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Schenectady City School District elections (2015)
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Two seats on the Schenectady City School District Board of Education were up for general election on May 19, 2015. The election shared the ballot with the school district's annual budget vote.[1]
The seats held by incumbents Andy Chestnut and John J. Foley were on the ballot.[2] Chestnut did not file to run for re-election, which left Foley and candidate Mark E. Snyder to run unopposed and win election to the board.[3]
About the district
Schenectady City School District is located in Schenectady in central New York. The city is the county seat of Schenectady County, which was home to 155,333 residents in 2013, according to the United States Census Bureau.[4] During the 2012-2013 school year, Schenectady City was the 15th-largest school district in New York and served 9,790 students.[5]
Demographics
Schenectady County underperformed in comparison to the rest of New York in terms of higher education achievement in 2013. The United States Census Bureau found that 29.0 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 33.2 percent for New York as a whole. The median household income in Schenectady County was $56,061, compared to $58,003 statewide. The poverty rate was 12.7 percent, compared to 15.3 percent for the entire state.[4]
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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 Schenectady City Board of Education consists of seven members elected at large to three-year terms on a staggered basis every year in May.[7] Three seats were up for election in 2014, and two seats were up for election in 2015. Voters could vote for both seats in the election. The two candidates who received the most votes were considered elected to the board. There was no primary election, and the general election was held on May 19, 2015.[1][8]
School board candidates must be at least 18 years old and qualified voters who have lived in the district for at least one uninterrupted year prior to the election. They must also be able to read and write. School board candidates cannot reside in the same household of a current board member, hold another, incompatible office or have been removed from another school board office within a year of the election. To get on the ballot, candidates had to file nominating petitions containing the signatures of 100 residents qualified to vote in the district with the district clerk by April 29, 2015.[7]
Elections
2015
Candidates
At-large
- John J. Foley
- Incumbent
- Mark E. Snyder
Election results
| Schenectady City School District, At-Large General Election, 3-year term, 2015 |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  John J. Foley Incumbent |
52.1% | 600 | |
| Nonpartisan | Mark E. Snyder |
47.9% | 551 | |
| Total Votes | 1,151 | |||
| Source: Margaret Koenig, "Email correspondence with Schenectady City School District Board Clerk Martha Morris," May 21, 2015 | ||||
Endorsements
No candidate received an official endorsement for this election.
Campaign finance
No contributions or expenditures were reported in the election, according to the New York State Board of Elections.[9][10]
School board candidates had to file financial reports with the district clerk as well as the New York Commissioner of Education if they raised or spent more than $500 in their campaigns. If their campaign expenses did not go over $500, candidates had to file a sworn statement to that effect with the district clerk.[7]
Past elections
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2014
2013
2012
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What was at stake?
2015
Issues in the district
Superintendents speak out on funding
Superintendents across New York came together to request equitable funding for their schools after Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) released a report of failing schools in the state in February 2015. The report listed 178 failing schools in 17 school districts. The Schenectady City School District had schools included on the governor's report. Superintendent Larry Spring said the district serves some of the neediest communities in the state and that the district had been "significantly shortchanged by the state.”
None of the school districts listed received the funding they were required to be provided by state law, according to the superintendents. In addition to a fair funding formula to help struggling schools, the superintendents had a number of requests for the governor and the New York State Legislature. Those requests included that the state government add new funding to schools with high concentrations of low-income students, that early learning programs be made universally accessible, that Expanded Learning Time programs be funded in high-poverty school districts and that the state look for ways to reduce the number of schools with concentrated poverty.
“We all believe that our children can learn and achieve on a par with the children of any other ZIP code in the state,” said Spring.[11]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the Schenectady City School District election in 2015:[1]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| April 29, 2015 | Last day to file candidate nominating petitions |
| May 5, 2015 | Last day to register to vote in this election |
| May 19, 2015 | Election Day |
| July 1, 2015 | First day of term for newly elected board members |
Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: New York elections, 2015
This election shared the ballot with the school district's annual budget vote.[1] Voters were asked to approve a $167.7 million budget for the 2015-2016 school year. The proposed budget did not raise the tax levy.[12]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Schenectady City School District New York. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Schenectady City School District | New York | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 New York State School Boards Association, "Timeline - 2015 Annual Budget Vote & School Board Election," accessed April 13, 2015
- ↑ Schenectady City School District, "2012 Budget and School Board Election Results," accessed May 5, 2014
- ↑ Abbey Smith, "Email communication with Martha Morris, Board clerk of the Schenectady City School District," May 4, 2015
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 United States Census Bureau, "Schenectady County, New York," accessed January 23, 2015
- ↑ National Central for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed April 29, 2015
- ↑ New York State Board of Elections, "NYS Voter Enrollment by County, Party Affiliation and Status - Voters Registered as of November 01, 2013," accessed April 11, 2014
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Schenectady City School District, "Board Policy Manual," accessed April 24, 2015
- ↑ Schenectady City School District, "Home," accessed May 20, 2014
- ↑ New York State Board of Elections, "Campaign Financial Disclosure: Expenditure Search Page," accessed July 8, 2015
- ↑ New York State Board of Elections, "Campaign Financial Disclosure: Contribution Search Page," accessed July 8, 2015
- ↑ Troy Record, "Superintendents of ‘failing schools’ unite with message," March 31, 2015
- ↑ Schenectady City School District, "2015-2016 Budget," accessed April 30, 2015
| 2015 Schenectady City School District Elections | |
| Schenectady County, New York | |
| Election date: | May 19, 2015 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, John J. Foley • Mark E. Snyder |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
