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Muscogee County School District elections (2014)
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Five seats on the Muscogee County Board of Education were up for general election on May 20, 2014. Newcomer Kia Chambers defeated fellow challengers Owen Ditchfield and Nate Sanderson for the at-large seat held by Cathy Williams. Incumbent John Wells and challenger John F. Thomas defeated Victor Morales and John "Bart" Steed but did not garner 50 percent plus one of the vote in the election. Thomas defeated Wells in a runoff election on July 22, 2014. Frank Myers defeated incumbent Beth Harris in the District 8 race. Incumbents Naomi Buckner and Mark Cantrell won re-election without opposition in Districts 4 and 6, respectively.
About the district
- See also: Muscogee County School District, Georgia
Muscogee County School District is located in Muscogee County, Georgia. The county seat of Muscogee County is Columbus, Georgia. Muscogee County is home to 202,824 residents, according to the United States Census Bureau.[1] Muscogee County School District was the 11th-largest school district in Georgia, serving 32,231 students during the 2011-2012 school year.[2]
Demographics
Muscogee County underperformed in comparison to the rest of Georgia in terms of higher education achievement in 2012. The United States Census Bureau found that 22.1 percent of Muscogee County residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree compared to 27.8 percent for Georgia as a whole. The median household income in Muscogee County was $41,443 compared to $49,604 for the state of Georgia. The poverty rate in Muscogee County was 18.8 percent compared to 17.4 percent for the entire state.[1]
| Racial Demographics, 2012[1] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | Muscogee County (%) | Georgia (%) |
| White | 48.3 | 62.8 |
| Black or African American | 46.1 | 31.2 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Asian | 2.3 | 3.5 |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0.2 | 0.1 |
| Two or More Races | 2.6 | 1.8 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 7.2 | 9.2 |
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 Muscogee County Board of Education consists of nine members elected to four-year terms. Eight members are elected to specific geographic districts while the ninth member is elected at large. There was no primary election and the general election was held on May 20, 2014. Five seats were up for election in 2014 and four seats will be up for election in 2016.[3]
Candidates began to file affidavits of candidacy on March 3, 2014. The filing deadline for school board candidates to get on the ballot in the general election was March 7, 2014.[4]
Elections
2014
Candidates
District 2
- Victor Morales
- Training and development coordinator, Pratt & Whitney
- John "Bart" Steed
- Owner, Kar-Tunes
- John F. Thomas
- Graduate, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and University of Iowa
- Revenue agent, Internal Revenue Service
- John Wells
- Incumbent
- Graduate, Columbus State University
- Business owner
District 4
- Naomi Buckner
- Incumbent
District 6
- Mark Cantrell
- Incumbent
District 8
- Beth Harris
- Incumbent
- Frank Myers
- Attorney
At-large
- Kia Chambers
- Graduate, Albany State University and Troy University
- Managing broker, ERA Elite Ventures Realty
- Owen Ditchfield
- Retired media specialist
- Former board member, 2000-2004
- Nate Sanderson
- Veteran, U.S. Army
Election results
Runoff election
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | John F. Thomas |
79.7% | 1,980 | |
| Nonpartisan | John Wells Incumbent | 20.3% | 503 | |
| Total Votes | 2,483 | |||
| Source: Georgia Secretary of State, "Official County Results," accessed June 10, 2015 | ||||
General election
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | John F. Thomas |
35.3% | 1,450 | |
| Nonpartisan | John Wells Incumbent |
27.6% | 1,134 | |
| Nonpartisan | John "Bart" Steed | 26.6% | 1,093 | |
| Nonpartisan | Victor Morales | 10.4% | 429 | |
| Total Votes | 4,106 | |||
| Source: Georgia Secretary of State, "Official County Results," accessed June 10, 2015 | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Naomi Buckner Incumbent |
100% | 2,982 | |
| Total Votes | 2,982 | |||
| Source: Georgia Secretary of State, "Official County Results," accessed June 10, 2015 | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Mark Cantrell Incumbent |
100% | 3,004 | |
| Total Votes | 3,004 | |||
| Source: Georgia Secretary of State, "Official County Results," accessed June 10, 2015 | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Frank Myers |
64.4% | 1,509 | |
| Nonpartisan | Beth Harris Incumbent | 35.6% | 833 | |
| Total Votes | 2,342 | |||
| Source: Georgia Secretary of State, "Official County Results," accessed June 10, 2015 | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Kia Chambers |
52.7% | 12,324 | |
| Nonpartisan | Owen Ditchfield | 30.7% | 7,193 | |
| Nonpartisan | Nate Sanderson | 16.6% | 3,884 | |
| Total Votes | 23,401 | |||
| Source: Georgia Secretary of State, "Official County Results," accessed June 10, 2015 | ||||
Endorsements
No candidates received an official endorsement in this election.
Campaign finance
Candidates reported $85,527.97 in contributions and $56,448.00 in expenditures to the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission as of May 16, 2014.[5]
In the District 2 race, candidates raised a total of $27,146.00 and spent a total of $19,447.53.
