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Sharyland Independent School District elections (2015)
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Two seats on the Sharyland Independent School District Board of Trustees were up for election on May 9, 2015. Both seats were voted upon at-large.
Incumbents Fernando Ramirez and Eddie Montalvo's at-large terms ended in November 2015. Due to a change in the election procedure for the board, Ramirez and Motalvo had the option of running for the new Place 3 and 4 seats. However, neither incumbent filed to run in the 2015 election.[1]
Melissa Martinez-Smith and Cesar Aguilar sought the Place 3 seat. Martinez-Smith won the election. José García, former board member Suzanne Peña, Robert Puente and Kevin Sparks faced off for Place 4. García was elected to the seat.[1][2]
Puente withdrew from the race on April 24, 2015, and endorsed García in the Place 4 race. Puente's name, however, still appeared on the ballot.[3]
The newly elected board members joined the district in facing an ongoing state investigation of its spending in addition to welcoming a new superintendent for the district, its third in as many years.
About the district
Sharyland Independent School District is located in Hidalgo County in southern Texas. The county seat is Edinburg, and it was home to an estimated 815,996 residents in 2013, according to the United States Census Bureau.[4] In the 2011-2012 school year, Sharyland Independent School District was the 103rd-largest school district in Texas, serving 10,165 students.[5]
Demographics
Hidalgo County underperformed in comparison to the rest of Texas in terms of higher education attainment, median income and poverty rate. In 2013, 15.9 percent of county residents over 25 years old held undergraduate degrees compared to 26.7 percent of residents statewide. Hidalgo County had a median income of $34,146, compared to $51,900 for Texas as a whole. The poverty rate for Hidalgo County was 34.8 percent in comparison to the state's average of 17.6 percent.[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
Members of the Sharyland school board are elected at-large to three-year terms. While elected at-large, candidates run for specific numbered seats on the board. The seat numbers do not correlate to geographic districts or specific schools in the district. Rather, they serve to separate the elections for each seat on the board into its own race. Candidates filed to run for a specific seat, but all voters in the school district were eligible to vote for both seats up for election. There was no primary election, and the general election was held May 9, 2015.[7]
A member of the board must be 18 years old, a U.S. citizen and a resident of the district. An individual seeking office must be a resident of the state for 12 months and a resident of the district for six months prior to the last date on which the candidate could file to be listed on the ballot.
Method change in 2014
In April 2014, Sharyland ISD's election system changed to electing members by place with no majority-vote requirement when more than two candidates are running for the same place. Prior to this change, members ran in collective races. For example, if two seats were up for election, all of the candidates faced each other in one race with the top two vote recipients joining the board. Additionally, they were required to win a majority of the votes cast to win the race.[8]
The 2014 election was the first where candidates ran for the newly created numbered seats. Places 1 and 2 were filled in this manner on May 10, 2014. The two seats up for election in 2015 were Places 3 and 4. Places 5, 6 and 7 were up for election in 2016. While board members were elected to serve in specific place seats, they were still voted upon at-large.[9]
Voter requirements
In order to vote in this election, citizens of the district had to register to vote by April 11, 2015, 28 days prior to the general election. Texas requires voter identification. At polling places, every voter must present a Texas driver's license, a Texas Election Identification Certificate, a Texas personal identification card, a Texas concealed handgun license, a United States military identification card containing the person’s photograph, a United States citizenship certificate containing the person’s photograph or a United States passport.
Elections
2015
Candidates
Place 3
| Cesar Aguilar | Melissa Martinez-Smith 
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Place 4
| José García
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Suzanne Peña | ||
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| Kevin Sparks | Robert Puente | ||
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Sample ballot
Election results
Place 3
| Sharyland Independent School District, Place 3 General Election, 3-year term, 2015 |
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| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Melissa Martinez-Smith |
66.9% | 1,236 | |
| Nonpartisan | Cesar Aguilar | 33.1% | 611 | |
| Total Votes | 1,847 | |||
| Source: Hidalgo County Clerk, "Sharyland I.s.d.- May 9, 2015 Election: Official Results, May 20, 2015 | ||||
Place 4
| Sharyland Independent School District, Place 4 General Election, 3-year term, 2015 |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | José García |
40.2% | 759 | |
| Nonpartisan | Suzanne Peña | 38.7% | 730 | |
| Nonpartisan | Kevin Sparks | 20% | 377 | |
| Nonpartisan | Robert Puente | 1.2% | 22 | |
| Total Votes | 1,888 | |||
| Source: Hidalgo County Clerk, "Sharyland I.s.d.- May 9, 2015 Election: Official Results, May 20, 2015 | ||||
Endorsements
Place 4 candidate Robert Puente endorsed José García after withdrawing from the race himself.[3]
Campaign finance
Candidates received a total of $28,650.00 and spent a total of $25,222.03 as of April 9, 2015, according to the reports by The Monitor. Of the contributions, $12,000.00 were loans.[10] The next filing deadline was May 1, 2015.
