San Bernardino City Unified School District elections (2015)
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Four seats on the San Bernardino City Unified School District Board of Education were up for general election on November 3, 2015.[1] The seats held by incumbents Margaret Hill, Lynda K. Savage, Sharon "Bobbie" Perong and Mike Gallo were on the ballot.[2]
Incumbents Hill and Gallo won re-election, and newcomers Scott Wyatt and Gwen Dowdy-Rodgers joined the board. They defeated challengers Kaisar Ahmed, Rick Castro, Sonia Fernandez, Steven Paul Gutierrez and Esmeralda Negrete. Savage and Perong did not file to run for re-election.[3][4]
See how this race compared to past school board elections in both the district and the state in the "Election trends" section.
About the district
San Bernardino City Unified School District is located in San Bernardino County in southeastern California. The county seat of San Bernardino County is San Bernardino. San Bernardino County was home to 2,112,619 residents in 2014, according to the United States Census Bureau.[5] During the 2012-2013 school year, San Bernardino City Unified School District was the eighth-largest school district by enrollment in California and served 54,102 students.[6]
Demographics
San Bernardino County underperformed compared to the rest of California in terms of higher education achievement in 2013. The United States Census Bureau found that 18.7 percent of San Bernardino County residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 30.7 percent for California as a whole. The median household income for San Bernardino County was $54,090, compared to $61,094 for the entire state. The percentage of people below poverty level for San Bernardino County was 18.7 percent, compared to 15.9 percent statewide.[5]
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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.
Voter and candidate information
The San Bernardino City Board of Education consists of seven members elected at large to four-year terms. Board members are elected on a staggered basis every November of odd-numbered years. There are no primary elections. Three seats were up for election on November 5, 2013, and four seats were on the ballot on November 3, 2015.[1][9]
School board candidates had to be at least 18 years old, residents of the school district and qualified voters. They could not be employees of the school district while in office.[10] To get on the ballot, candidates had to file their declaration of candidacy with the San Bernardino County Elections by August 7, 2015.[1]
To vote in this election, residents of the district had to register by October 19, 2015. Voters could cast vote-by-mail ballots from October 24, 2015, through Election Day.[11] Photo identification was not required to vote in California.
Elections
2015
Candidates
At-large
Margaret Hill 
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Mike Gallo
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Kaisar Ahmed | |||
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| Rick Castro | Sonia Fernandez | Steven Paul Gutierrez | |||
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| Esmeralda Negrete | Gwen Dowdy-Rodgers
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Scott Wyatt
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Election results
| San Bernardino City Unified School District, At-large, General Election, 2015 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Margaret Hill Incumbent |
19.6% | 6,268 |
| Mike Gallo Incumbent |
16.3% | 5,226 |
| Scott Wyatt |
15.6% | 4,997 |
| Gwen Dowdy-Rodgers |
14.4% | 4,613 |
| Esmeralda Negrete | 10.8% | 3,468 |
| Kaisar Ahmed | 9.9% | 3,182 |
| Rick Castro | 8.1% | 2,602 |
| Sonia Fernandez | 3.2% | 1,036 |
| Steven Paul Gutierrez | 2.1% | 665 |
| Total Votes | 32,057 | |
| Source: San Bernardino County Elections Office of the Registrar of Voters, "Final Certified Election Results," accessed November 17, 2015 | ||
Endorsements
Incumbent Margaret Hill and challengers Gwen Dowdy-Rodgers and Kaisar Ahmed were endorsed by the San Bernardino County Democratic Party and the Democratic Luncheon Club of San Bernardino.[12][13] Hill, Dowdy-Rodgers and incumbent Mike Gallo were endorsed by Voice.[14] Dowdy-Rodgers and fellow challenger Rick Castro were endorsed by the community organization Evolve.[15]
Campaign finance
Candidates received a total of $23,013.00 and spent a total of $8,016.35 in the election, according to the San Bernardino County Elections Office.[16]
| Candidate | Existing balance | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Margaret Hill | $100.00 | $11,626.00 | $2,687.00 | $9,039.00 |
| Mike Gallo | $280.52 | $28.00 | $264.00 | $44.52 |
| Kaisar Ahmed | $0.00 | $10,000.00 | $4,979.91 | $5,020.09 |
| Rick Castro | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Gwen Dowdy-Rodgers | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Sonia Fernandez | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Steven Paul Gutierrez | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Esmeralda Negrete | $0.00 | $1,359.00 | $85.44 | $1,273.56 |
| Scott Wyatt | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Campaign finance reporting requirements in California vary depending on how much money candidates spend or raise. For candidates planning to raise or spend less than $1,000, an Officeholder and Candidate Campaign Statement Short Form (Form 470) must be filed with their county or city elections office. If candidates plan to spend up to $1,000, including their own funds, they must also file a Candidate Intention Statement (Form 501). "If a candidate does not raise any money and personal funds are used only to pay filing or ballot statement fees, the candidate is not required to file the Form 501," according to the Fair Political Practices Commission. If candidates raise money outside of their own funds, a separate campaign bank account must be established.[17]
Candidates raising or spending more than $1,000, including their personal funds, must file a Candidate Intention Statement (Form 501), file a Statement of Organization (Form 410) and establish a separate bank account for campaign funds. They must then file Recipient Committee Campaign Statements (Form 460) to disclose their contributions and expenditures throughout their campaigns. If they receive more than $1,000 from a single source within 90 days of the election, they must file a 24-hour Contribution Report (Form 497).[17]
Past elections
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What was at stake?
