Ric Cavender
Ballotpedia provides comprehensive election coverage of the 100 largest cities in America by population as well as mayoral, city council, and district attorney election coverage in state capitals outside of the 100 largest cities. This board member is outside of that coverage scope and does not receive scheduled updates.
Ric Cavender is an at-large representative on the Kanawha County Board of Education in West Virginia. He was first elected to the board in the general election on May 10, 2016.[1][2]
Biography
Cavender is the executive director of Charleston Main Streets. He previously worked in nonprofit management for the YMCA of the Kanawha Valley and in project management and marketing for WeSave, Inc. He serves on the board of directors for a number of organizations, including the Religious Coalition for Community Renewal, the YMCA of Kanawha Valley and the West Virginia State University Foundation. Cavender earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from West Virginia State University. He and his wife have two sons.[3]
Elections
2016
- See also: Kanawha County Schools elections (2016)
Two of the five seats on the Kanawha County Schools Board of Education were up for general election on May 10, 2016. In his bid for re-election, incumbent Jim Crawford Sr. faced three challengers—Ric Cavender, Bill Carpenter, and Adam Henry Knauff.[1][4] Crawford won re-election, and Cavender won the open seat.[2]
Though the election was held at large, only two members from the same geographic district could be on the board during a given term. Crawford was from District 3. Cavender and Carpenter were from District 1, and Knauff was from District 4.[1] The board had one member from District 1: Ryan White. Because of this, only Cavender or Carpenter could have won a seat, not both of them. There were no members from District 4, and Crawford was the only member from District 3.[5]
Results
| Kanawha County Schools, At-Large General Election, 4-Year Term, 2016 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Ric Cavender |
36.26% | 21,180 |
| Jim Crawford Sr. Incumbent |
26.56% | 15,510 |
| Bill Carpenter | 18.85% | 11,009 |
| Adam Henry Knauff | 18.05% | 10,545 |
| Write-in votes | 0.28% | 161 |
| Total Votes | 58,405 | |
| Source: Kanawha County Clerk, "Primary Election: Official Summary Report," accessed May 27, 2016 | ||
Funding
Cavender reported $12,030.00 in contributions and $9,808.22 in expenditures to the Kanawha County Election Center, which left his campaign with $2,221.78 on hand in the election.[6]
Endorsements
Cavender was endorsed by the following organizations:[7][8][9][10][11]
- American Federation of Teachers - Kanawha
- Kanawha Valley Labor Council
- West Virginia School Service Personnel Association
- Regenerate West Virginia
- Teamsters Local 175
- Charleston Chamber of Commerce
- Charleston Gazette
- Charleston Daily Mail
- Beacon Digest
Campaign themes
2016
Cavender highlighted the following platform on his campaign website:
| “ | Building a stronger workforce
Upon graduation, a student has three main options: Enter into or continue vocational training to learn a trade, begin a 2-year or 4-year degree at a college or university, or enter directly into the workforce. Without a high school diploma, those looking for employment are limited to less than 10% of available jobs. More than 50% of all jobs require some type of post-high school education. The school system should do everything it can to foster each student’s strengths and determine the best route to take once he or she graduates.
Whether a student plans to pursue a college degree, learn a trade, or directly enter the workforce upon graduation, it is the responsibility of the Kanawha County Board of Education to ensure the best policies, communication practices, and technology initiatives are being implemented so students at every school within the system have a fair and equal opportunity to reach their personal goals. Safety and consistency The more decisions that can be made at a localized level, the better, and more consistent the education of our students will be. Many of the decisions the Board of Education must make are brought upon by the West Virginia Department of Education and the WV legislature.
Enhanced communication & technology In conversations I’ve had with every stakeholder, one consistent theme rises to the top: the need for tighter lines of communication between the Board, central office, administrators, faculty, and parents.
Strategic planning & Streamlining the budget Kanawha County is set to lose 600 students. This dramatic drop in enrollment will undoubtedly put a strain on the funding formula and force the Board to make some tough budget decisions. In my experience working with boards and municipalities, stark shifts such as this can be better handled if a long-term strategic plan is in place. While providing foresight and taking a proactive approach is extremely important, short-term decisions will need to be made to ensure the Kanawha County School system stays in the black. The last thing I want to see are more teacher positions eliminated and the largest county in the state of West Virginia providing less opportunities for the best, brightest, and most talented individuals to move to our region. It is the Board’s role to ensure the Superintendent and his/her staff are following and implementing a long-term strategy that will better prepare the county for budget and program issues.[12] |
” |
| —Ric Cavender (2016)[13] | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Ric Cavender' 'Kanawha County Schools'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Kanawha County Clerk, "Kanawha County Election Filings," accessed February 1, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Tristateupdate.com, "WV Primary Election Results," accessed May 10, 2016
- ↑ Ric Cavender Kanawha County Board of Education, "About Ric," accessed March 7, 2016
- ↑ Kanawha County Schools, "Kanawha County Board of Education," accessed February 1, 2016
- ↑ Charleston Gazette-Mail, "Kanawha BOE candidates discuss future of system," February 19, 2016
- ↑ Kanawha County Election Center, "Candidate Financial Reports," accessed October 3, 2016
- ↑ Ric Cavender Kanawha County Board of Education, "Home," accessed March 21, 2016
- ↑ Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Ric Cavender," April 13, 2016
- ↑ Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Ric Cavender," April 28, 2016
- ↑ Charleston Gazette, "Gazette endorsement: Cavender, Crawford for Kanawha school board," April 21, 2016
- ↑ Charleston Daily Mail, "Daily Mail endorsement: Kanawha school board can use fresh ideas, consistency," April 20, 2016
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Ric Cavender Kanawha County Board of Education, "Platform," accessed March 7, 2016
| 2016 Kanawha County Schools Elections | |
| Kanawha County, West Virginia | |
| Election date: | May 10, 2016 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Jim Crawford Sr. • Ric Cavender • Bill Carpenter • Adam Henry Knauff |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
