P.K. Chowdhury
P.K. Chowdhury was the Place 3 incumbent on the Crowley Board of Trustees in Texas. He previously served on the board from 2001 to 2013, until he was defeated by Sybil Lane for the Place 6 seat. Chowdhury was appointed to fill a vacancy in Place 3 on November 21, 2013.[1] He won election to an unexpired one-year term against challenger Rusty Norton in the general election on May 10, 2014. He was defeated in the general election on May 9, 2015, by challenger Mia Hall.
Chowdhury participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 survey of school board candidates. To read his responses, check out his 2015 campaign themes.
Biography
Dr. Chowdhury earned his M.D. from the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine. He has worked as a pediatrician in the Crowley area since 1991, including more than a decade at Cook Children's Hospital. He has lived in Crowley ISD for more than 19 years and volunteers with youth sports.[2]
Elections
2015
The general election on May 9, 2015, in the Crowley Independent School District featured three seats up for election. In the Place 3 race, incumbent P.K. Chowdhury faced two challengers: Mia Hall and Rusty Norton. Place 4 incumbent June Davis was unopposed. There was also a special election for an unexpired term in Place 6. Gary Grassia, a 2012 Democratic candidate for the Texas House of Representatives, ran unopposed. Hall, Davis and Grassia won the three seats.
Results
| Crowley Independent School District, Place 3 General Election, 3-year term, 2015 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Mia Hall |
39.5% | 625 | |
| Nonpartisan | P.K. Chowdhury Incumbent | 37.8% | 598 | |
| Nonpartisan | Rusty Norton | 22.7% | 360 | |
| Total Votes | 1,583 | |||
| Source: Tarrant County Clerk, "Official Results," accessed June 1, 2015 | ||||
Funding
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.[3]
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.[4]
Endorsements
Chowdhury did not receive any official endorsements for this election.
Past elections
| Click [show] for more previous election information. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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2014P.K. Chowdhury defeated challenger Rusty Norton in the general election on May 10, 2014.[5] Results
FundingChowdhury did not report any contributions or expenditures to the district office prior to the election. EndorsementsChowdhury did not receive any official endorsements in this election. ====2013====Chowdhury lost his re-election bid to Place 6 against Sybil Lane on May 11, 2013.[6] Results
====2010====P.K. Chowdhury ran for election to the Place 6 seat unopposed.[5] Results
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Campaign themes
2015
Ballotpedia survey responses
Chowdhury participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 survey of school board candidates. The following sections display his responses to the survey questions. When asked what his top priority would be if elected, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | To continue to advocate that all students receive the best possible education and learning experience possible. This includes keeping our athletic and fine arts departments and approving additional courses to our Career and Technology Center.[7] | ” |
| —P.K. Chowdhury (2015)[8] | ||
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues by importance in the school district, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. This table displays this candidate's rankings from most to least important:
| Education policy |
|---|
 |
Click here to learn more about education policy in Texas. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Improving college readiness | |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Expanding career-technical education | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer 10 questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are in the left column and the candidate's responses are in the right column of the following table:
| Question | Response |
|---|---|
| "The basis for common core was agreed upon by all the state governors, unfortunately there are lots of misconceptions and therefore not accepted by the public." | |
| "No." | |
| "No." | |
| "While these tests are not perfect, there has to be a way to measure how schools or students are performing. Unfortunately, state and federal mandates require these if state and federal funding is to be expected. School districts are always needing as much funding they can get to keep programs going." | |
| "There needs to be some separate classes and curriculum to achieve these opportunities, however , it is also beneficial for all students to be together and help each other." | |
| "Expulsion should be used for serious offenses to ensure the safety of other students as well as the integrity of education at district schools." | |
| "Already having served 13 yrs in the district, the board's role is to oversee that a plan is in place to bring the school up to standards. The teachers, principal and curriculum team work together to achieve this goal." | |
| "Yes." | |
| "Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district." | |
| "I try to have visibility in the district, encourage transparency and encouraging partnering with local businesses and organizations." |
2014
Chowdhury explained his reasons for running in an interview with the Crowley Star:
| “ | Being on the school board for over 12 years has allowed me to serve our children by advocating for them to achieve higher education, sports and fine arts.
I have also always kept my fiscal responsibility to the taxpayers in the district in mind when making decisions on the board. Having children in the district attending our schools keeps me more in tune with what is going on in our schools. I am running because my experience and lack of any personal agendas makes me an efficient board member and I would love to continue to serve the district in this capacity.[7] |
” |
| —Crowley Star, (2014) | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms P.K. Chowdhury Crowley Independent School District. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Crowley Independent School District, Texas
- Crowley Independent School District elections (2014)
- Crowley Independent School District elections (2015)
- Decreased success for school board incumbents in Texas; 1/3 defeated in largest districts (May 11, 2015)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Amber Washington, The Crowley Star, "Chowdhury returns to CISD board," December 30, 2013
- ↑ The Crowley Star, "Prosanti Chowdhury, Trustee Place 6," May 9, 2013
- ↑ Texas Ethics Commission, "2015 Filing Schedule for Elections Held on Uniform Election Dates," accessed January 21, 2015
- ↑ Texas Ethics Commission, "Campaign Finance Guide for Candidates and Officeholders Who File with Local Filing Authorities," September 1, 2013
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Crowley Independent School District, "Board of Trustees Election," accessed March 18, 2014 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "election" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Tarrant County Elections, "May 11, 2013 Official Election Results," accessed March 18, 2014
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2015, "P.K. Chowdhury responses," April 14, 2015
- ↑ Crowley Star, "Crowley ISD School Board candidate profiles," April 27, 2014
| 2015 Crowley Independent School District Elections | |
| Tarrant County, Texas | |
| Election date: | May 9, 2015 |
| Candidates: | Place 3: Incumbent, P.K. Chowdhury • Mia Hall • Rusty Norton Place 4: Incumbent, June Davis |
| Important information: | Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
| 2014 Crowley Independent School District Elections | |
| Crowley, Texas | |
| Election date: | May 10, 2014 |
| Candidates: | Place 1: • Jay Hinton • Misty Whitley Place 2: • Thedrick Franklin • Jerry Nugent |
| Important information: | Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
