Northwest Independent School District elections (2017)
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Three of the seven seats on the Northwest Independent School District board of trustees in Texas were up for general election on May 6, 2017. The race for the open Place 5 seat included candidates Tammy Eck, Taylor Harrington, Matthew Hooper, Steve Sprowls, and Jennifer Zazula. Sprowls was elected to the seat. Place 6 incumbent Lillian Rauch defeated challenger Carissa Barrett. In his bid for re-election to the Place 7 seat, incumbent Mel Fuller ran unopposed and won another term.[1][2][3] In addition to choosing members for the board of trustees in this election, citizens of the district voted to approve a $399 million bond measure.[4]
With an average of 2.67 candidates running per seat, the 2017 election attracted more candidates than the district's 2015 and 2016 elections. However, in 2014, the last time these three seats were on the ballot, an average of 3.33 candidates ran per seat. Click here for more election trends in the district.
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The Northwest Independent board of trustees consists of seven members elected by district to three-year terms. Elections are held on a staggered basis every year in May. Two seats—Places 3 and 4—were up for election on May 7, 2016, and three seats—Places 5, 6, and 7—were up for election on May 6, 2017.[5]
To qualify for the ballot, board candidates had to be at least 18 years old, U.S. citizens, registered voters, and residents of the board of trustees district they sought to represent. They could not be convicted of a felony. To get on the ballot, they had to file their candidacy applications with the school district by February 17, 2017.[6]
To vote in this election, citizens of the school district had to register by April 6, 2017.[7]
Place 5
Results
| Northwest Independent School District, Place 5 General Election, 3-year term, 2017 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Steve Sprowls |
30.55% | 1,006 |
| Tammy Eck | 19.40% | 639 |
| Matthew Hooper | 18.89% | 622 |
| Jennifer Zazula | 17.64% | 581 |
| Taylor Harrington | 13.51% | 445 |
| Total Votes | 3,293 | |
| Source: Denton County Elections, "Cumulative Report–Official: Denton County–2017 May General and Special Elections," accessed June 6, 2017 and Tarrant County Elections, "05-06-2017 Joint Elections: Official Results," accessed June 6, 2017 | ||
Candidates
| Tammy Eck | Taylor Harrington | Matthew Hooper | |||
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Steve Sprowls 
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Jennifer Zazula | ||
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Place 6
Results
| Northwest Independent School District, Place 6 General Election, 3-year term, 2017 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Lillian Rauch Incumbent |
60.42% | 1,913 |
| Carissa Barrett | 39.58% | 1,253 |
| Total Votes | 3,166 | |
| Source: Denton County Elections, "Cumulative Report–Official: Denton County–2017 May General and Special Elections," accessed June 6, 2017 and Tarrant County Elections, "05-06-2017 Joint Elections: Official Results," accessed June 6, 2017 | ||
Candidates
| Lillian Rauch
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Carissa Barrett | ||
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Place 7
Results
| Northwest Independent School District, Place 7 General Election, 3-year term, 2017 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Mel Fuller Incumbent (unopposed) |
100.00% | 2,844 |
| Total Votes | 2,844 | |
| Source: Denton County Elections, "Cumulative Report–Official: Denton County–2017 May General and Special Elections," accessed June 6, 2017 and Tarrant County Elections, "05-06-2017 Joint Elections: Official Results," accessed June 6, 2017 | ||
Candidates
| Mel Fuller
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Texas elections, 2017
The Northwest Independent board of trustees election shared the ballot with a $399 million bond measure for the school district.[4]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the Northwest Independent board of trustees election.[8][9]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| February 17, 2017 | Candidate filing deadline |
| April 6, 2017 | Campaign finance reporting deadline |
| April 6, 2017 | Voter registration deadline |
| April 24, 2017 - May 2, 2017 | Early voting period |
| April 28, 2017 | Campaign finance reporting deadline |
| May 6, 2017 | General election date |
| July 17, 2017 | Campaign finance reporting deadline |
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
There were three campaign finance deadlines for Texas school board candidates in 2017:[10]
- The 30th day report was due on April 6, 2017,
- The 8th day report was due on April 28, 2017, and
- The July semiannual report was due on July 17, 2017.
All school board candidates in the state were also required to file July semiannual campaign finance reports. Opposed school board candidates could choose "modified reporting" if they did not plan to exceed either $500 in contributions or $500 in expenditures in the election. Modified reporting exempts a candidate from filing the 30th and 8th day reports normally due before an election. If a candidate opted for modified reporting but exceeded the threshold before the 30th day prior to the election, he or she had to file the 30th and 8th day reports. Unopposed school board candidates were only required to file a campaign finance report on the July semiannual deadline.[11]
Reports
Candidates received a total of $1,551.00 and spent a total of $6,406.69 as of May 1, 2017, according to the Northwest Independent School District.[12]
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place 5 | |||
| Tammy Eck | $650.00 | $1,264.77 | ($614.77) |
| Taylor Harrington | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Matthew Hooper | $451.00 | $275.39 | $175.61 |
| Steve Sprowls | $275.00 | $4,325.64 | ($4,050.64) |
| Jennifer Zazula | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Place 6 | |||
| Lillian Rauch | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Carissa Barrett | $175.00 | $540.89 | ($365.89) |
Past elections
Information about earlier elections can be found by clicking [show] at the right. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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2016Place 3The election was canceled due to lack of opposition. Incumbent Anne Davis-Simpson won re-election to the board by default. Place 4The election was canceled due to lack of opposition. Incumbent Judy Copp won re-election to the board board by default. 2015Place 1Incumbent Joshua Wright won re-election without opposition. Place 2Incumbent Mark Schluter won re-election without opposition. 2014
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What was at stake?
