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Richmond Public Schools elections (2017)
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One of the nine seats on the Richmond Public Schools school board in Virginia was up for special election to a three-year term on November 7, 2017. Kenya Gibson defeated appointed incumbent Cindy Menz-Erb and candidates Dorian Daniels, Joann Henry, and Kevin Starlings.[1][2] The special election was called due to a vacancy to the District 3 seat on the board.[3][4][5] Lathaniel Kirts initially filed to run in the election as well, but he withdrew from the race.[6]
The 2017 special election attracted more candidates than any seat that was on the ballot in the district's 2016 general election. For information on election trends in the district, click here.
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The Richmond school board consists of nine members elected to four-year terms. Elections are held by district for all nine seats every four years. All nine seats were up for election in 2016, and one seat was up for special election due an appointment on the board in 2017.[3][4][7]
To qualify as school board candidates, interested parties had to be at least 18 years old, U.S. citizens, and residents of Virginia for at least one year prior to the election. To get on the ballot, candidates had to file nomination paperwork with their county election office by June 13, 2017.[8][9]
To vote in this election, citizens of the school district had to register by October 16, 2017.[10] Photo identification was required to vote in Virginia.[11]
Candidates and results
District 3
Results
| Richmond Public Schools, District 3 Special Election, 3-year term, 2017 |
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|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Kenya Gibson |
44.89% | 3,287 |
| Cindy Menz-Erb Incumbent | 27.03% | 1,979 |
| Joann Henry | 20.24% | 1,482 |
| Kevin Starlings | 4.62% | 338 |
| Dorian Daniels | 2.95% | 216 |
| Write-in votes | 0.27% | 20 |
| Total Votes | 7,322 | |
| Source: Virginia Department of Elections, "Richmond City: 2017 November General," accessed November 21, 2017 | ||
Candidates
| Cindy Menz-Erb | Dorian Daniels | Kenya Gibson 
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| Joann Henry | Kevin Starlings | ||
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Virginia elections, 2017
The Richmond school board special election shared the ballot with elections for governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general.
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for Virginia school board elections in 2017:[10]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| June 13, 2017 | Candidate filing deadline |
| October 16, 2017 | Voter registration deadline |
| November 7, 2017 | General election |
Endorsements
The Richmond REALTORS® Political Action Committee, Ascend PAC, and Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney endorsed appointed incumbent Cindy Menz-Erb. Richmond City Councilwoman Kim Gray endorsed challenger Kenya Gibson.[12][13][14] The Richmond Crusade for Voters endorsed challenger Joann Henry.[15]
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 received a total of $54,923.09 and spent a total of $49,061.77 in the election, according to the Virginia Department of Elections.[16]
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cindy Menz-Erb | $20,691.00 | $20,691.00 | $0.00 |
| Dorian Daniels | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Kenya Gibson | $25,657.09 | $25,657.09 | $0.00 |
| Joann Henry | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Kevin Starlings | $8,575.00 | $2,713.68 | $5,861.32 |
Filing schedule
The following table details the filing schedule for campaign finance reports for school board candidates in Virginia who ran in a general election on November 7, 2017. The left column details the time period covered for each report, and the right column details the report's due date.[17]
Past elections
To see results from past elections in Richmond Public Schools, click here.
What was at stake?
Election trends
- See also: School boards in session: 2016 in brief
With a total of six candidates, the special election for the Richmond school board District 3 seat attracted more candidates than any of the nine district seat races that were held in the general election in 2016. The race for the District 4 seat attracted the most candidates in 2016 with four running. Overall, a total of 22 candidates filed to run for the nine seats on the ballot that year for an average of 2.44 candidates per seat.
| School board election trends | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Candidates per seat | Unopposed seats | Incumbents running for re-election | Incumbent success rate | Seats won by newcomers | |
| Richmond Public Schools | ||||||
| 2017 | 6.00 | 0.00% | 100.00% | 0.00% | 100.00% | |
| 2016 | 2.44 | 11.11% | 44.44% | 25.00% | 88.89% | |
| Virginia | ||||||
| 2016 | 1.85 | 19.51% | 63.41% | 84.62% | 46.34% | |
| United States | ||||||
| 2016 | 1.90 | 34.05% | 71.31% | 82.39% | 41.04% | |
Report a story for this election
Ballotpedia researches issues in school board elections across the United States, but information availability is a challenge for us in many school districts. Please contact us about the issues that impact your local school district. Note that not all submissions may meet Ballotpedia's coverage requirements for inclusion.
