Spring Branch Independent School District elections (2015)
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Two seats on the Spring Branch Independent School District Board of Trustees were up for election on May 9, 2015.
Position 3 incumbent Katherine Dawson faced challenger Craig Adams in her re-election bid, and Position 4 incumbent Chris Vierra faced challenger Virginia Elizondo.[1] Both incumbents won re-election to the board.[2]
About the district
Spring Branch Independent School District is located in Harris County, which lies in southeastern Texas. The county seat is Houston. The county was home to an estimated 4,336,853 residents in 2013, according to the United States Census Bureau.[3] In the 2011-2012 school year, Spring Branch Independent was the 35th-largest school district in Texas, serving 33,687 students.[4]
Demographics
In terms of higher education achievement and median household income, Harris County outperformed the state of Texas as a whole in 2013. The United States Census Bureau found 28.4 percent of Harris County residents over 25 years old held undergraduate degrees compared to a 26.7 percent rate for the state of Texas. The average household income was $53,137, compared to $51,900 in the entire state. Harris County had a poverty rate of 18.5 percent, while the poverty rate for Texas was 17.6 percent.[3]
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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 Spring Branch Board of Trustees consists of seven members. While members are elected to specific places on the ballot, they serve at large for three-year terms. There was no primary election, and the general election was held May 9, 2015.[6]
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.[7]
Elections
2015
Candidates
Position 3
- Katherine Dawson
- Incumbent, first elected in 2012
- Retired teacher
- Craig Adams
- Retired teacher
Position 4
- Chris Vierra
- Incumbent
- Virginia Elizondo
Election results
Position 3
| Spring Branch Independent School District, Position 3 General Election, 3-year term, 2015 |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Katherine Dawson Incumbent |
82.1% | 1,752 | |
| Nonpartisan | Craig Adams | 17.9% | 383 | |
| Total Votes | 2,135 | |||
| Source: Margaret Koenig, "Email correspondance with Diane Dickens, Spring Branch Independent School District," June 30, 2015 | ||||
Position 4
| Spring Branch Independent School District, Position 4 General Election, 3-year term, 2015 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Chris Vierra Incumbent |
82.9% | 1,739 | |
| Nonpartisan | Virginia Elizondo | 17.1% | 359 | |
| Total Votes | 2,098 | |||
| Source: Margaret Koenig, "Email correspondance with Diane Dickens, Spring Branch Independent School District," June 30, 2015 | ||||
Endorsements
Position 3 incumbent Katherine Dawson and Position 4 incumbent Chris Vierra were endorsed by the following:[8][9]
- Bunker Hill Village Mayor S. Jay Williams
- Hedwig Village Mayor Sue V. Speck
- Hilshire Village Mayor Shannon Whiting
- Piney Point Village Mayor Lee Butler
- Spring Valley Village Mayor Tom S. Ramsey
Dawson also received endorsements from the following:
- State Rep. Dwayne Bohac (R-138)
- Houston City Council District A member Brenda Stardig
- Spring Branch Education Association
- Precinct Chair 445 John McReynolds
- Former Houston City Council District G member Bert Keller
Campaign finance
No contributions or expenditures were reported as of April 9, 2015, according to the Texas Ethics Commission.[10] The next filing deadline was May 1, 2015.
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. | |
|---|---|
2014The district canceled this election because Position 1 incumbent Wayne F. Schaper Sr. and Position 2 Chris Gonzalez were running unopposed. | |
What was at stake?
2015
Issues in the district
Charter school partnerships mature
In 2011, Spring Branch ISD embarked on a unique relationship with KIPP and YES charter schools which allowed the three entities to apply for a $40 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as a group. Even before the group knew whether or not they would receive the funding, plans were set in motion to include a KIPP and a YES campus within Landrum Middle and Northbrook Middle Schools, respectively. The campuses were to function as "schools within schools," including having their own educators and principals which would work together and allowing charter students to participate in arts and athletics opportunities provided by the public district.[13] The partnership called SKY officially launched with the 2012-2013 school year.[14]
At the announcement of the planned collaboration, KIPP co-founder Mike Feinberg commented on the image of "competitive, cut-throat" charter schools by saying, "What the Gates compact is showing and what Spring Branch, YES and KIPP are trying to do is show the opposite. We can advance the ball a lot further if we're not at each other's throats." District Superintendent Duncan Klussmann expressed hopes that the partnership would help the district meet its goal of doubling the number of its graduates that go on to college over the next five years.[13]
According to the district's website, the partnership had three main goals:
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| —Spring Branch Independent School District website (2015)[14] | ||
The partnership led to a blending of cultural values, curricular and extracurricular options and other ideas. While administrators and educators alike expressed satisfaction with the collaboration in 2014, it did not receive universal praise.[16] The Spring Branch American Federation of Teachers was critical of the decision. The group's president Craig Adams questioned the project: "I know for a fact there are teachers that could do just as good a job if not better than any charter school. I’m not picking on KIPP or YES. I’m just saying we already had those resources, so what was the reason we had to bring in charter schools? I don’t understand why we went outside of the district, nor do I see the need for it."[17]
Adams also contended that the real reason for the collaboration was to improve test scores, but that the district had not adequately investigated the cause of the low test scores. He pointed to high teacher turnover rates as an issue that was not being address through the charter school partnership, saying, "I find that troubling and inexcusable that half the faculty are not returning to that campus or that 30 percent are not returning to some of the campuses."[17]
While debate continued, the partnership was seen as a case study and inspiration for other districts, such as Grand Prairie Independent School District. That district announced in early 2015 that it would be starting a similar partnership with Uplift Grand charter school in the 2015-2016 school year.[18]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for Texas school board elections in May 2015:[6][11]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| 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.
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Spring + Branch + Independent + School + District + Texas"
See also
| Spring Branch Independent School District | Texas | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Margaret Koenig, "Email correspondence with Cheryl Jeffers, Executive Assistant to the Superintendent, Spring Branch ISD," March 3, 2015
- ↑ Spring Branch Independent School District, "Unofficial Election Results," accessed May 9, 2015
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 United States Census Bureau, "Quick Facts: Harris 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
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Texas Secretary of State, "May 9, 2015 Election Law Calendar," accessed January 21, 2015
- ↑ Spring Branch Independent School District, "Board Member Qualifications," accessed April 8, 2014
- ↑ Katherine Dawson, SBISD Trustees Position 3, "Endorsements," accessed April 30, 2015
- ↑ Chris Vierra for SBISD Trustee Position 4, "Endorsements," accessed April 30, 2015
- ↑ Texas Ethics Commission, "Search Campaign Finance Reports," accessed April 10, 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
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Chron, "Charter schools, Spring Branch ISD become partners," December 6, 2011
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Spring Branch Independent School District, "What is SKY?" accessed February 25, 2015
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ KERA News, "An Unusual Pairing: In This Texas District, Public School Kids Mix With Charter School Kids," June 9, 2014
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 KERA News, "Teacher Groups Suspicious Of Spring Branch Public-Charter School Partnership," May 30, 2015
- ↑ The Dallas Morning News, "Grand Prairie ISD partners with charter operator to create new kind of campus," January 8, 2015
| 2015 Spring Branch Independent School District Elections | |
| Harris County, Texas | |
| Election date: | May 9, 2015 |
| Candidates: | Position 3: Incumbent, Katherine Dawson • Craig Adams
Position 4: Incumbent, Chris Vierra • Virginia Elizondo |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
