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Raymond Blackwell
Raymond Blackwell was a Green Party candidate for at-large representative on the Syracuse City Board of Education Commissioners in New York. The general election was held on November 3, 2015.[1] He lost the election.[2]
Blackwell participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 survey of school board candidates. To read his responses, check out his 2015 campaign themes.
Biography
Blackwell graduated from the Syracuse City School District in 2007.[3] He earned a bachelor's degree in history from Long Island University and master's degree in cultural foundations of education from Syracuse University.[4]
Elections
2015
Four of the seven seats on the Syracuse City School District Board of Education Commissioners were up for general election on November 3, 2015.A primary election for Democratic Party candidates was held on September 10, 2015.[5][6][7] The seats held by incumbents Mark Muhammad, Michelle Mignano, Max Ruckdeschel and Stephen Swift were on the general election ballot.[8]
While Democratic incumbents Muhammad, Migano and Ruckdeschel all sought re-election, they faced primary challengers Katie Sojewicz, Daniel Romeo and Rita Paniagua. Muhammad and the challengers won the primary and advanced to the general election, where they won all four seats.[2]
Incumbent Ruckdeschel and challengers Sojewicz and Romeo cross-filed as a Working Families Party candidates. This cross-filing allowed Ruckdeschel to appear on the general election after his Democratic primary defeat.[9][10] One more Working Families Party candidate—Latoya Allen—and two Green Party candidates—Raymond Blackwell and Caleb Duncan—also ran in the general election.[11][12]
Results
| ELECTORAL FUSION: Syracuse City School District, At-Large General Election, 4-year term, 2015 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Cross-filed (2) |  Katie Sojewicz |
22.5% | 12,015 | |
| Cross-filed (2) | Daniel Romeo |
20.2% | 10,825 | |
| Democratic | Mark Muhammad Incumbent |
16.8% | 8,985 | |
| Democratic | Rita Paniagua |
16.1% | 8,591 | |
| Green | Raymond Blackwell | 6.9% | 3,698 | |
| Green | Caleb Duncan | 5.9% | 3,142 | |
| Working Families Party | Max Ruckdeschel Incumbent | 5.9% | 3,160 | |
| Working Families Party | Latoya Allen | 5.5% | 2,945 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.3% | 136 | |
| Total Votes | 53,497 | |||
| Source: Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Onondaga County Board of Elections Commissioner Secretary Julie Cook," January 14, 2016 | ||||
| FULL BY-PARTY RESULTS: | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Katie Sojewicz | 18.1% | 9,667 | |
| Democratic | Mark Muhammad Incumbent | 16.8% | 8,985 | |
| Democratic | Daniel Romeo | 16.8% | 8,987 | |
| Democratic | Rita Paniagua | 16.1% | 8,591 | |
| Green | Raymond Blackwell | 6.9% | 3,698 | |
| Green | Caleb Duncan | 5.9% | 3,142 | |
| Working Families Party | Max Ruckdeschel Incumbent | 5.9% | 3,160 | |
| Working Families Party | Latoya Allen | 5.5% | 2,945 | |
| Working Families Party | Katie Sojewicz | 4.4% | 2,348 | |
| Working Families Party | Daniel Romeo | 3.4% | 1,838 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.3% | 136 | |
Funding
Blackwell reported no contributions or expenditures to the Syracuse City School District Clerk as of September 8, 2015.[13]
School board candidates were required to file campaign finance disclosure reports with the clerk of the Syracuse City School District. No disclosure reports were required from candidates who raised or spent less than $500, but those candidates did have to file a sworn statement to that effect with the school district clerk.[14] Three reports were required per election from those over the $500 threshold. Campaign finance reports for the primary election were due August 12, September 5 and September 30, 2015. The general election campaign finance reports were due October 4, October 29 and November 23, 2015.[15]
Endorsements
Blackwell was endorsed by the Green Party of Onondaga County.[12]
Campaign themes
2015
Ballotpedia survey responses
Blackwell participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 survey of school board candidates. The following sections display his responses to the survey questions. When asked what his top priority would be if elected, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | If elected to the Board of Education for the Syracuse City School District my top priority would be to address concentrations of poverty through school choice and magnet schools.[16] | ” |
| —Raymond Blackwell (2015)[17] | ||
Ranking the issues
Blackwell was 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 this candidate's rankings from most to least important:
| Education policy |
|---|
 |
Click here to learn more about education policy in New York. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Expanding career-technical education | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Improving college readiness | |
| Expanding arts education | |
Positions on the issues
Blackwell was asked to answer 10 questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are in the left column, and the candidate's responses are in the right column of the following table:
| Question | Response |
|---|---|
| "They should not be implemented." | |
| "No" | |
| "No" | |
| "No" | |
| "Address concentrations of poverty and racial segregation and integrate other progressive education reform models such as project based learning and inclusive education." | |
| "Expulsion cases must be viewed on a case-by-case basis rather than the district having an overarching policy." | |
| "Address concentrations of poverty and racial segregation, promote fair funding, increase project based and technical education." | |
| "No" | |
| "Teacher evaluations are not fair and do not take into consideration the differences from one class to the next." | |
