Putnam County Schools, Tennessee elections (2016)
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Three of the six seats on the Putnam County Schools Board of Education were up for by-district general election on August 4, 2016.[1] Incumbents Dawn Myers Fry and Kim Cravens ran unopposed and won re-election to their seats in Districts 1 and 3, respectively. Lynn McHenry won the District 5 seat, which was left open when board member Eric Brown did not file to run for re-election. Bill Maynard originally filed to run against her in the race, but he dropped out of the election.[2][3][4]
This race saw less competition compared to the district's 2014 election in which no seats were unopposed. To see how else this race compared to past elections in both the district and the state, check out the "Election trends" section below.
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The Putnam County Board of Education consists of six members elected by district to four-year terms. Elections are held on a staggered basis every August of even-numbered years. The District 2, 4, and 6 seats were up for election on August 7, 2014, and the District 1, 3, and 5 seats were up for general election on August 4, 2016. There was no primary election.[5][3]
To get on the ballot, school board candidates had to file their qualifying documents by April 7, 2016. The deadline to withdraw from the election was April 14, 2016.[1]
To vote in this election, residents of the district had to register by July 5, 2016.[1] Photo identification was required to vote in this election.[6]
Candidates and results
District 1
Results
| Putnam County Schools, District 1 General Election, 4-Year Term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Dawn Myers Fry Incumbent (unopposed) |
99.83% | 596 |
| Write-in votes | 0.17% | 1 |
| Total Votes | 597 | |
| Source: Putnam County Election Commission, "Putnam County Election Results August 4, 2016," accessed September 1, 2016 | ||
Candidates
Dawn Myers Fry 
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District 3
Results
| Putnam County Schools, District 3 General Election, 4-Year Term, 2016 |
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|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Kim Cravens Incumbent (unopposed) |
99.76% | 834 |
| Write-in votes | 0.24% | 2 |
| Total Votes | 836 | |
| Source: Putnam County Election Commission, "Putnam County Election Results August 4, 2016," accessed September 1, 2016 | ||
Candidates
| Kim Cravens
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District 5
Results
| Putnam County Schools, District 5 General Election, 4-Year Term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Lynn McHenry (unopposed) |
99.87% | 794 |
| Write-in votes | 0.13% | 1 |
| Total Votes | 795 | |
| Source: Putnam County Election Commission, "Putnam County Election Results August 4, 2016," accessed September 1, 2016 | ||
Candidates
| Lynn McHenry
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Tennessee elections, 2016
The Putnam County Schools election shared the ballot with primary elections for the Tennessee House of Representatives as well as general elections for city offices.[2]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for Tennessee school board elections in 2016:[1]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| April 7, 2016 | Candidate filing deadline |
| April 11, 2016 | 1st quarter campaign finance report due |
| April 14, 2016 | Candidate withdrawal deadline |
| July 5, 2016 | Voter registration deadline |
| July 11, 2016 | 2nd quarter campaign finance report due |
| July 15, 2016 - July 30, 2016 | Early voting period |
| July 28, 2016 | Pre-election campaign finance report due |
| August 4, 2016 | Election day |
| October 11, 2016 | 3rd quarter campaign finance report due |
| January 25, 2017 | 4th quarter campaign finance report due |
Endorsements
No candidates received official endorsements in the election.
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
Every candidate in this race filed financial disclosure statement exemptions detailing they would not raise or spend more than $1,000 on their campaigns. Because of this, they did not have to file any additional campaign finance statements.[7]
The pre-general campaign financial disclosure report for this election was due July 28, 2016. Candidates were also required to file quarterly reports for the 2016 election year. Those reports were due on April 11, 2016; July 11, 2016; October 11, 2016; and January 25, 2017.[1]
Past elections
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What was at stake?
2016
Election trends
- See also: School board elections, 2014
Incumbents were guaranteed a 100 percent success rate in the Putnam County Schools Board of Education election in 2016 as they ran unopposed. Incumbents in the district's 2014 race also saw a 100 percent success race with two incumbents defeating challengers to win additional terms. A total of 75.41 percent of incumbents in Tennessee's largest school districts were re-elected that year.
Just as two incumbents were guaranteed to win re-election in the district's 2016 race, one newcomer was guaranteed to be elected to the board. One incumbent whose term was on the ballot did not file to run for re-election, leaving an open seat. Newcomers also took one of three seats in the district's 2014 race. This rate of 33.33 percent of school board seats in the district being won by newcomers was a lower percentage than the 45.98 percent of seats that went to newcomers statewide in 2014.
The 2016 Putnam County school board race had a higher percentage of unopposed seats than the district's race held in 2014. All of the seats on the district's ballot in 2016 were unopposed. The district's 2014 race had no unopposed seats, and it attracted exactly two candidates per seat up for election. Statewide in 2014, 36.78 percent of school board seats saw no opposition, and an average of 1.94 candidates ran per seat.