2017
Election trends
- See also: School boards in session: 2015 in brief
With eight candidates running for three seats, the 2017 Northwest Independent board of trustees election attracted more candidates than the district's 2015 and 2016 elections. In those years, incumbents won re-election in uncontested races. The district's 2014 election, however, attracted more candidates than the 2017 race. In 2014, 10 candidates ran for three seats.
Two of the three incumbents whose seats were on the ballot in 2017 ran to retain their seats and won re-election, while the third seat on the ballot was open for a newcomer. No newcomers were elected to the board in 2015 or 2016 as none challenged the incumbents who ran. In 2014, one newcomer was elected to an open seat. No incumbents were unseated by newcomers in 2014, 2015, 2016, or 2017.
| School board election trends | ||||||
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| Year | Candidates per seat | Unopposed seats | Incumbents running for re-election | Incumbent success rate | Seats won by newcomers | |
| Northwest Independent School District | ||||||
| 2017 | 2.67 | 33.33% | 66.67% | 100.00% | 33.33% | |
| 2016 | 1.00 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 0.00% | |
| 2015 | 1.00 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 0.00% | |
| 2014 | 3.33 | 0.00% | 66.67% | 100.00% | 33.33% | |
| Texas | ||||||
| 2015 | 1.69 | 48.62% | 77.98% | 83.53% | 34.40% | |
| 2014 | 1.86 | 37.61% | 75.22% | 81.76% | 38.05% | |
| United States | ||||||
| 2015 | 1.72 | 35.95% | 70.37% | 82.66% | 40.81% | |
| 2014 | 1.89 | 32.57% | 75.51% | 81.31% | 38.24% | |
Issues in the election
Bond measure
In addition to choosing two candidates for the board of trustees on May 6, 2017, citizens of the Northwest Independent School District approved a $399 million bond measure. The district asked for funds to accommodate student enrollment growth, expanding student programs, technology and infrastructure improvements, facility maintenance, and security enhancements. Because it was approved, the bond increased property taxes by approximately $7.03 per month for owners of homes worth an average of $250,000.[2][3][13][14]
Candidate survey
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About the district
The Northwest Independent School District is located in Tarrant County in northeastern Texas. The county seat is Fort Worth. Tarrant County was home to an estimated 1,982,498 residents in 2015, according to the United States Census Bureau.[15] The district was the 63rd-largest school district in the state in the 2014-2015 school year and served 19,831 students.[16]
Demographics
Tarrant County outperformed Texas as a whole in terms of higher education achievement between 2011 and 2015. The United States Census Bureau found that 30.3 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 27.6 percent of state residents. The median household income in Tarrant County during that time period was $58,711, compared to $53,207 statewide. The poverty rate in the county was 13.1 percent, compared to 15.9 percent for the entire state.[15]
| Racial Demographics, 2011-2015[15] | ||
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| Race | Tarrant County (%) | Texas (%) |
| White | 74.7 | 79.7 |
| Black or African American | 16.4 | 12.5 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.9 | 1.0 |
| Asian | 5.4 | 4.7 |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0.2 | 0.1 |
| Two or More Races | 2.3 | 1.9 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 28.2 | 38.8 |
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 Northwest Independent School District Texas election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Northwest Independent School District | Texas | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Northwest Independent School District, "Election Information," accessed February 22, 2017
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Denton County Elections, "2017 May General and Special Elections: Unofficial Results," accessed May 6, 2017
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Tarrant County Elections, "05-06-2017 Joint Elections: Unofficial Results," accessed May 6, 2017
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Tarrant County Elections, "Sample Ballot: May 6, 2017 - Joint General and Special Elections: Northwest ISD," accessed March 23, 2017
- ↑ Northwest Independent School District, "Board of Trustees," accessed February 21, 2017
- ↑ Northwest Independent School District, "Administrative Regulations: Section B - Local Governance," accessed February 21, 2017
- ↑ Dallas County Elections, "Joint Election- Saturday, May 6, 2017," accessed February 20, 2017
- ↑ Texas Ethics Commission, "2017 Filing Schedule For Reports Due In Connection With Elections Held On Uniform Election Dates," accessed March 7, 2017
- ↑ Denton County Elections Administration, "Upcoming Election Information," accessed March 7, 2017
- ↑ Texas Ethics Commission, "2017 Filing Schedule for Reports Due in Connection with Elections Held on Uniform Election Dates," accessed March 28, 2017
- ↑ Texas Ethics Commission, "Campaign Finance Guide for Candidates and Officeholders Who File with Local Filing Authorities," accessed March 28, 2017
- ↑ Northwest Independent School District, "Election Information," accessed May 1, 2017
- ↑ Northwest ISD 2017, "What's Proposed," accessed March 13, 2017
- ↑ Northwest ISD 2017, "Questions," accessed March 13, 2017
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 United States Census Bureau, "QuickFacts: Tarrant County, Texas," accessed March 10, 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
| Northwest Independent School District elections in 2017 | |
| Tarrant County, Texas | |
| Election date: | May 6, 2017 |
| Candidates: | Place 5: • Tammy Eck • Taylor Harrington • Matthew Hooper • Steve Sprowls • Jennifer Zazula Place 6: • Incumbent, Lillian Rauch • Carissa Barrett Place 7: • Incumbent, Mel Fuller |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional election on the ballot • Key deadlines |
