Putnam County Schools, West Virginia elections (2016)
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Two of the five seats on the Putnam County Schools Board of Education were up for general election on May 10, 2016. In their bids for re-election, incumbents Jack Coyner and Sam Sentelle faced challengers Bruce Knell and Diana McCallister.[1][2] Sentelle won re-election, and Knell defeated Coyner to gain a seat on the board.[3]
Though the election was held at large, only two members from the same geographical district could be on the board during a given term. Coyner and McCallister were from District 3. Knell was from District 1, and Sentelle was from District 2. The other three members of the board represented Districts 1, 2 and 3. Because there was already a District 3 representative, only Coyner or McCallister could be elected to the board in 2016.[1][4]
Coyner, Sentelle, and Knell participated in a candidate forum. You can watch this forum below.
By electing one new member to the board in 2016, voters broke a district trend of re-electing all incumbents whose seats were on the ballot. See how else this race compared to past elections in both the district and the state in the "Election trends" section below.
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The Putnam County Board of Education consists of five members elected to four-year terms. Board members are elected at large, but they represent different geographical districts. No more than two members elected from any district may serve on the board during a given term. Primary elections are not used in West Virginia school board elections.[5] Three seats were up for general election on May 13, 2014, and two seats were up for general election on May 10, 2016.[6]
To run in this election, candidates had to file with the Putnam County Clerk's Office by January 30, 2016.[7] Candidates also had to be at least 18 years old, hold a high school diploma or GED and be residents of the county. The cost to file for this election was $25.00.[8]
To vote in the election, district residents had to register by April 19, 2016.[7] Photo identification was not required to vote in West Virginia.
Candidates and results
At-large
Results
| Putnam County Schools, At-Large General Election, 4-Year Term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Bruce Knell |
32.96% | 7,213 |
| Sam Sentelle Incumbent |
24.19% | 5,293 |
| Jack Coyner Incumbent | 21.62% | 4,731 |
| Diana McCallister | 21.04% | 4,604 |
| Write-in votes | 0.19% | 42 |
| Total Votes | 21,883 | |
| Source: Putnam County Clerk, "Primary Election: Official Summary Report," accessed May 27, 2016 | ||
Candidates
| Jack Coyner | Sam Sentelle 
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| Bruce Knell
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Diana McCallister | ||
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: West Virginia elections, 2016
The Putnam County Schools election shared the ballot with the state's presidential primary election as well as primary elections for a seat on the U.S. House of Representatives and five state executive offices: governor, attorney general, treasurer, auditor and agriculture commissioner. Primary elections for two State Senate seats and three House of Delegates seats were also on the ballot.[7][9][10][11]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for West Virginia school board elections in 2016:[7][12]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| January 11, 2016 - January 30, 2016 | Candidate filing period |
| April 1, 2016 | First campaign finance reporting deadline |
| April 19, 2016 | Voter registration deadline |
| April 27, 2016 - May 7, 2016 | Early voting period |
| April 29, 2016 | Pre-primary campaign finance reporting deadline |
| May 10, 2016 | Election Day |
| June 21, 2016 | Post-primary campaign finance reporting deadline |
| July 1, 2016 | Board members take office |
Endorsements
Incumbent Jack Coyner and challenger Bruce Knell were endorsed by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT)-Putnam.[13] Coyner and fellow incumbent Sam Sentelle were endorsed by the Charleston Daily Mail.[14]
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
The first campaign finance reporting deadline for this election was April 1, 2016. If the total of all of a candidate's financial transactions did not exceed $500 at that time, a waiver could be submitted in lieu of the report. All candidates had to file a pre-primary report with the county clerk's office by April 29, 2016, and a post-primary report by June 21, 2016.[12][15]
Reports
Candidates received a total of $19,066.20 and spent a total of $19,078.20 in the election, according to the Putnam County Clerk.[16][17][18]
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Coyner | $437.47 | $437.47 | $0.00 |
| Sam Sentelle | $13,867.73 | $13,867.73 | $0.00 |
| Bruce Knell | $4,761.00 | $4,761.00 | $0.00 |
| Diana McCallister | $0.00 | $12.00 | ($12.00) |
Past elections
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What was at stake?