2015
Election trends
- See also: 2013 school board elections
With four seats on the ballot on November 3, 2015, over half of the seats on the San Bernardino City Unified Board of Education had the potential to change hands. Two of the four incumbents ran to retain their seats, guaranteeing that at least two newcomers would join the board. The incumbents faced seven challengers, creating an average of 2.25 candidates per seat. Both incumbents were re-elected to the board, and newcomers won the two open seats.
San Bernardino City's 2013 school board election had an average of 2.33 candidates per seat. Three seats were up for election, and all three incumbents ran to retain their seats. Two incumbents won re-election, and one newcomer joined the board.
Both the 2013 and 2015 school board elections in the San Bernardino City Unified School District had a higher number of candidates run per seat than the 2014 state average of 1.91 candidates per seat up for election in California's largest school districts. That year, just over 25 percent of board seats in those districts were unopposed, and 37.65 percent of seats went to newcomers.
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the San Bernardino City Unified School District election in 2015:[1][18][19]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| June 8, 2015 - August 7, 2015 | Candidate filing period |
| July 31, 2015 | Semi-annual campaign finance report due |
| August 5, 2015 - November 2, 2015 | 24-hour campaign contribution reporting period |
| September 7, 2015 - October 20, 2015 | Write-in candidate filing period |
| September 24, 2015 | Pre-election campaign finance report due |
| October 19, 2015 | Voter registration deadline |
| October 22, 2015 | Pre-election campaign finance report due |
| October 24, 2015 | First day voters can cast vote-by-mail ballots |
| November 3, 2015 | Election Day |
| February 1, 2016 | Semi-annual campaign finance report due |
Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: California elections, 2015
The San Bernardino City Unified School District election shared the ballot with municipal elections in the city of San Bernardino for four council members, the city clerk, the city attorney and the city treasurer. Two seats on the San Bernardino Valley Water Conservation District were also on the ballot.[20]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms San Bernardino City Unified School District California. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| San Bernardino City Unified School District | California | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 2013 California Code, “CA Elec Code § 8403 (2013),” accessed January 29, 2015
- ↑ Smart Voter, "Governing Board Member; San Bernardino City Unified School District Voter Information," accessed October 21, 2013
- ↑ San Bernardino County Elections Office, "2015 Consolidated Election - November 03, 2015: Candidate List," accessed August 10, 2015
- ↑ San Bernardino County Elections Office of the Registrar of Voters, "Final Unofficial Election Night Results," accessed November 4, 2015
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 United States Census Bureau, "San Bernardino County, California," accessed October 1, 2015
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed April 22, 2015
- ↑ San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters, "Past Election Archives," accessed July 14, 2014
- ↑ San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters, "Past Elections: 2007-1996," accessed July 14, 2014
- ↑ San Bernardino City Unified School District, "Meet the Board," accessed August 10, 2015
- ↑ San Bernardino City Unified School District, "Board Policies," accessed August 10, 2015
- ↑ San Bernardino County Elections Office, “2015 Consolidated Election: November 3, 2015,” accessed August 10, 2015
- ↑ San Bernardino County Democratic Party, "2015 Candidate Endorsements," accessed October 30, 2015
- ↑ Facebook, "Democratic Luncheon Club of San Bernardino," October 29, 2015
- ↑ Voice, "Best Choices for San Bernardino Elected Leaders," October 8, 2015
- ↑ Evolve, "2015 Endorsements: November 03, 2015 Election," accessed October 27, 2015
- ↑ San Bernardino County Elections Office, "Welcome to the County of San Bernardino Public Portal for Campaign Finance Disclosure," accessed December 7, 2015
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Fair Political Practices Commission, "Local Candidates, Superior Court Judges, Their Controlled Committees, and Primarily Formed Committees for Local Candidates: Campaign Disclosure Manual 2," accessed August 5, 2015
- ↑ California Election Code, "Section 8600-8606," accessed February 20, 2015
- ↑ Fair Political Practices Commission, "Filing Schedule for Candidates and Controlled Committees for Local Office Being Voted on November 3, 2015," accessed August 5, 2015
- ↑ San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters, "November 3, 2015 Consolidated Election: Offices Up for Election," accessed August 5, 2015
| 2015 San Bernardino City Unified School District Elections | |
| San Bernardino County, California | |
| Election date: | November 3, 2015 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Margaret Hill • Incumbent, Mike Gallo • Kaisar Ahmed • Rick Castro • Gwen Dowdy-Rodgers • Sonia Fernandez • Steven Paul Gutierrez • Esmeralda Negrete • Scott Wyatt |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