| Candidate | Receipts | Disbursements | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place 3 | |||
| Melissa Martinez-Smith | $8,050.00 | $6,556.51 | $1,493.49 |
| Cesar Aguilar | $1,000.00 | $994.29 | $5.71 |
| Place 4 | |||
| José García | $13,000.00 | $8,853.23 | $4,146.77 |
| Suzanne Peña | $5,150.00 | $4,638.45 | $511.55 |
| Kevin Sparks | $450.00 | $2,974.55 | -$2,524.55 |
| Robert Puente | $1,000.00 | $1,205.00 | -$205.00 |
Texas school board candidates and officeholders must file semiannual reports, which were due on January 15, 2015, and July 15, 2015. In addition, candidates in contested elections were required to file 30-day and 8-day pre-election reports, unless the candidate chose modified reporting.[11]
Candidates in contested elections who did not intend to exceed $500 in contributions or expenditures, excepting filing fees, were eligible for modified reporting. If they exceeded the threshold before the 30th day prior to the election, candidates were required to submit the 30- and 8-day reports. If they exceeded the threshold after the 30th day prior to the election, they were required to file a report within 48 hours of exceeding the threshold and participate in regular reporting for the rest of the election cycle.[12]
Past elections
Information about earlier elections can be found by clicking [show] at the right. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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2014Place 1
Place 2
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What was at stake?
2015
TEA investigation
It was revealed in January 2015 that the Texas Education Agency was formally investigating complaints of questionable business practices at Sharyland ISD. The district stated that it will fully cooperate with the investigation. The TEA had been unwilling to detail its investigation because it was still in progress.[13] It has been reported, however, that the investigation was spurred by questions regarding the district's bidding and purchasing processes.[14]
Interim Superintendent Dr. Filomena Leo said of the investigation, "We have an ethical obligation to ensure to our taxpayers and the parents of our students that all is well in the district, and it is. It is. We have an obligation as well to respond to those who have raised questions and to respond to the agency, the overall governing agency that we answer to.”[14]
Retaliation claims
The district was accused of retaliating against an administrator who cooperated with the TEA's investigation. According to her lawyer, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Nereida "Nellie" Canut had been "providing information on the thefts and illegal contracts of the school district." Then, in the spring of 2015, she was informed that her contract would not be extended. Canut's lawyer, Javier Peña, wrote to Superintendent Leo asking for an explanation on the "non-extension."[15]
The district responded to the accusation that the move was retaliation for Canut's cooperation with the ongoing state investigation by saying that it does not discuss personnel matters, but that it was taking the allegations seriously. Leo commented on the issue, saying, “It does disturb me that any kind of a smear campaign will reflect on the district. I hope that it does not.”[15]
Superintendent resignation & appointment
On September 29, 2014, the board voted 5-2 to accept the resignation of Superintendent Virginia Richter; trustees Eddie Montalvo and Rolando Peña were the dissenting votes. Filomena Leo, former superintendent of La Joya Independent School District and former trustee for South Texas Independent School District, was appointed to serve as interim superintendent until a permanent appointment could be made.[16]
On April 16, 2015, Marble Falls ISD Superintendent Dr. Robert O'Connor was named the "lone finalist" for Richter's replacement. Texas law required districts to wait 21 days after naming a superintendent lone finalist before a contract could be signed. After two rounds of interviews and visiting Marble Falls ISD, the board voted unanimously to make O'Connor their final choice. Board President Noel Garza said, “Dr. O’Connor is a highly successful, experienced school superintendent. The school board was most impressed with his dedication and commitment to the success of all students.”[17]
Three superintendents in three years
Richter's resignation marked the second in less than three years. Her predecessor, Scott Owings, resigned in February 2012 due to allegations that he sexually harassed two female school officials at a Texas Association of School Administrators conference.[18] Leo also served as interim superintendent during the search that lead to Richter's appointment.[16]
