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New Hanover County Schools elections (2014)

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2014 New Hanover County Schools Elections
Primary election date:
May 6, 2014
General election date:
November 4, 2014
Table of Contents
About the district
Method of election
Elections
What was at stake?
Key deadlines
Additional elections
External links
See also
North Carolina
New Hanover County Schools
New Hanover County, North Carolina ballot measures
Local ballot measures, North Carolina
Flag of North Carolina.png

Four seats on the New Hanover County Board of Education were up for general election on November 4, 2014.

There was a Republican primary election on May 6, 2014, to select four candidates for the general election. Republican incumbents Janice Cavenaugh, Don Hayes, and Ed Higgins and challenger Bruce Shell defeated newcomer Jim Brumit in the primary. Incumbent Derrick Hickey did not run for re-election and sought a position on the New Hanover County Commission, instead. The winners of the May 6, 2014, primary faced Democratic candidates Tom Gale, Chris Meek, and Emma Saunders. The Democratic candidates ran as the Elect Red4Ed slate in the general election. Republican candidates Cavenaugh, Hayes, Higgins, and Shell defeated the Democratic candidates in the general election.

See also: What was at stake in the New Hanover County Board of Education 2014 election?

About the district

See also: New Hanover County Schools, North Carolina
New Hanover County Schools is located in New Hanover County, North Carolina

New Hanover County Schools is located in Wilmington, the county seat of New Hanover County, North Carolina. New Hanover County had a population of 213,267 residents, according to the United States Census Bureau in 2014.[1] New Hanover County Schools was the 12th-largest school district in North Carolina, serving 25,131 students during the 2011-2012 school year.[2]

Demographics

New Hanover County outperformed the rest of North Carolina in terms of higher education achievement in 2012. The United States Census Bureau found that 36.6 percent of New Hanover County residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree compared to 26.8 percent for North Carolina as a whole. The median household income in New Hanover County was $50,420 compared to $46,450 for the state of North Carolina. The poverty rate in New Hanover County was 16.0 percent compared to 16.8 percent for the entire state.[1]

Racial Demographics, 2012[1]
Race New Hanover County (%) North Carolina (%)
White 81.4 71.9
Black or African American 14.6 22.0
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.6 1.5
Asian 1.4 2.5
Two or More Races 1.9 2.0
Hispanic or Latino 5.4 8.7

Presidential votes, 2000-2012[3]
Year Democratic vote (%) Republican vote (%)
2012 46.9 51.5
2008 48.8 50.2
2004 43.7 55.8
2000 44.0 55.0

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

As of the 2014 election, the New Hanover County Board of Education consisted of seven members elected at-large to four-year terms. There was a primary election on May 6, 2014, and the general election was held on November 4, 2014.

The filing deadline for board candidates in New Hanover County was February 28, 2014. Each candidate submitted a notice of candidacy and a $108 filing fee to the county elections board. Candidates were required to be registered members of a party for at least 90 days before filing for a party's primary election.[4]

Voters in Hanover County were able to request absentee ballots for the primary election by April 29, 2014. The absentee ballot application deadline for the general election was October 28, 2014. The New Hanover County Board of Elections also hosted One-Stop Absentee voting from October 23, 2014, to November 1, 2014. This initiative allowed residents to vote early at locations throughout the county before the general election.[5]

Elections

2014

Candidates

At-large

Republican Party Janice Cavenaugh Green check mark transparent.png

  • Incumbent
  • Graduate, UNC-Wilmington
  • Real estate appraiser

Republican Party Don Hayes Green check mark transparent.png

  • Incumbent
  • Graduate, UNC-Wilmington
  • Sales representative
  • Former district teacher
  • Veteran, U.S. Navy

Republican Party Ed Higgins Green check mark transparent.png

  • Incumbent
  • Graduate, Catawba College, UNC-Wilmington and Wake Forest University
  • Law instructor, Cape Fear Community College

Democratic Party Tom Gale

  • Graduate, UNC-Wilmington
  • Real estate agent, Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage

Democratic Party Chris Meek

  • Graduate, University of Stony Brook
  • District teacher

Democratic Party Emma Saunders

  • Graduate, Florida A&M University and Fayetteville State University
  • Retired teacher

Republican Party Bruce Shell Green check mark transparent.png

  • Retired county finance officer, internal auditor and manager




Candidates defeated in the primary

Republican Party Jim Brumit

  • Owner, tax preparation business
  • Retired, U.S. Army Reserve

Election results

General
New Hanover County Schools, At-Large General Election, 4-year term, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngJanice Cavenaugh Incumbent 16.1% 34,666
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngBruce Shell 15.4% 33,275
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngDon Hayes Incumbent 14.6% 31,540
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngEd Higgins Incumbent 14.2% 30,700
     Democratic Emma Saunders 13.9% 30,101
     Democratic Tom Gale 13% 28,159
     Democratic Chris Meek 12.7% 27,524
Total Votes 215,965
Source: North Carolina Board of Elections, "2014 General Election Results," accessed December 30, 2014
Primary
New Hanover County Schools, At-Large Primary Election, 4-year term, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngDon Hayes Incumbent 22.4% 8,177
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngBruce Shell 21.6% 7,874
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngEd Higgins Incumbent 20% 7,314
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngJanice Cavenaugh Incumbent 19.6% 7,147
     Republican Jim Brumit 16.4% 5,970
Total Votes 36,482
Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections, " 05/06/2014 OFFICIAL PRIMARY ELECTION RESULTS - NEW HANOVER," May 13, 2014

Endorsements

Tom Gale (D), Janice Cavenaugh (R), and Bruce Shell (R) were endorsed by the Wilmington Regional Association of Realtors.[6]

Campaign finance

No candidate had filed a campaign finance report with the North Carolina State Board of Elections as of October 23, 2014.[7]

The last campaign finance deadline prior to the election was due October 27, 2014. Contributions, loans or transfers of $1,000.00 or more between October 19, 2014, and November 4, 2014, were required to be reported within 48 hours of their receipt. The year end report for 2014 was due January 30, 2015.[8] Candidates who received less than $1,000.00 in cumulative contributions did not have to report them but were required to maintain internal records of all contributions.[9]

Past elections

What was at stake?

