Pasadena Independent School District elections (2015)
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Three seats on the Pasadena Independent School District Board of Trustees were up for general election on May 9, 2015.
In the Position 5 race, incumbent Larry Savala faced challengers Alvino Gonzalez and Kenny Fernandez. Fernandez won the election. Position 6 incumbent Marshall Kendrick defeated challenger Lydia Velasquez to retain his seat on the board. In the Position 7 race, incumbent Vickie Morgan also kept her seat. She defeated Chuck Maricle and Erica Davis Rouse.[1][2]
Maricle participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 school board candidate survey. Check out the "Ballotpedia survey responses" section to see his answers.
About the district
Pasadena Independent School District is located in north Harris County, Texas. The county seat of Harris County is Houston. Harris County was home to an estimated 4,336,853 residents in 2013, according to the United States Census Bureau.[3] Pasadena Independent School District was the 16th-largest school district in Texas, serving 52,942 students during the 2011-2012 school year.[4]
Demographics
Harris County outperformed the rest of Texas in terms of higher education achievement in 2013. The United States Census Bureau found that 28.4 percent of Harris County residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 26.7 percent for the state as a whole. The median household income in Harris County was $53,137, compared to $51,900 statewide. The poverty rate in Harris County was 18.5 percent, compared to 17.6 percent for the entire state.[3]
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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 Pasadena Board of Trustees consists of seven members elected to four-year terms. There was no primary election, and a general election took place on May 9, 2015. Three seats were on the ballot in May 2015.[6]
School board candidates submitted paperwork with the school district secretary by February 27, 2015. Each candidate must be at least 18 years old, a registered voter and a resident of the district for at least six months. Members filed two campaign finance reports with the district clerk prior to the election unless they did not receive or spend $500 during the campaign.[7]
Elections
2015
Candidates
Position 5
- Larry Savala
- Incumbent
- President, Hispanic Family Initiative
- Alvino Gonzalez
- Kenny Fernandez
Position 6
- Marshall Kendrick
- Incumbent
- Graduate, Stephen F. Austin University
- Retired businessman
- Lydia Velasquez
- Retired educator
Position 7
- Vickie Morgan
- Incumbent
- Homemaker
- Chuck Maricle
- Veteran, U.S. Army
- Graduate, Canisius College
- District captain, U.S. Coast Guard
- Erica Davis Rouse
- Graduate, Texas A&M University
- Senior learning consultant
Election results
Position 5
| Pasadena Independent School District, Position 5 General Election, 4-year term, 2015 |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Kenny Fernandez |
44.5% | 874 | |
| Nonpartisan | Larry Savala Incumbent | 43.3% | 851 | |
| Nonpartisan | Alvino Gonzalez | 12.2% | 240 | |
| Total Votes | 1,965 | |||
| Source: Pasadena Independent School District, "Cumulative Report - Official," accessed June 1, 2015 | ||||
Position 6
| Pasadena Independent School District, Position 6 General Election, 4-year term, 2015 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Marshall Kendrick Incumbent |
67.3% | 1,328 | |
| Nonpartisan | Lydia Velasquez | 32.7% | 646 | |
| Total Votes | 1,974 | |||
| Source: Pasadena Independent School District, "Cumulative Report - Official," accessed June 1, 2015 | ||||
Position 7
| Pasadena Independent School District, Position 7 General Election, 4-year term, 2015 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Vickie Morgan Incumbent |
58.3% | 1,214 | |
| Nonpartisan | Erica Davis Rouse | 25.2% | 525 | |
| Nonpartisan | Chuck Maricle | 16.5% | 344 | |
| Total Votes | 2,083 | |||
| Source: Pasadena Independent School District, "Cumulative Report - Official," accessed June 1, 2015 | ||||
Endorsements
Position 7 candidate Chuck Maricle was endorsed by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the Harris County AFL-CIO Council.[8]
Campaign finance
No contributions or expenditures were reported as of April 9, 2015, according to the Texas Ethics Commission.[9] The next filing deadline was May 1, 2015.
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.[7]
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.[10]
What was at stake?
2015
Ballotpedia survey responses
Chuck Maricle participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 survey of school board candidates. The following sections display his responses to the survey questions.
Top priorities
When asked what his top priorities would be if elected, Maricle stated:
| “ | Start changing the mindset of the board, get them involved and listening to the community and employees again. Through outreach programs an a more "community schools" friendly concept, establish a personal connection. Start "keeping our ear to the ground" and remembering to whom were our elected responsibilities are.[11] | ” |
| —Chuck Maricle (2015)[12] | ||
Ranking the issues
The candidates were 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 the candidates' rankings from most to least important:
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Expanding career-technical education | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Improving college readiness | |
Positions on the issues
The candidates were asked to answer 10 multiple choice and short answer questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. Links to the candidates' responses can be found below.
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the Pasadena Independent School District election in 2015:[7][13]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| December 29, 2014 | Deadline to post notice of candidate filing deadline |
| January 28, 2015 | First day to file for place on general election ballot |
| February 27, 2015 | Last day to file for place on general election ballot |
| March 4, 2015 | Last day to withdraw from ballot |
| March 10, 2015 | First day to apply for ballot by mail |
| April 9, 2015 | Last day for voter registration with county clerk |
| Campaign finance report due | |
| April 27, 2015 | First day of early voting |
| April 30, 2015 | Last day to apply for ballot by mail |
| May 1, 2015 | Campaign finance report due |
| May 5, 2015 | Last day of early voting |
| May 9, 2015 | Election Day |
| May 20, 2015 | Final day for canvassing of votes |
| July 15, 2015 | Campaign finance report due |
Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Texas elections, 2015
The election on May 9, 2015, shared the ballot with other municipal elections.
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Pasadena + Independent + School + District + Texas"
See also
| Pasadena Independent School District | Texas | School Boards |
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External links
- Pasadena Independent School District
- Harris County Clerk
- Harris County, Texas
- Texas Secretary of State
Footnotes
- ↑ South Belt Leader, "PISD Election Candidates Choose Ballot Placement," March 5, 2015
- ↑ Pasadena Independent School District, "Election Results," accessed May 9, 2015
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 United States Census Bureau, "Harris County, Texas," accessed February 11, 2015
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed May 5, 2014
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Harris County," accessed December 31, 2014
- ↑ Pasadena Independent School District, "School Board," accessed March 6, 2015
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Texas Ethics Commission, "2015 Filing Schedule for Elections Held on Uniform Election Dates," accessed January 21, 2015
- ↑ Lauren Dixon, "Email correspondence with Tanner Williams, Regional Coordinator, Texas AFT," April 7, 2015
- ↑ Texas Ethics Commission, "Search Campaign Finance Reports," accessed April 10, 2015
- ↑ Texas Ethics Commission, "Campaign Finance Guide for Candidates and Officeholders Who File with Local Filing Authorities," September 1, 2013
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2015
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Important 2015 Election Dates," accessed January 20, 2015
