alvarado | $1,800.00 | $3,841.00 | $2,041.00 |
| Don Delaney | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Place 4 | |||
| Erica de la Garza-Lopez | $10,941.12 | $4,500.00 | $9,250.36 |
| Tony Forina | $4,050.00 | $3,776.12 | $273.88 |
| Place 5 | |||
| Daniel Vela | $2,850.00 | $11,068.49 | -$8,218.49 |
Note: Contributions for incumbent Erica de la Garza-Lopez included funds left over from her previous campaign.
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.[8]
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.[10]
Past elections
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What was at stake?
Issues in the district
2015 bond package
Voters in McAllen ISD overwhelmingly defeated a $297 million bond package which was approved by the McAllen Board of Trustees in early 2015. Originally the board had proposed a $440 million package, however they opted to instead reallocate about one-third of those funds. The package was broken down into five parts: $201 million for 21st century educational needs, $36 million for mechanical needs, $23 million each for interior and exterior updates and $14 million for safety and security.
The largest part of the package, for what the district coined as "21st Century Educational Needs," included improvements that enhance natural light in schools, science labs, upgraded auditoriums and classroom sound reinforcement systems. According to the district, this bond package "utilizes a funding combination that establishes a mechanism for systemic long-range planning for facility maintenance and for staff compensation" while also reducing tax implications. All projects funded by this bond are scheduled to be completed by the year 2023.[3]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the McAllen Independent School District election in 2015:[8][11]
| Deadline | Event |
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| 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 Hidalgo County.
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "McAllen + Independent + School + District + Texas"
- All stories may not be relevant to this page due to the nature of the search engine.
See also
| McAllen Independent School District | Texas | School Boards |
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External links
- McAllen Independent School District
- Hidalgo County Clerk
- Hidalgo County, Texas
- Texas Secretary of State
Footnotes
- ↑ McAllen Independent School District, "School Board Election Information," accessed March 13, 2015
- ↑ Hidalgo County Clerk, "Mcallen I.s.d.- May 9, 2015 Election: Unofficial Results," accessed May 9, 2015
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 McAllen ISD Bond, "2015 Bond Election," accessed March 18, 2015
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 United States Census Bureau, "Hidalgo County, Texas," accessed July 31, 2014
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed July 31, 2014
- ↑ Hidalgo County Clerk, "General Election Results," accessed December 30, 2014
- ↑ McAllen Independent School District, "Board of Trustees," accessed March 6, 2015
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Texas Ethics Commission, "2015 Filing Schedule for Elections Held on Uniform Election Dates," accessed January 21, 2015
- ↑ McAllen Independent School District, "Election Information," accessed April 29, 2015
- ↑ Texas Ethics Commission, "Campaign Finance Guide for Candidates and Officeholders Who File with Local Filing Authorities," September 1, 2013
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Important 2015 Election Dates," accessed January 20, 2015