Issues in the state
Transgender bathroom bill withdrawn
State Rep. Susan Lynn (R-57) proposed legislation in January 2016 that would require public school students in kindergarten through college to use the bathroom and locker room that corresponded with the sex listed on their birth certificates. Four months later, she withdrew the bill. "I am still absolutely 100 percent in support of maintaining the privacy of all students. But I'm going to roll the bill over until next year so we can work on those issues," Lynn said.[8][9]
House Bill 2414 drew criticism from local media and some companies threatened to withhold business from the state if the bill were passed. Lynn said that was not why she withdrew the bill; instead, she put it on hold in order to further study the issue. She said school districts in Tennessee were "largely following what the bill says."[8][10]
While HB 2414 was still in committee, Gov. Bill Haslam (R) expressed concern about the bill. “I’m hearing that our school boards have figured out how to adjust to each situation that arises, and to date, I’m not hearing parents say we have [a] problem in our schools today,” said Haslam.[11]
State Reps. Mike Stewart (D-52) and Harry Brooks (R-19) asked for an opinion on the issue from Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery (R). Slatery responded by warning that the state could lose federal Title IX funding if the bill were passed.[12]
| “ | As things currently stand, we must, as a practical matter, assume that H.B. 2414 would violate Title IX, because the enforcer of Title IX has clearly interpreted — and enforced — Title IX to prohibit as 'discriminatory on the basis of sex' what H.B. 2414 is designed to accomplish.[13] | ” |
| —Attorney General Herbert Slatery (April 2016)[12] | ||
Stewart said Slatery's opinion was the "final nail in the coffin" for the bill. He and State Rep. John Ray Clemmons (D-55) said the bill could also hinder the state's goal of creating a business-friendly climate.[12] Executives of dozens of companies had signed a letter to state lawmakers asking them to reject the bill on the grounds that it was discriminatory.[14]
David Fowler, former state senator and president of the Family Action Council of Tennessee, objected to Slatery's opinion. He said the attorney general had used settlement agreements rather than court decisions to warn the state legislature away from passing the bill. "Settlement agreements have no persuasive value as a matter of law, unlike the court decisions that have actually ruled in favor of sex-designated bathrooms," Fowler said.[12]
After the bill was withdrawn, Fowler issued a statement:
| “ | But we join the thousands of parents across the state who are profoundly disappointed that at this point in the process Rep. Lynn has decided not to proceed with a bill that would have simply protected the privacy of the children they have entrusted to our public schools.[13] | ” |
| —David Fowler (April 2016)[8] | ||
In addition to receiving support from the Family Action Council of Tennessee, the bill was backed by approximately 30 pastors from the Tennessee Pastors Network. At least 67,000 state citizens opposed the bill, as two transgender high school students turned in that many signatures to the governor's office. They were joined by the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee, the Tennessee Equality Project, the Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition, and the Human Rights Campaign.[8]
Candidate survey
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About the district
- See also: Putnam County School System, Tennessee
The Putnam County school district is located in Putnam County in central Tennessee. The county seat is Cookeville. Putnam County was home to 74,553 residents in 2015, according to the United States Census Bureau.[15] The district was the 16th-largest school district in the state in the 2013–2014 school year and served 11,141 students.[16]
Demographics
Putnam County underperformed compared to Tennessee as a whole in terms of higher education achievement from 2010 to 2014. The United States Census Bureau found that 22.8 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 24.4 percent of state residents. The median household income in Putnam County was $34,780, compared to $44,621 for the entire state. The poverty rate was 20.8 percent, compared to 18.3 percent statewide.[15]
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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 'Putnam County Schools' 'Tennessee'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Putnam County Schools | Tennessee | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Tennessee Secretary of State, "Election Calendar 2016," accessed March 30, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Sara Shaw, Putnam County Election Commission" April 11, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Putnam County School System, "School Board Members," accessed March 30, 2016
- ↑ Putnam County Election Commission, "Putnam County Election Results August 4, 2016," accessed August 5, 2016
- ↑ Tiffany Rouse, "Email communication with Putnam County Elections Commission Deputy Clerk Jim Herrin," March 9, 2015
- ↑ Tennessee Secretary of State, "What ID is required when voting?" accessed March 30, 2016
- ↑ Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Debbie Steidl," July 29, 2016
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 The Tennesseean, "Transgender bathroom bill dead for year," April 18, 2016
- ↑ Open States, "HB 2414," accessed April 19, 2016
- ↑ Knoxville News Sentinel, "Tennessee lawmakers should stay out of students’ restrooms," April 3, 2016
- ↑ Huffington Post, "Tennessee Governor Skeptical Of Anti-Transgender Bathroom Bill," April 13, 2016
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 The Tennesseean, "Attorney general: Tennessee bathroom bill threatens Title IX funds," April 11, 2016
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ CBS News, "Tennessee lawmakers under fire over transgender bathroom bill," April 13, 2016
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 United States Census Bureau, "Putnam County, Tennessee," accessed April 11, 2016
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed November 16, 2015
- ↑ Tennessee Secretary of State, "Election Results," accessed June 26, 2014
| 2016 Putnam County Schools Elections | |
| Putnam County, Tennessee | |
| Election date: | August 4, 2016 |
| Candidates: | District 1: • Incumbent, Dawn Myers Fry District 3: • Incumbent, Kim Cravens District 5: • Lynn McHenry |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
