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Soma McCandless
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Soma Bhattacharyya McCandless was an at-large member on the Cupertino Union School District Board of Education in California. She was first elected to the board on November 4, 2014. McCandless did not file to run for re-election in 2018.
Biography
McCandless was born and raised in the Bay Area before attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After earning an engineering degree, she worked for IBM and Accenture. McCandless has been a lead volunteer on three parcel tax committees, the district's Budget Advisory Committee, a school site council chair and a school support specialist in Project Cornerstone, a youth character development program that serves schools throughout Santa Clara County. McCandless is the mother of an eighth grader and a ninth grader who both attended Cupertino Schools.[1]
Elections
2014
Three at-large seats were up for election on the Cupertino Union School District Board of Education on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Anjali Kausar ran against challengers Kristen Pan Lyn, Chris Zhang and Soma McCandless.[2] Kausar won her bid for re-election. Lyn and McCandless were elected to the remaining two seats.
The 2014 general election was the first time the Cupertino Union School District elected board of education members in an even-numbered year. Prior to 2014, school board elections were held during odd-numbered years.[3]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan |  Kristen Pan Lyn |
28% | 17,665 | |
| Nonpartisan | Anjali Kausar Incumbent |
25.6% | 16,180 | |
| Nonpartisan | Soma McCandless |
24.6% | 15,537 | |
| Nonpartisan | Chris Zhang | 21.8% | 13,771 | |
| Total Votes | 63,153 | |||
| Source: Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters, "Official Final Results," accessed December 22, 2014 | ||||
Funding
The Soma McCandless for School Board 2014 committee reported $29,393.00 in contributions and $12,824.59 in expenditures to the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters as of October 18, 2014, leaving her campaign with $16,568.41 cash on hand.[4]
Endorsements
McCandless received endorsements from the following organizations and state officials:[5][6][7]
- Santa Clara County Democratic Party
- Democratic Activists for Women Now (DAWN)
- Silicon Valley Asian Pacific American Democratic Club
- Cupertino Education Association
- State Assemblyman Paul Fong (D)
McCandless also received endorsements from several local officials, community leaders and school board members, including former Cupertino Union Board of Education member Gary McCue, who declined to run for re-election in 2014.[7] A full list of her supporters can be found here.
Campaign themes
2014
McCandless highlighted the following priorities on her campaign website:
| “ | Core Academics Our kids must be effective in a 21st century, global economy. Soma believes we must raise our children to be strong, confident contributors to a world in need of their talent. As our schools adopt the common core standards, Soma’s priority is to focus resources to help students become lifelong learners, rigorous thinkers and clear communicators. Character Development Students learn how to be good citizens by learning how to work and play together. Character development begins at home and must be reinforced at school. Soma has devoted herself to programs that help our students practice empathy, courage and resilience in their daily lives. Financial Stability To keep our schools great, Soma believes that we must attract and retain top teachers, provide access to current technology and give every student the personal attention they need. Soma has been our community’s best advocate for stable, local recurring school funding to support this strategy.[8] |
” |
| —Soma McCandless' campaign website (2014)[9] | ||
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Electsoma.org, "Soma Bhattacharyya McCandless," accessed September 15, 2014
- ↑ Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters, "Contest/Candidate Proof List Gubernatorial General Election," accessed August 14, 2014
- ↑ San Jose Mercury News, "Cupertino Union switching to even-year election cycle," February 27, 2013
- ↑ Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters, "Viewing filings made by Soma Mccandless for School Board 2014," accessed October 26, 2014
- ↑ Santa Clara County Democratic Party, "Endorsements," accessed October 22, 2014
- ↑ Cupertino Education Association, "CEA Endorses Soma McCandless for CUSD School Board," September 19, 2014
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Electsoma.org, "Endorsements," accessed September 15, 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Electsoma.org, "Students First," accessed September 15, 2014
| 2014 Cupertino Union School District Elections | |
| Santa Clara County, California | |
| Election date: | November 4, 2014 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Anjali Kausar • Kristen Pan Lyn • Soma McCandless • Chris Zhang |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
