Passaic Public Schools elections (2015)
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Three seats on the Passaic Public Schools Board of Education were up for general election on April 21, 2015.
At-large incumbents Byron Bustos, Salim Patel and Ronald Van Rensalier defeated sole challenger Rene L. Griggs. This election marked Griggs' sixth campaign for the board and her second contest against Bustos, Patel and Van Rensalier.[1] The three incumbents ran as a slate called "Passaic School Board 2015."
The 2015 school board election for Passaic continued a trend of low-contest elections in the district. These four candidates last faced off in a race with more than two candidates for each seat up for election, while 2015's only challenger was Griggs.
Voters also saw a tax levy question on their ballots, which they approved. The measure continued the then-current levy of $16.8 million.
About the district
- See also: Passaic Public Schools, New Jersey
Passaic Public Schools is located in Passaic County in north-central New Jersey. The county seat of Passaic County is Paterson. Passaic County was home to an estimated 505,672 residents in 2013, according to the United States Census Bureau.[2] Passaic was the eighth-largest school district in New Jersey, serving 13,136 students during the 2011-2012 school year.[3]
Demographics
Passaic County underperformed compared to the rest of New Jersey in terms of higher education achievement, median household income and poverty rates in 2013. The United States Census Bureau found that 25.6 percent of Passaic County residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 35.8 percent for New Jersey as a whole. The median household income in Passaic County was $57,654, compared to $71,629 for the state of New Jersey. The poverty rate in Passaic County was 16.3 percent, compared to 10.4 percent for the entire state.[2]
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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 Passaic Board of Education consists of nine members elected to three-year terms at-large by the district as a whole. There was no primary election, and the general election was April 21, 2015.[5]
Candidates had to file by March 2, 2015, and they had until March 9, 2015, to withdraw from the race. The drawing of ballot positions was held March 11, 2015.[5]
In order to vote in the election, district residents had to register by March 31, 2015.[5]
Elections
2015
Candidates
At-large
- Byron Bustos
- Incumbent, first elected in 2009
- Auditor, Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Postal Service
- Master's degree, Seton Hall University
- Bachelor's degree, Rowan University
- Salim Patel
- Incumbent, first elected in 2009
- Fiscal analyst, Shearman
- Ronald Van Rensalier
- Incumbent, first elected in 2006
- Community development director, Passaic
- Rene L. Griggs
- Resident council member, Alfred Speer Village
Election results
| Passaic Public Schools, At-Large General Election, 3-year term, 2015 |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Salim Patel Incumbent |
28.6% | 1,818 | |
| Nonpartisan | Ronald Van Rensalier Incumbent |
28.3% | 1,803 | |
| Nonpartisan | Byron Bustos Incumbent |
25.8% | 1,641 | |
| Nonpartisan | Rene L. Griggs | 16.6% | 1,055 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.7% | 45 | |
| Total Votes | 6,362 | |||
| Source: Passaic County, New Jersey, "PASS Totowa School Election April 21, 2015: Summary Report," April 24, 2015 | ||||
Endorsements
Ronald Van Rensalier, Salim Patel and Byron Bustos' slate was endorsed by Mayor Alex D. Blanco, City Council President Gary S. Schaer and Councilwoman Zaida Polanco. Polanco also works as the director of human resources for the school district.[6]
Campaign finance
No contributions or expenditures were reported as of April 17, 2015, according to the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission.[7]
The New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission regulates school board campaign contributions. Candidates who receive any contributions, including their own contributions, are required to appoint a treasurer and open a bank account for their campaign contributions and expenditures. Within 10 days of doing so, candidates must file "Certificates of Organization and Designation of Campaign Treasurer and Depository" forms with the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission.[5]
Individual candidates who expect to spend more than $4,500, receive more than $300 in contributions from one source or receive any cash contributions are required to file campaign finance reports. Similarly, joint campaigns exceeding the threshold of $8,500 for two candidates or $12,300 for three or more candidates must also file.[5]
The deadline for the 29-day pre-election campaign finance report was March 23, 2015. Between April 8, 2015, and April 21, 2015, candidates and committees were required to report any expenditure or contribution from any one source in excess of $1,400 within 48 hours. The 11-day pre-election report deadline was April 10, 2015, and the 20-day post-election report was due May 1, 2015.[5]
Candidates who planned to run in a future election after this one were required to file a quarterly report on October 15, 2015. Those not planning to run in the future must certify their 20-day post-election report as their final report.[5]
Past elections
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What was at stake?
