Pulaski County Special School District elections (2016)
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The Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) took control of the Pulaski County Special School District (PCSSD) in 2011. After five years of state control, residents in the school district elected seven members to the reconstituted PCSSD Board of Education. Fourteen candidates filed to run in the by-district election for seven seats. Two candidates were unopposed and were therefore elected by default: Mike Kemp in Zone 1 and Alicia Gillen in Zone 5. Tina Ward defeated fellow candidate Mildred Tatum for the seat in Zone 2. In Zone 3, Linda Remele defeated Gloria Lawrence. Shelby Thomas won the seat in Zone 4 after defeating two candidates: Cari Fetters and Leonard Smith. Eli Keller defeated Samuel Branch in Zone 6, and Brian Maune defeated Julian McMurray and Jim Jolley to win the seat in Zone 7. Overall, four of the candidates elected previously served as members of the PCSSD school board: Kemp, Remele, Thomas, and Maune.[1][2]
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The Pulaski County Special School District Board of Education comprises seven members elected by district to four-year terms. All seven seats on the board were up for general election in 2016. There was no primary election. If no candidate won a majority of votes in the general election, a runoff election was held on November 29, 2016.
Candidates running for the school board had to be at least 18 years of age and registered to vote. Candidates were required to gather petition signatures from at least 20 voters registered in the school district. This petition of candidacy had to be submitted to the Arkansas Secretary of State by August 30, 2016. School board candidates also had to reside in the school district and could not be convicted of a felony.[3]
Candidates and results
Zone 1
Results
This election was held on November 8, 2016.
| Pulaski County Special School District, Zone 1 General Election, 4-year term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | ||
 Mike Kemp | ||
| Source: Votepulaski.net, "Election Summary," accessed November 9, 2016 These election results are unofficial and will be updated after official vote totals are made available. | ||
Candidates
Mike Kemp 
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Zone 2
Results
This election was held on November 8, 2016.
| Pulaski County Special School District, Zone 2 General Election, 4-year term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Tina Ward |
52.48% | 2,643 |
| Mildred Tatum | 47.52% | 2,393 |
| Total Votes | 5,036 | |
| Source: Votepulaski.net, "Election Summary," accessed November 9, 2016 These election results are unofficial and will be updated after official vote totals are made available. | ||
Candidates
| Mildred Tatum | Tina Ward
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Zone 3
Results
This election was held on November 8, 2016.
| Pulaski County Special School District, Zone 3 General Election, 4-year term, 2016 |
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|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Linda Remele |
61.75% | 4,365 |
| Gloria Lawrence | 38.25% | 2,704 |
| Total Votes | 7,069 | |
| Source: Votepulaski.net, "Election Summary," accessed November 9, 2016 These election results are unofficial and will be updated after official vote totals are made available. | ||
Candidates
| Linda Remele
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Gloria Lawrence | ||
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Zone 4
Results
This election was held on November 8, 2016.
| Pulaski County Special School District, Zone 4 General Election, 4-year term, 2016 |
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|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Shelby Thomas |
51.77% | 2,939 |
| Cari Fetters | 29.17% | 1,656 |
| Leonard Smith | 19.06% | 1,082 |
| Total Votes | 5,677 | |
| Source: Votepulaski.net, "Election Summary," accessed November 9, 2016 These election results are unofficial and will be updated after official vote totals are made available. | ||
Candidates
| Shelby Thomas
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Cori Fetters | Leonard Smith | |||
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Zone 5
Results
This election was held on November 8, 2016.
| Pulaski County Special School District, Zone 5 General Election, 4-year term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | ||
| Alicia Gillen | ||
| Source: Votepulaski.net, "Election Summary," accessed November 9, 2016 These election results are unofficial and will be updated after official vote totals are made available. | ||
Candidates
| Alicia Gillen
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Zone 6
Results
This election was held on November 8, 2016.
