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Omaha Public Schools elections (2014)

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2014 Omaha Public Schools Elections
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
Nebraska
Omaha Public Schools
Douglas County, Nebraska ballot measures
Local ballot measures, Nebraska
Flag of Nebraska.png

Four seats on the Omaha Public Schools Board of Education were up for general election on November 4, 2014. All four incumbents ran for re-election.

Subdistrict 2 incumbent Marque A. Snow, Subdistrict 4 incumbent Justin T. Wayne, and Subdistrict 6 incumbent Matt Scanlan ran unopposed and won re-election. Subdistrict 8 incumbent Lacey Merica defeated challenger Marilyn Rickley.[1][2]

In 2013, the Nebraska State Legislature reorganized the school board, reducing the number of subdistricts from 12 to nine.[3]

About the district

See also: Omaha Public Schools, Nebraska
Omaha Public Schools is located in Douglas County, Nebraska.

Omaha Public Schools is located in Douglas County, Nebraska. The county seat is the city of Omaha. Douglas County had a population of 537,256 residents, according to the United States Census Bureau in 2014.[4] In the 2011-2012 school year, Omaha Public Schools was the largest school district in Nebraska and served 50,340 students.[5]

Demographics

In 2012, Douglas County had a higher percentage of residents with a bachelor's degree compared to the state overall. The United States Census Bureau reported that 36.2 percent of residents aged 25 and older in Douglas County had earned a bachelor's degree, compared with 28.1 percent for Nebraska. The median household income in Douglas County was $53,295, above the state median of $51,381. The poverty rate in the county was 14.0 percent, compared to 12.4 percent for Nebraska as a whole.[4]

Racial Demographics, 2013[4]
Race Douglas County (%) Nebraska (%)
White 81.6 89.7
Black or African American 11.6 4.8
American Indian and Alaska Native 1.1 1.3
Asian 3.1 2.1
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 0.1 0.1
Two or more races 2.5 2.0
Hispanic or Latino 11.7 9.9

Party registration, Douglas County, 2014[6]
Party Number of registered voters
Republican 123,696
Democratic 122,245
Libertarian 1,799
Nonpartisan 74,934
Total 322,674

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 Omaha Public Schools Board of Education consisted of nine members elected by subdistrict to four-year terms. There was no primary election and the general election was held on November 4, 2014. Four seats were up for election in 2014.[7]

School board candidates had to file in the office of the election commissioner or county clerk during the candidate filing period, which ended on February 18, 2014, for incumbents and on March 3, 2014, for challengers. The deadline to withdraw was also on March 3, 2014. Write-in candidates had to file by October 24, 2014. To vote in the 2014 general election, voters had to register by October 17, 2014.

Elections

2014

Candidates

Subdistrict 2

  • Marque A. Snow Green check mark transparent.png
    • Incumbent
    • Graduate, University of South Dakota
    • After-school teen director


Subdistrict 4

  • Justin T. Wayne Green check mark transparent.png
    • Incumbent Board President
    • Graduate, Creighton University
    • Assistant director in labor relations, Union Pacific Railroad


Subdistrict 6

  • Matt Scanlan Green check mark transparent.png
    • Incumbent
    • Graduate, United States Naval Academy
    • Businessman


Subdistrict 8

  • Lacey Merica Green check mark transparent.png
    • Incumbent
    • Graduate, University of Nebraska-Lincoln and University of Nebraska-Omaha
    • Academic advisor, Bellevue University
  • Marilyn Rickley
    • Registered nurse

District map

Omaha Public Schools map.JPG

Election results

Subdistrict 2
Omaha Public Schools, Subdistrict 2 General Election, 4-year term, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Nonpartisan Green check mark transparent.pngMarque A. Snow Incumbent 96.1% 3,884
     Nonpartisan Write-In votes 3.9% 159
Total Votes 4,043
Source: Douglas County Election Commission, "2014 General Election Official Results," accessed December 22, 2014
Subdistrict 4
Omaha Public Schools, Subdistrict 4 General Election, 4-year term, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Nonpartisan Green check mark transparent.pngJustin T. Wayne Incumbent 97% 7,786
     Nonpartisan Write-In votes 3% 240
Total Votes 8,026
Source: Douglas County Election Commission, "2014 General Election Official Results," accessed December 22, 2014
Subdistrict 6
Omaha Public Schools, Subdistrict 6 General Election, 4-year term, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Nonpartisan Green check mark transparent.pngMatt Scanlan Incumbent 98.3% 8,159
     Nonpartisan Write-In votes 1.7% 139
Total Votes 8,298
Source: Douglas County Election Commission, "2014 General Election Official Results," accessed December 22, 2014
Subdistrict 8
Omaha Public Schools, Subdistrict 8 General Election, 4-year term, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Nonpartisan Green check mark transparent.pngLacey Merica Incumbent 56.5% 1,393
     Nonpartisan Marilyn Rickley 42.6% 1,050
Total Votes 2,464
Source: Douglas County Election Commission, "2014 General Election Official Results," accessed December 22, 2014

Campaign finance

Candidates were not required to file campaign finance reports until they received or expended $5,000 or more in a calendar year.[8]

Past elections

What was at stake?