Issues in the election

AP U.S. History course

In August 19, 2014, the New Hanover County Board of Education passed a resolution requesting that the State Superintendent, June Atkinson, and the North Carolina State Board of Education ask the College Board to delay the implementation of its new Advanced Placement (AP) U.S. history course. It also called for the North Carolina Legislature to investigate the changes made to the curriculum of the course, citing concerns that the updated course would fail to meet state standards for U.S. history education.[10]

Board members opposed the new AP curriculum, saying that it failed to meet the requirements of a state law regarding history education. North Carolina requires high school students to take a semester of American history focused on "founding principles." This requirement was established by Session Law 273 in 2011. The law requires the course to include at least the following:

“

a. The Creator-endowed inalienable rights of the people.
b. Structure of government, separation of powers with checks and balances.
c. Frequent and free elections in a representative government.
d. Rule of law.
e. Equal justice under the law.
f. Private property rights.
g. Federalism.
h. Due process.
i. Individual rights as set forth in the Bill of Rights.
j. Individual responsibility.[11][12]

”
—North Carolina Session Law 2011-273, (2011)

Don Hayes (R) stated that the new course had a "bizarre focus" on America's foundation. He stated, "I just think it's not a fair view of American history, the history of this country, and other board member share that same sentiment." He went on, saying, "I think that unfortunately you have in this country people who are not proud of the history of this country. They want to turn things around, and to me it’s very concerning. That's why we as a board have taken the steps we're taking."[13]

Lindalyn Kakadelis, director of education outreach for the John Locke Foundation, was outspoken on the issue in the district. He criticized the College Board's power to affect course curriculum, saying, "Do we want an outside force we can’t control? Is that the direction the state wants to go?"[13] The John Locke Foundation is a member of the State Policy Network.[14]

The board followed up the resolution by sending letters to the parents of students who had enrolled in the course to inform them of their concerns and allowed those students the option to transfer to another course. As of October 4, 2014, only eight students had dropped the course. The district did not keep records of why students drop courses, so it's unclear if any of the decisions were influenced by the letter.[13][15]

April 17 candidate forum

All five candidates in the Republican primary participated in an April 17, 2014, forum hosted by the League of Women Voters of Lower Cape Fear. During the forum, the candidates reached consensus on several issues, including the reversal of a 2013 state budget provision that removed starting pay increases of 10 percent for new teachers with master’s degrees. Jim Brumit supported repealing the provision but suggested that the pay increase be smaller. The candidates also expressed support for greater school choice for parents, while voicing opposition to publicly funded vouchers for students attending charter and private schools in New Hanover County. Don Hayes highlighted concerns about accountability in charter schools and the potential negative effects of preferential treatment for them.[16]

Key deadlines

The following dates were key deadlines for the New Hanover County Schools election in 2014:[5]

Deadline Event
February 28, 2014 Filing deadline for board candidates
April 11, 2014 Deadline for voter registration for the primary election
April 29, 2014 Last day to request absentee ballot by mail
May 6, 2014 Primary election day
October 10, 2014 Deadline for voter registration for the general election
October 23, 2014 First day for One-Stop Absentee voting
November 1, 2014 Last day for One-Stop Absentee voting
November 4, 2014 General election day

Additional elections on the ballot

See also: North Carolina elections, 2014

The school board race shared the general election ballot with races for seats in the U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, and North Carolina State Senate. Hanover County residents also selected candidates for county sheriff, county commission, and the North Carolina Supreme Court.[17]

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 United States Census Bureau, "New Hanover County, North Carolina," accessed April 29, 2014
  2. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed April 29, 2014
  3. ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Election Results," accessed April 29, 2014
  4. ↑ New Hanover County Board of Elections, "Filing for Office," accessed April 29, 2014
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 New Hanover County Board of Elections, "Absentee Voting," accessed April 29, 2014
  6. ↑ Bruce Shell for New Hanover County School Board, "Endorsements," accessed October 23, 2014
  7. ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "NC Campaign Report Search By Entity," accessed October 23, 2014
  8. ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Reporting Schedules," accessed October 23, 2014
  9. ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "2014 Campaign Finance Manual," accessed October 23, 2014
  10. ↑ New Hanover County Schools, "Resolution Requesting the NC State Board of Education Demand a Delay, and Rewrite, of the Advanced Placement U.S. History Curriculum Framework," accessed October 23, 2014
  11. ↑ General Assembly of North Carolina, "Session 2011: Session Law 2011-273, House Bill 588," June 23, 2011
  12. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Elephant Strong, "New Hanover County School board raises concerns over liberal revisionist AP History course," August 26, 2014
  14. ↑ State Policy Network, "Directory: North Carolina," accessed October 23, 2014
  15. ↑ School Board's letter regarding AP History makes little impact," October 4, 2014
  16. ↑ Lumina News, "Candidates weigh in on county issues," April 23, 2014
  17. ↑ New Hanover County Board of Elections, "Sample Ballots," accessed April 29, 2014
2014 New Hanover County Schools Elections
Wilmington, North Carolina
Election date:November 4, 2014
Candidates:At-large: • Janice Cavenaugh • Tom Gale • Don Hayes • Ed Higgins • Chris Meek • Emma Saunders • Bruce Shell
Candidates defeated in primary: • Jim Brumit
Important information:What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot
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