Candidate survey
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Ballotpedia invites school board candidates to participate in its annual survey. |
About the district
- See also: Richmond Public Schools, Virginia
The Richmond school district is located in eastern Virginia in Richmond. Richmond is an independent city and therefore does not belong to a county. This city was home to 223,170 residents in 2016, according to the United States Census Bureau.[18] The district was the 12th-largest school district in the state in the 2014–2015 school year and served 23,957 students.[19]
Demographics
Richmond underperformed compared to Virginia as a whole in terms of higher education achievement in the years 2011 to 2015. The United States Census Bureau found that 36 percent of city residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 36.3 percent of all state residents. During the same time period, the median household income in Richmond was $40,758, compared to $65,015 statewide. The poverty rate was 25.5 percent in the city, while it was 11.2 percent for the entire state.[18]
| Racial Demographics, 2010[18] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | Richmond (%) | Virginia (%) |
| White | 40.8 | 68.6 |
| Black or African American | 50.6 | 19.4 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Asian | 2.3 | 5.5 |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Two or More Races | 2.3 | 2.9 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 6.3 | 7.9 |
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 Richmond Public Schools Virginia election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Richmond Public Schools | Virginia | School Boards |
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External links
- Richmond Public Schools
- City of Richmond Voter Registration and Elections
- Virginia Department of Elections
Footnotes
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "Richmond City: 2017 November General," accessed November 8, 2017 These election results are unofficial and will be updated after official vote totals are made available.
- ↑ Richmond Free Press, "Cindy Menz-Erb chosen for School Board 3rd District seat," March 24, 2017
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 City of Richmond Voter Registration and Elections, "Order for Special Election," accessed June 14, 2017
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Virginia Department of Elections, "Candidacy Requirements for the November 7, 2017 Special Election: Richmond City School Board Member, 3rd District," accessed June 14, 2017
- ↑ Abbey Smith, “Email communication with J. Kirk Showalter, City of Richmond General Registrar," June 20, 2017
- ↑ Brookland Park Post, "Lathaniel Kirts Withdraws from 3rd District School Board Race," August 26, 2017
- ↑ Richmond Public Schools, "School Board General Information," accessed June 14, 2017
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "Becoming a Candidate," accessed June 8, 2017
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "Certificate Of Candidate Qualification: Local Offices," accessed June 8, 2017
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Virginia Department of Elections, "2017 Election Calendar: Election Deadline Calendar," accessed June 8, 2017
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "In-Person Voting," accessed June 8, 2017
- ↑ Richmond Association of Realtors, "RPAC Announces 2017 Endorsements," September 7, 2017
- ↑ Ascend PAC, "Our endorsed candidates," accessed October 19, 2017
- ↑ Richmond Times-Dispatch, "Two endorsed for seat on Richmond School Board," October 9, 2017
- ↑ Richmond Free Press, "Richmond Crusade for Voters endorses diverse slate," October 12, 2017
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "Campaign Finance Reports: Search Committees," accessed January 17, 2018
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "Campaign Committee: 2017 Reporting Deadlines," accessed July 18, 2017
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 United States Census Bureau, "Quickfacts: Richmond (city), Virginia," accessed June 14, 2017
- ↑ U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, "Common Core of Data, file ccd_lea_052_1414_w_0216161a, 2014-2015," accessed November 16, 2016
| Richmond Public Schools elections in 2017 | |
| Richmond, Virginia | |
| Election date: | November 7, 2017 |
| Candidates: | District 3: • Incumbent, Cindy Menz-Erb • Dorian Daniels • Kenya Gibson • Joann Henry • Kevin Starlings |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