There were four seats on the school board up for election on November 4, 2014. Incumbents Marque A. Snow (Subdistrict 2), Justin T. Wayne (Subdistrict 4), and Matt Scanlan (Subdistrict 6) sought re-election to the board and were unopposed in the election. Incumbent Lacey Merica faced challenger Marilyn Rickley for the Subdistrict 8 seat.

Issues in the district

Bond issue

In late August 2014, the Omaha Public Schools Board voted unanimously to place a $421 million bond measure on the November ballot. Voters approved the measure, making it the largest school bond issue in Nebraska in recent history.[9]

The board also announced plans to propose a $377 million bond issue in May 2017. The first bond would increase taxes on a $150,000 home by $90. While board members and supporters emphasized that it was the district’s first bond issue in 15 years, some residents expressed concern over the cost. Nebraska Taxpayers for Freedom, a watchdog group led by Doug Kagan, led the opposition, while a campaign called Vote Yes for OPS Kids supported the bond. The measure received endorsements from the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce and the World-Herald.[10][11][12]

The Vote Yes committee's first campaign finance report showed it raised $155,000 between September 16 and September 30, 2014, all from a small group of donors:[13]

  • Susan and Mike Lebens, retired executives from Mutual of Omaha and Tenaska, $50,000
  • Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, $50,000
  • First National Bank, $30,000
  • Omaha Education Association, $10,000
  • Nebraska State Education Association, $10,000
  • Baird Holm, the district's legal firm, $5,000

Key deadlines

The following dates were key deadlines for the Omaha Public Schools election in 2014:[14][15]

Deadline Event
December 2, 2013 First day for candidates to file nomination documents
February 18, 2014 Filing deadline for incumbents
March 3, 2014 Filing deadline for challengers
March 3, 2014 Last day for candidates to withdraw
September 2, 2014 Last day to file for office by petition
October 4, 2014 First day for in-person early voting at the Election Office
October 6, 2014 1st General Statement campaign finance report due
October 17, 2014 Last day to register to vote in the general election
October 24, 2014 Last day for write-in candidates to file nomination documents
October 27, 2014 2nd General Statement campaign finance report due
November 3, 2014 Last day for early voting in person at County Clerk or Election Commissioner office
November 4, 2014 General election day
December 1, 2014 Meeting of the Board of State Canvassers to certify general election results
January 13, 2015 Post General Statement campaign finance report due

Additional elections on the ballot

See also: Nebraska elections, 2014

This election shared the ballot with general elections for two U.S. House seats, a U.S. Senate seat, Nebraska state executive offices, Nebraska State Senate seats, and one statewide ballot measure. It also shared the ballot with county, municipal, and judicial elections.[16]

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Douglas County Election Commission, "2014 General Election Candidate Information," accessed September 5, 2014
  2. ↑ Douglas County Election Commission, "2014 General Election Unofficial Results," accessed November 4, 2014
  3. ↑ Omaha.com, "6 newcomers, 3 incumbents to make up new OPS board," May 14, 2013
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 United States Census Bureau, "Douglas County, Nebraska," accessed September 5, 2014
  5. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed April 22, 2014
  6. ↑ Douglas County Election Commission, "Voter Registration Counts As of August 1, 2014," accessed September 5, 2014
  7. ↑ Nebraska Legislature, "Legislative Bill 125 (2013)," accessed September 5, 2014
  8. ↑ Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission, "Candidates – General Information for the Public," accessed September 17, 2014
  9. ↑ Omaha.com, "With voter approval of record $421M bond issue, OPS can fix up aging schools," November 5, 2014
  10. ↑ Omaha.com, "OPS board votes 9-0 to put $421 million bond measure on ballot," August 29, 2014
  11. ↑ Omaha.com, "In pitching bond issue to voters, OPS stresses closing a 15-year gap," September 21, 2014
  12. ↑ Omaha.com, "World-Herald editorial: Vote yes on OPS bond issue," October 5, 2014
  13. ↑ Omaha.com, "Backers of $421 million OPS bond issue get to work," October 7, 2014
  14. ↑ Nebraska Secretary of State, "Official Election Calendar State of Nebraska," accessed September 4, 2014
  15. ↑ Nebraska accountability and disclosure commission, "2014 Candidate Reporting Dates," accessed September 17, 2014
  16. ↑ Douglas County Election Commission, "Offices up for Election," accessed September 5, 2014
2014 Omaha Public Schools Elections
Douglas County, Nebraska
Election date:November 4, 2014
Candidates:Subdistrict 2: • Incumbent, Marque A. Snow

Subdistrict 4: • Incumbent, Justin T. Wayne
Subdistrict 6: • Incumbent, Matt Scanlan

Subdistrict 8: • Incumbent, Lacey Merica • Marilyn Rickley
Important information:What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot
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