2016
Issues in the election
Candidate forum
Incumbents Jack Coyner and Sam Sentelle and challenger Bruce Knell participated in the following candidate forum hosted by the Charleston Gazette-Mail.
Election trends
- See also: School board elections, 2014
The 2016 Putnam County Board of Education election added one new member to the board, which was a change in the trend from the district's most recent elections. From 2010 to 2016, every incumbent whose seat was on the ballot ran for re-election. From 2010 to 2014, they also won. In 2016, however, one challenger defeated an incumbent to gain a place on the board.
Newcomers won 42.86 percent of the school board seats on the ballot in West Virginia's largest districts in 2014. Challengers ran for a seat on the Putnam County Board of Education in 2010 and 2014, but they were defeated both years. No one filed to challenge the two incumbents who ran in 2012, leaving them unopposed. A total of 10.71 percent of school board seats up for election in West Virginia's largest school districts were unopposed in 2014.
Candidate survey
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Ballotpedia invites school board candidates to participate in its annual survey. |
About the district
- See also: Putnam County Schools, West Virginia
The Putnam County school system is located in Putnam County in western West Virginia. The county seat is Winfield. Putnam County was home to 56,770 residents in 2014, according to the United States Census Bureau.[19] The district was the eighth-largest school district in the state in the 2013–2014 school year and served 9,907 students.[20]
Demographics
Putnam County outperformed West Virginia as a whole in terms of higher education achievement in 2013. The United States Census Bureau found that 24.0 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 18.3 percent of state residents. The median household income in Putnam County was $54,854, compared to $41,043 for the entire state. The poverty rate was 11.3 percent, compared to 17.9 percent statewide.[19]
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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' 'West Virginia'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Putnam County Schools | West Virginia | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Putnam County Clerk, "Certificate of Announcement," accessed February 1, 2016
- ↑ Putnam County Schools, "Member Profiles," accessed February 1, 2016
- ↑ Putnam County Clerk, "Unofficial Election Night Results," accessed May 11, 2016
- ↑ Charleston Gazette-Mail, "Live Blog: Putnam County School Board candidates," April 7, 2014
- ↑ West Virginia Legislature, "Chapter 18. Education: Article 5. County Board Of Education," accessed February 1, 2016
- ↑ Putnam County Schools, "Board of Education," accessed April 15, 2014
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 West Virginia Secretary of State, "2016 West Virginia Election Dates and Deadlines," accessed February 1, 2016
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "Offices on the 2016 Ballot," accessed February 1, 2016
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "Offices on the 2016 Ballot," accessed February 18, 2016
- ↑ West Virginia Legislature, "Senate District Maps - 2010 Plan," accessed February 18, 2016
- ↑ West Virginia Legislature, "House of Delegates District Map," accessed February 18, 2016
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 West Virginia Secretary of State, "2016 Campaign Finance Report Deadlines," accessed February 24, 2016
- ↑ Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Jill Sergent," April 18, 2016
- ↑ Charleston Gazette-Mail, "Daily Mail endorsement: Putnam School board candidates are steady - See more at: http://www.wvgazettemail.com/article/20160420/DM04/160429989#sthash.ZbzLshsu.dpuf," April 20, 2016
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "2016 Best Practices Guide for Campaign Finance," accessed April 4, 2016
- ↑ Putnam County Clerk, "Primary: First Report," accessed April 4, 2016
- ↑ Putnam County Clerk, "Pre-Primary Report," accessed May 4, 2016
- ↑ Putnam County Clerk, "Post-Primary Report," accessed June 22, 2016
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 United States Census Bureau, "Putnam County, West Virginia," accessed February 9, 2016
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed November 16, 2015
| 2016 Putnam County Schools Elections | |
| Putnam County, West Virginia | |
| Election date: | May 10, 2016 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Jack Coyner • Incumbent, Sam Sentelle • Bruce Knell • Diana McCallister |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
