Springfield Public Schools elections (2013)
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Six seats on the School Committee for Springfield Public Schools were up for general election on November 5, 2013. Denise M. Hurst and Calvin McFadden defeated incumbent Antonette E. Pepe to win the two at-large seats. Challenger Rosa Perez defeated incumbent Norman Roldan for the District 1 seat, while incumbent Peter M. Murphy kept the District 4 seat by overcoming Zaida Govan. Incumbents Barbara Gresham and Christopher Collins ran unopposed and won the District 2 and 3 seats, respectively.
About the district
Springfield Public Schools is located in west-central Massachusetts in Hampden County. The county seat of Hampden County is Springfield. As of the 2010 Census, the county was home to 467,319 residents.[1] In the 2011-2012 school year, Springfield Public Schools was the second-largest school district in Massachusetts and served 25,185 students.[2]
Demographics
Hampden County underperformed compared to the rest of Massachusetts in terms of higher education achievement in 2013. The United States Census Bureau found that 24.5 percent of Hampden County residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree compared to 39.4 percent for Massachusetts as a whole. The median household income in Hampden County was $49,094 compared to $66,866 for the state of Massachusetts. The poverty rate in Hampden County was 17.7 percent compared to 11.4 percent for the entire state.[1]
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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.
Method of board member selection
The Springfield School Committee consists of seven members, six of whom are elected to four-year terms. The seventh member and Chair of the board is Springfield's mayor. Four of the other six members of the board are elected by geographic electoral districts and two are elected at large by the district as a whole. There was no primary election and the general election was held on November 5, 2013. All six seats were on the ballot in 2013.[4]
The filing deadline for school board candidates to get on the ballot in the 2013 general election was July 23.[5]
Elections
2013
Candidates
At-large
- Denise M. Hurst
- Incumbent
- Graduate, Springfield College School of Social Work
- Quality improvement manager, Massachusetts Department of Mental Health
- Antonette E. Pepe
- Incumbent
- Graduate, Western New England College
- Retired education paraprofessional
- Calvin McFadden
- Graduate, Florida State University
- Pastor, St. John’s Congregational Church
District 1
- Norman Roldan
- Incumbent
- Information services, Bay State Health Systems
District 2
- Barbara Gresham
- Incumbent
- Graduate, University of Georgia
- Registered nurse
District 3
- Christopher Collins
- Incumbent
- Graduate, Westfield State University
- Retired educator
District 4
- Peter M. Murphy
- Incumbent
- Graduate, Quinnipiac University School of Law
- Lawyer
- Zaida Govan
- Graduate, Springfield College
- Clinical director, Martin Luther King Jr. Family Services
Election results
| Springfield Public Schools, At-Large General Election, 4-year term, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Denise M. Hurst Incumbent |
37.7% | 6,329 | |
| Nonpartisan | Calvin McFadden |
32.4% | 5,450 | |
| Nonpartisan | Antonette E. Pepe Incumbent | 29.6% | 4,971 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.3% | 49 | |
| Total Votes | 16,799 | |||
| Source: City of Springfield, Massachusetts, "Springfield Vote Counts: Nov. 5 City Election Night Results," accessed December 18, 2013 | ||||
| Springfield Public Schools, District 1 General Election, 4-year term, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Rosa Perez |
61.3% | 1,221 | |
| Nonpartisan | Norman Roldan Incumbent | 38.4% | 764 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.4% | 7 | |
| Total Votes | 1,992 | |||
| Source: City of Springfield, Massachusetts, "Springfield Vote Counts: Nov. 5 City Election Night Results," accessed December 18, 2013 | ||||
| Springfield Public Schools, District 2 General Election, 4-year term, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Barbara Gresham Incumbent |
99% | 1,791 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 1% | 18 | |
| Total Votes | 1,809 | |||
| Source: City of Springfield, Massachusetts, "Springfield Vote Counts: Nov. 5 City Election Night Results," accessed December 18, 2013 | ||||
| Springfield Public Schools, District 3 General Election, 4-year term, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Christopher Collins Incumbent |
98.4% | 2,155 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 1.6% | 35 | |
| Total Votes | 2,190 | |||
| Source: City of Springfield, Massachusetts, "Springfield Vote Counts: Nov. 5 City Election Night Results," accessed December 18, 2013 | ||||
| Springfield Public Schools, District 4 General Election, 4-year term, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Peter M. Murphy Incumbent |
63.2% | 1,606 | |
| Nonpartisan | Zaida Govan | 36.6% | 932 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.2% | 5 | |
| Total Votes | 2,543 | |||
| Source: City of Springfield, Massachusetts, "Springfield Vote Counts: Nov. 5 City Election Night Results," accessed December 18, 2013 | ||||
Endorsements
No endorsements were made in this election.