| "I would work to improve community school board relations by setting aside a day a week to do volunteer work in the community I serve. I would also distribute information to parents and community centers to help explain some of the complexities of the education system such as high school graduation requirements, college application information, and discipline protocol." | |
| "I do not support merit pay for teachers because kids are not products they are humans, there are to many variables from one class room to the next. Often times great teachers have a class full of kids with challenges and disadvantages and then get labeled as "under-performing" I do not believe that is right." |
Candidate website
Blackwell highlighted the following issues on his campaign website:
| “ | Bring the Community Together
Every school community has three sets of actors: children; teachers and administrators; and parents. I would like to see a greater parent presence in our schools and a greater teacher presence in our communities. When the parent and the teacher have a working relationship, research shows it increases the success of the child. Career Technical Education Career Technical Education (CTE) allows children to see the hands on purpose for their education. A small handful of students in the Syracuse district are enrolled in vocational programs such as cosmetology, auto-technology, and electrical trade. This is a model of education that can be used right after high school and no student should be turned down for lack of space. Experiential Learning Experiential learning is all about learning through doing and is an education model that emphasizes character growth, teamwork, reflection, and literacy. The Syracuse City School District currently has one Expeditionary Learning School (ELS). I would like to see experiential learning go from being the exception to the standard in this district. Fully Fund Syracuse Schools There are savage inequalities between urban and suburban school districts in New York State. The community must put pressure on the State for a fair funding formula that gives every public school the money it deserves. Code of Conduct The new Code of Conduct cannot succeed if parents, teachers, and students are not clear about its expectations and responsibilities. If schools do not have the adequate resources to implement the new strategies, it is not fair to expect any change in school climate. Students have a right to due process and should also be held accountable for their actions. Faculty have the right to feel safe and should also be exploring alternatives to out-of-school suspension. Address Concentrations of Poverty & Racial Segregation New York State has the most segregated schools in the nation and Onondaga County is the 9th most segregated metro area in the country. Concentrations of poverty and racial segregation are the roots causes of low performing schools, not parents and teachers. Magnet schools foster diversity and public school choice creates opportunity. If we don’t desegregate by race and class were not going to solve the problem of failing schools. A community conversation needs to be had to desegregate Syracuse area schools.[16] |
” |
| —Raymond Blackwell's campaign website (2015)[18] | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Raymond Blackwell' 'Syracuse City School District'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Syracuse City School District, New York
- Syracuse City School District elections (2015)
- Incumbency no guarantee of success in Nov. 3 school board elections (November 6, 2015)
- What happened in Nov.'s top board elections? (November 4, 2015)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Green Party of the United States, "Press Releases: Greens Designate City Candidates," May 18, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Onondaga County, "Onondaga County Election Results," accessed November 3, 2015
- ↑ WAER, "Green Party Candidate for School Board Places Desegregation and Diversity at the Forefront," May 18, 2015
- ↑ Ray Blackwell For Syracuse City School Board Facebook, "About," accessed August 14, 2015
- ↑ Onondaga County Board of Elections, "Welcome to the Onondaga County Board of Elections," accessed April 21, 2015
- ↑ Syracuse City School District, "2100: School Board Governance and Operations: School Board Legal Status," accessed April 21, 2015
- ↑ Abbey Smith, "Phone communication with Onondaga County Board of Elections," July 16, 2015
- ↑ Onondaga County Board of Elections, "Offices to be filled November 3, 2015," June 30, 2015
- ↑ Onondaga County Clerk, "Onondaga County Election Results: Primary Election September 10, 2015," accessed September 10, 2015
- ↑ Working Families Party, "2015 Candidates: Central NY," accessed August 7, 2015
- ↑ Syracuse.com, "3 Democrats will battle in September primary to replace Assemblyman Roberts," July 9, 2015
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Green Party of the United States, "Press Releases: Greens Designate City Candidates," May 18, 2015
- ↑ Abbey Smith, Email communication with Syracuse City School District Clerk Eileen Steinhardt," September 8, 2015
- ↑ New York Education Law, "NY Code - Section 1528: Expenditure and contribution statement," accessed July 24, 2015
- ↑ New York State Election Law, "NY Code - Section 1529: Times for filing statements," accessed August 12, 2015
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2015, "Raymond Blackwell responses," August 19, 2015
- ↑ Ray Blackwell for School Board, "Vision & Platform," accessed August 14, 2015
| 2015 Syracuse City School District Elections | |
| Onondaga County, New York | |
| Election date: | Primary election: September 10, 2015 General election: November 3, 2015 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Michelle Mignano (D) • Incumbent, Mark Muhammad (D) • Incumbent, Max Ruckdeschel (D, WF) • Latoya Allen (WF) • Raymond Blackwell (G) • Caleb Duncan (G) • Rita Paniagua (D) • Daniel Romeo (D, WF) • Katie Sojewicz (D, WF) |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