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Victor Morales | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| John "Bart" Steed | $17,900.00 | $10,260.00 | $7,640.00 |
| John F. Thomas | $2,700.00 | $2,641.53 | $58.47 |
| John Wells | $6,546.00 | $6,546.00 | $0.00 |
Candidates in the District 4 and 6 races reported no contributions or expenditures.
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Naomi Buckner | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Mark Cantrell | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
In the District 8 race, candidates raised a total of $11,251.00 and spent a total of $7,357.56.
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beth Harris | $600.00 | $464.50 | $135.50 |
| Frank Myers | $10,651.00 | $6,893.06 | $2,557.94 |
In the at-large race, candidates raised a total of $47,130.97 and spent a total of $29,642.91.
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kia Chambers | $30,213.97 | $20,510.92 | $9,703.05 |
| Owen Ditchfield | $13,327.00 | $7,648.37 | $5,678.63 |
| Nate Sanderson | $3,590.00 | $1,483.62 | $2,106.38 |
Past elections
Information about earlier elections can be found by clicking [show] at the right. | |
|---|---|
2012District 1 incumbent Pat Hugley Green and District 5 incumbent Rob Varner defeated challengers Al Stewart and Brian McCabe, respectively. The July 31, 2012 board election included losses for board members James Walker and Norene Marvets. Walker lost the District 3 race to Athavia "A.J." Senior and challenger Shannon Heflin defeated Marvets for the District 7 seat.[6] | |
What was at stake?
Issues in the election
April 24 candidate forum
MidTown Inc. hosted a candidate forum on April 24, 2014 featuring all nine candidates for the three contested seats. Here are highlights of candidate responses at the forum divided by board race:[7]
District 2
Incumbent John Wells touted the district's improving graduation rates as a source of pride for current board members. He advocated for a continuation of the reading program and supervisory changes implemented by Superintendent David Lewis. John "Bart" Steed argued that the district's graduation rate is still too low and education equity has to be achieved throughout district schools. Victor Morales suggested that more programs for struggling students are necessary to bring schools up to the level of success stories like Columbus High School. John F. Thomas stated that the district needs to reallocate resources to struggling schools in order to improve academic performance.[7]
District 8
Incumbent Beth Harris supported efforts by the superintendent to improving academic performance but also advocated for better communications. She suggested that teachers and principals throughout the district could spread good ideas with the help of district administrators. Frank Myers countered that Wells, Harris and other board members might limit the education policys promoted by Superintendent Lewis.[7]
At-large
Kia Chambers and Nate Sanderson spoke about the vast disparities between high-performing and low-performing schools during the forum. Chambers suggested that the district must focus on improving programs for students with disabilities and other groups with low graduation rates to close the district's achievement gap. Sanderson argued for replicating successful programs at high-performing schools throughout the district to increase academic performance. Owen Ditchfield noted that the district has to pursue state and federal education grants along with community partnerships to boost the district's prospects.[7]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the Muscogee County School District election in 2014:[4]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| March 3, 2014 | First day to file nominating petitions |
| March 7, 2014 | Last day to file nominating petitions |
| April 21, 2014 | Last day to register to vote in the general election |
| April 28, 2014 | Advance voting begins |
| May 20, 2014 | Primary election |
| July 22, 2014 | Runoff election (if needed) |
Additional elections on the ballot
The school board election shared the ballot with local, state and national primary elections on May 20, 2014. Local elections included races for the mayoral seat in Columbus and three seats on the Superior Court. The primary ballot included races for Georgia House of Representatives and Georgia State Senate. There were also state executive elections including races for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general. The May 20, 2014, election selected candidates for seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate.[8]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Muscogee + County + Schools + Georgia"
See also
- Georgia
- Muscogee County School District, Georgia
- Georgia school board elections, 2014
- List of school board elections in 2014
- School board elections, 2014
- Muscogee County, Georgia ballot measures
- Local ballot measures, Georgia
- Flurry of school board elections heading to ballots in Georgia, New York
- Newcomers win three-quarters of school board seats in Georgia runoff elections
External links
- Muscogee County School District
- Columbus, Georgia Consolidated Government
- Georgia Secretary of State
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 United States Census Bureau, "Muscogee County, Georgia," accessed May 13, 2014
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed May 13, 2014
- ↑ Muscogee County Elections & Registration Office, "Board of Education," accessed May 13, 2014
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Georgia Secretary of State, "2014 Elections and Voter Registration Calendar," accessed May 8, 2014
- ↑ Department of the Columbus, Georgia Consolidated Government, "Campaign Finance Disclosures," accessed May 16, 2014
- ↑ WTOC, "Longtime Muscogee Co. school board members booted after election," August 1, 2012
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Ledger-Enquirer, "Graduation rate is hot topic at candidate forum," April 24, 2014
- ↑ Department of the Columbus, Georgia Consolidated Government, "Elected Officials Information," accessed May 16, 2014
| 2014 Muscogee County School District Elections | |
| Muscogee County, Georgia | |
| Election date: | May 20, 2014 |
| Candidates: | District 2: • Victor Morales • John "Bart" Steed • John F. Thomas • John Wells District 4: • Naomi Buckner |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
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