Campaign finance
Candidates received a total of $57,408.13 and spent a total of $54,068.33 during the election, according to the Office of Campaign and Political Finance.[6]
In the at-large race, candidates received a total of $46,230.29 and spent a total of $44,578.56.
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denise M. Hurst | $10,810.78 | $10,805.49 | -$6,109.20 |
| Antonette E. Pepe | $6,430.00 | $6,624.88 | $591.53 |
| Calvin McFadden | $28,989.51 | $27,148.19 | -$2,658.68 |
In the District 1 race, candidates received a total of $4,294.32 and spent a total of $3,969.80.
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norman Roldan | $1,495.00 | $805.75 | $968.38 |
| Rosa Perez | $2,799.32 | $3,164.05 | -$2,959.05 |
In the District 2 race, no contributions or expenditures were reported during the election.
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barbara Gresham | $0.00 | $0.00 | $66.30 |
In the District 3 race, no contributions or expenditures were reported during the election.
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christopher Collins | $0.00 | $0.00 | $2,295.16 |
In the District 4 race, candidates received a total of $6,883.52 and spent a total of $5,519.97.
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peter M. Murphy | $5,260.00 | $4,012.20 | $1,265.44 |
| Zaida Govan | $1,623.52 | $1,507.77 | $115.75 |
Past elections
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What was at stake?
There were six seats on the school board up for election on November 5, 2013. All six incumbents sought re-election to the board and four of them faced challengers. Barbara Gresham and Christopher Collins ran unopposed to retain their District 2 and 3 seats, respectively. Denise M. Hurst and Antonette E. Pepe attempted to fend off a challenge to their at-large seats from Calvin McFadden. However, McFadden narrowly edged out Pepe for the seat. Brenden J. Hammerle was also considered a candidate to the at-large seat, but his name was removed from the ballot before the election. District 1 incumbent Norman Roldan lost to newcomer Rosa Perez, and District 4 incumbent Peter M. Murphy faced a challenge from Zaida Govan, but kept his seat.
Issues
Student attendance initiative
In March, 2013, Springfield Public Schools launched the "Stay in School" campaign to promote greater and more consistent student attendance at district schools. Superintendent Warwick emphasized the importance of community efforts to increase attendance, stating, "Our parents pushed us to go to school every day and do the right thing and the community pushed us to succeed. We understood the value of education. ...We not only want to graduate our kids but we want them to get to college. We need to do more and it's up to the staff, parents and the community to make that difference."[7]
Partnership with Harvard
Beginning in the 2013-14 school year, Springfield Public Schools began partnering with the Education Innovation Laboratory of Harvard University in order to reduce the achievement gap in five struggling district schools. These schools are Chestnut, Kennedy and Kiley Middle Schools, the High School of Commerce and DeBerry Elementary School. Harvard researchers are evaluating their resources and developing new practices and a comprehensive curriculum for these schools.[8]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the Springfield Public Schools election in 2013:[5][9]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| July 23, 2013 | Last day to file nominating petitions |
| October 19, 2013 | Last day to register to vote in the city general election |
| November 5, 2013 | Election day |
Additional elections on the ballot
This election only shared the ballot with other municipal elections. Springfield's Mayor and School Committee Chair, Domenic J. Sarno, was not up for election in 2013. No additional measures appeared on the ballot.
See also
- School board elections review: Voters opt for experience over new blood in nation's largest school districts
- School board election wrap-up: Incumbents re-elected overwhelmingly in November 5 elections
- Massachusetts
- Springfield Public Schools, Massachusetts
- List of school board elections in 2013
- Hampden County, Massachusetts ballot measures
- Local ballot measures, Massachusetts
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 United States Census Bureau, "Hampden County, Massachusetts," accessed January 26, 2015
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed April 22, 2014
- ↑ Massachusetts Secretary of State, "Enrollment Breakdown as of 2/15/2012," accessed September 23, 2013
- ↑ Springfield, Massachusetts, "The Change To A Mixed Method Of Representation," accessed September 24, 2013
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Peter Goonan, The Republican, "Springfield deadline for nomination papers yields two September preliminary election races and several unopposed incumbents," July 24, 2013
- ↑ Springfield, Massachusetts, "OCPF Information," accessed December 20, 2013
- ↑ Elizabeth Roman, The Republican, "Stay in School initiative promotes daily attendance in Springfield public schools," March 25, 2013
- ↑ ABC 40, "Springfield Teams Up with Harvard to Improve Schools," January 10, 2013
- ↑ Springfield, Massachusetts, "Election Office," accessed September 24, 2013
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