2015
In the last three elections for the Passaic school board, an average of less than 1.5 candidates filed per each seat up for election. Of the 11 seats up for election between 2012 and 2014, five featured only one candidate each. The 2015 race continued the trend of low-contest elections in the district with 1.33 candidates filing per seat up for election.
While the three incumbents, Byron Bustos, Salim Patel and Ronald Van Rensalier, ran together as a slate for the third consecutive time, they faced a seasoned candidate who had challenged them once before. Rene L. Griggs ran for the board in five prior elections, most recently on April 23, 2014. She faced Bustos, Patel and Van Rensalier in her 2009 campaign, when she placed sixth out of the eight candidates running for the three at-large positions in that election. She was separated from the third-highest vote recipient in that election by more than 1,000 votes, according to unofficial election results. In her last bid, however, Griggs was more narrowly defeated. Just 93 votes separated her from defeating one of the three incumbents she challenged in the 2014 election, but overall turnout for the 2014 election was less than half of the 2009 election.
When these four candidates last met on the 2009 ballot, they faced a more competitive field. Over 2.6 candidates filed for each of the three seats up for election that year. This year, Griggs was the only challenger.
Issues in the election
Spring N.J. school board elections increasingly rare
Only 18 New Jersey school districts, including Passaic Public Schools, held school board and budget approval elections in April instead of November in 2015.[8] In 2012, Gov. Chris Christie (R) signed a law removing the voter approval requirement for school districts' proposed budgets unless they exceeded a mandatory 2 percent property tax cap. Additionally, the law allowed school districts to move their elections from the spring election date to the fall general election date.[9]
A significant number of districts signed on to the changes in order to avoid the costs of holding additional elections; as of the April 2012 elections, 87 percent of districts had chosen to adopt the changes. Nevertheless, some districts chose to wait due to a requirement that those who moved their election to November had to stick with that choice for at least four years before changing back. Other districts stated they would keep budget approval voting to respect their residents' role in the decision-making process.[9]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the annual April school board elections in New Jersey in 2015:[5]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| March 2, 2015 | Candidate filing deadline |
| March 9, 2015 | Last day to amend a defective candidate petition |
| Last day to withdraw from election | |
| March 11, 2015 | Drawing of candidate ballot positions |
| March 23, 2015 | Campaign finance report deadline |
| March 31, 2015 | Voter registration deadline |
| April 10, 2015 | Campaign finance report deadline |
| April 21, 2015 | Election Day |
| April 27, 2015- May 10, 2015 |
Newly elected board members sworn into office |
| May 1, 2015 | Campaign finance report deadline |
Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: New Jersey elections, 2015
New Jersey school board elections in 2015 could have been held on either April 21 or November 3.[10]
A tax levy for the school district was also on the April ballot for Passaic district residents. The question was approved by voters to maintain the then-current tax levy of $16.8 million, which had been in place for six years. According to The Record, "The school tax levy is figured by a state formula and represents the amount of money Passaic property owners pay to support the school district. The figure likely won’t change until after Passaic completes its property revaluation, which is underway."[11]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Passaic Public Schools New Jersey. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Passaic Public Schools | New Jersey | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ The Record, "Lone challenger to face three incumbents in Passaic school board election," March 3, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 United States Census Bureau, "Passaic County, New Jersey," accessed January 20, 2014
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed April 22, 2014
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "NJ Election Information and Results Archive," accessed January 20, 2014
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 New Jersey School Boards Association, "April Elections: Important Dates," accessed January 20, 2015
- ↑ The Record, "School incumbents win in Passaic vote," April 22, 2015
- ↑ New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission, "View a Candidate or Election Related Committee Report," accessed April 17, 2015
- ↑ NJ.com, "Few N.J. school districts still hold elections, budget votes in April," March 4, 2015
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 NJ.com, "School budget voting approaches for N.J. districts that opted out of new education law," April 16, 2012
- ↑ New Jersey Department of Education, "2015 School Election And Budget Procedures Calendar," accessed January 9, 2015
- ↑ The Record, "One challenger seeks seat on Passaic school board," April 16, 2015
| 2015 Passaic Public Schools Elections | |
| Passaic County, New Jersey | |
| Election date: | April 21, 2015 |
| Candidates: | Incumbent, Byron Bustos • Incumbent, Salim Patel • Incumbent, Ronald Van Rensalier • Rene L. Griggs |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