The circumstances surrounding Richter's resignation were questioned by some community members. The board had conducted a climate survey of those holding leadership positions in the district, and the results of that survey were reported in open session at the board meeting on September 23, 2014. The report of the survey described overall employee satisfaction with school leadership as "very poor," and many stated they would consider employment outside of the district if things did not change. Virginia Townsend, leader of Objective Watchers of the Legal System (OWLS) and former district trustee, objected to the methods by which the survey was reported to the board, saying, “When do you ever evaluate a superintendent in open session? No, you do that in a closed session.”[16]
New high schools
The beginning of the 2014 fall semester marked the district's expansion from one high school into three. Approximately $55 million was spent to build Pioneer High School. The new school was built to serve up to 3,200 students, although just 1,400 were enrolled for its inaugural year. The third high school came from splitting the older Sharyland High School into two campuses.[19]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for Texas school board elections in May 2015:[7][11]
| Deadline | Event |
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| January 28, 2015 | First day to file paperwork for ballot placement |
| February 27, 2015 | Last day to file paperwork for ballot placement |
| March 4, 2015 | Last day to withdraw from ballot |
| April 9, 2015 | Last day for voter registration with county clerk |
| Campaign finance report due | |
| April 27, 2015- May 5, 2015 |
Early in-person voting period |
| April 30, 2015 | Last day to request mailed ballot from county clerk |
| May 1, 2015 | Campaign finance report due |
| May 9, 2015 | Election Day |
| May 20, 2015 | Final day for canvassing of votes |
| July 15, 2015 | Campaign finance report due |
Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Texas elections, 2015
In addition to these school trustee positions, municipal offices were also up for election on May 9, 2015. The city of Mission did not have any elections on the ballot, but nearby La Villa, Penitas and San Juan did.[20]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Sharyland ISD Texas. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Sharyland Independent School District | Texas | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Margaret Koenig, "Email correspondence with Lou Ann Sarachene, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources, Sharyland ISD," March 3, 2015
- ↑ Hidalgo County Clerk, "Sharyland I.s.d.- May 9, 2015 Election: Unofficial Results," accessed May 9, 2015
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedwithdraw - ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 United States Census Bureau, "Quick Facts: Hidalgo County," accessed January 21, 2015
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed April 22, 2014
- ↑ Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections, "Presidential General Election Results Comparison - Texas," accessed January 21, 2015
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Texas Secretary of State, "May 9, 2015 Election Law Calendar," accessed January 21, 2015
- ↑ Sharyland Independent School District, "Election Notice: Sharyland Independent School District Adopts New School Board Election System," April 4, 2014
- ↑ Sharyland ISD Board Policy Manual, "BBB (Local)," accessed January 21, 2015
- ↑ The Monitor, "Initial finance reports in for Sharyland school board election," April 13, 2015
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Texas Ethics Commission, "2015 Filing Schedule for Elections Held on Uniform Election Dates," accessed January 21, 2015
- ↑ Texas Ethics Commission, "Campaign Finance Guide for Candidates and Officeholders Who File with Local Filing Authorities," September 1, 2013
- ↑ Fox Rio 2, "Sharyland I.S.D Superintendent Speaking out Regarding TEA Investigation," January 13, 2015
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 KRGV, "TEA Formally Investigates Sharyland ISD," January 8, 2015
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 ValleyCentral.com, "Amid state investigation, Sharyland administrator claims retaliation," April 7, 2015
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 The Monitor, "Sharyland ISD board accepts resignation, appoints interim," September 29, 2014
- ↑ Progress Times, "Sharyland ISD names superintendent finalist," April 17, 2015
- ↑ Carina A. Brunson, Progress Times, "New superintendent official for SISD," July 6, 2012
- ↑ ValleyCentral.com, "Sharyland ISD to open two new high schools," August 4, 2014
- ↑ Hidalgo County, "Elections Department," accessed April 30, 2015
| 2015 Sharyland Independent School District Elections | |
| Hidalgo County, Texas | |
| Election date: | May 9, 2015 |
| Candidates: | Place 3: Melissa Martinez-Smith • Cesar Aguilar
Place 4: José García • Suzanne Peña • Robert Puente • Kevin Sparks |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