| Pulaski County Special School District, Zone 6 General Election, 4-year term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Eli Keller |
67.58% | 4,689 |
| Samuel Branch | 32.42% | 2,249 |
| Total Votes | 6,938 | |
| Source: Votepulaski.net, "Election Summary," accessed November 9, 2016 These election results are unofficial and will be updated after official vote totals are made available. | ||
Candidates
| Samuel Branch | Eli Keller
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Zone 7
Results
This election was held on November 8, 2016.
| Pulaski County Special School District, Zone 7 General Election, 4-year term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Brian Maune |
59.58% | 4,308 |
| Julian McMurray | 22.71% | 1,642 |
| Jim Jolley | 17.72% | 1,281 |
| Total Votes | 7,231 | |
| Source: Votepulaski.net, "Election Summary," accessed November 9, 2016 These election results are unofficial and will be updated after official vote totals are made available. | ||
Candidates
| Brian Maune
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Jim Jolley | Julian McMurray | |||
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Additional elections
- See also: Arkansas elections, 2016
The Pulaski County Special School District Board of Education election shared the ballot with the U.S. presidential election, the U.S. Senate election, the U.S. House of Representatives election, and seven statewide ballot measures.
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the Pulaski County Special School District election in 2016:[4]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| August 30, 2016 | Candidate filing deadline |
| September 12, 2016 | Deadline to register to vote in general election |
| November 8, 2016 | Election Day |
| November 29, 2016 | Runoff election date |
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
Candidates were not required to file a campaign finance report if they did not receive contributions or did not make expenditures in excess of $500.00.[5]
No candidate filed a campaign finance report, as of October 23, 2016.[6]
What was at stake?
2016
Issues in the election
Board of education returns to local control
Voters in the PCSSD chose seven members to replace a state-controlled advisory board on November 8, 2016. Local control returned to the district after five years of state oversight by the Arkansas Department of Education. The PCSSD Board of Education was dissolved in 2011 after the Arkansas Legislative Audit concluded that officials mismanaged the district's finances over a six-year period. A number of district expenditures were questioned, including a $320 hotel charge for a board member who lived in the district and the purchase of women's undergarments and athletic apparel.[7] Mildred Tatum, a member of the board prior to its dissolution, ran for a second chance to help lead the district but was defeated by candidate Tina Ward.
Report a story for this election
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About the district
The Pulaski County Special School District is located in central Arkansas in Pulaski County. Little Rock is the county seat. Pulaski County was home to 392,664 residents between 2010 and 2015, according to the United States Census Bureau.[8] The district was the third-largest school district in the state in the 2013–2014 school year and served 17,750 students.[9]
Demographics
Pulaski County outperformed Arkansas as a whole in terms of higher education achievement. The Census Bureau found that 32.0 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 20.6 percent of all state residents. The median household income for Pulaski County was $46,410, compared to $41,264 statewide. The county poverty rate was 16.1 percent, compared to a statewide poverty rate of 19.1 percent.[8]
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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.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Pulaski County Special School District' 'Arkansas'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Pulaski County Special School District | Arkansas | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Pulaski Circuit/County Clerk, "Candidate List 2016 Pulaski County Special School District," accessed August 30, 2016
- ↑ Pulaski County Election Commission, "2016 General Election," accessed November 9, 2016
- ↑ Arkansas School Boards Association, "Board Candidates," accessed August 3, 2016
- ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, "2016 Election dates," accessed August 9, 2016
- ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, "Financial Disclosure," accessed August 16, 2016
- ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, "Financial Disclosure," accessed October 23, 2016
- ↑ Arkansas Matters, "PCSSD Set to Usher in New School Board," September 27, 2016
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 United States Census Bureau, "State & County QuickFacts: Pulaski County, Arkansas," accessed September 12, 2016
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed November 16, 2015
- ↑ Pulaski County Election Commission, "Election Archives," accessed August 13, 2014
| 2016 Pulaski County Special School District Elections | |
| Benton County, Arkansas | |
| Election date: | November 8, 2016 |
| Candidates: | Zone 1: Mike Kemp Zone 2: Mildred Tatum • Tina Ward |
| Important information: | What was at stake? |
