St. Tammany Parish Public Schools elections (2014)
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Fifteen seats on the St. Tammany Parish School Board were up for election on November 4, 2014. Incumbents for all districts were up for re-election. The qualifying period for candidates
ran
from August 20, 2014, to August 22, 2014. In uncontested races, candidates were considered elected without opposition as soon as the filing deadline passed.[1]
Louisiana elections use the Louisiana majority-vote system. All candidates compete in the same primary, and a candidate can win the election outright by receiving more than 50% of the vote. If no candidate does, the top two vote recipients from the primary advance to the general election, regardless of their partisan affiliation.
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Only one of the seats was ultimately contested in the election: Districts 9. Incumbent John C. Lamarque (D) of District 13 also did not file to run for re-election. Robin Mullett (R), the District 9 incumbent, was elected without opposition to the District 13 seat. Sharon Lo Drucker (R) and Shane Hodgson (I) faced each other in the contest to fill Mullett's vacated District 9 seat. Drucker won the primary election.[2]
District 6 incumbent Roanne V. Tipton (R) did not file to run for re-election. Newcomers Michael C. Nation (R) and Mike Rivault (R) both filed to run for her seat, but Rivault later withdrew from the race. As a full-time state employee, he would have been barred from holding an elected local office. The remaining seats were all retained by the following incumbents who were elected without opposition: Neal M. Hennegan (R) in District 1, Elizabeth B. Heintz (R) in District 2, Michael "Mike" J. Dirmann (D) in District 3, Stephen "Jack" J. Loup III (R) in District 4, Charles T. Harrell (R) in District 5, Willie "Coach" Jeter (D) in District 7, Peggy H. Seeley (R) in District 8, Ronald "Ron" Bettencourtt (R) in District 10, Robert "Bob" R. Womack (R) in District 11, James "Ronnie" Panks Sr. (R) in District 12, Ray Anthony Alfred (D) in District 14 and Mary K. Bellisario (R) in District 15.
Ray Anthony Alfred (D) died on September 17, 2014, at the age of 60.[3] The vacancy on the school board created by his death was filled by a board appointment. Alfred's father, Anthony Alfred, was elected by the board to fill the vacancy in October 2014.[4] A special election was held to fill the seat for the remainder of the four-year term on March 18, 2015.
About the district
St. Tammany Parish Public Schools lies in southeastern Louisiana in St. Tammany Parish. The seat of parish government is Covington. St. Tammany Parish was home to approximately 242,333 residents according to 2013 estimates by the United States Census Bureau. In the 2011-2012 school year, St. Tammany Parish was the fourth-largest school district in Louisiana and served 37,058 students.[5]
Demographics
St. Tammany Parish overperformed compared to the rest of Louisiana in terms of higher education achievement in 2012. The United States Census Bureau found that 30 percent of St. Tammany Parish residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree compared to 21.4 percent for Louisiana as a whole. The median household income for the parish was $60,813 compared to $44,673 statewide. The poverty rate in the parish was 10.8 percent compared to 18.7 percent for the entire state.[5]
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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 St. Tammany Parish School Board consists of 15 partisan members who serve four-year terms. All of the members are elected concurrently by district. This means that regular school board elections are held every four years with all 15 members being up for re-election at that time. Additionally, all members are elected by an area or district which they represent. Any member who, at the end of his or her term, has served more than two and one-half terms in the last three consecutive terms cannot be re-elected in the following term. However, they can be re-elected following the one term break.[7]
The primary election was held on November 4, 2014. School board candidates in Louisiana are elected by majority vote, which means the winner must receive more than 50 percent of the votes cast. In uncontested races, candidates were considered elected without opposition as soon as the filing deadline passed.[1][7]
School board candidates were required to file a Notice of Candidacy or Qualifying Form during the qualifying period which ran from August 20, 2014, to August 22, 2014. At the same time, they were required to either pay a qualifying fee of $115.00 or submit a nominating petition with 100 valid signatures.[8]
To vote in the primary election, voters were required to register by October 6, 2014. Early voting ran between October 21, 2014, and October 28, 2014.[9]
Elections
2014
Candidates
District 1
- Incumbent
District 2
- Incumbent
District 3
- Incumbent
District 4
- Incumbent
District 5
- Incumbent
District 6
Michael C. Nation 
Mike Rivault - Withdrew
- Director of communications and marketing for Southeastern Louisiana University
- Attended Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College
- Bachelor's of general studies
- Master's of education in secondary social studies
- Master's of business administration
District 7
- Incumbent
District 8
- Incumbent
District 9
Sharon Lo Drucker
Shane Hodgson
District 10
- Incumbent
District 11
- Incumbent
District 12
- Incumbent
District 13
- District 9 incumbent, first elected in 2009
District 14
- Incumbent
District 15
- Incumbent
Election results
District 1
Neal M. Hennegan (R) was re-elected without opposition.
District 2
Elizabeth B. Heintz (R) was re-elected without opposition.
District 3
Michael "Mike" J. Dirmann (D) was re-elected without opposition.
District 4
Stephen "Jack" J. Loup III (R) was re-elected without opposition.
District 5
Charles T. Harrell (R) was re-elected without opposition.
District 6
Michael C. Nation (R) was elected without opposition after his opponent, Mike Rivault (R), withdrew from the race in mid-October 2014. Since the ballots were already printed, Nation and Rivault's names appeared on the ballot. None of the votes in the race were counted.
District 7
Willie "Coach" Jeter (D) was re-elected without opposition.
District 8
Peggy H. Seeley (R) was re-elected without opposition.
District 9
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Sharon Lo Drucker |
64.5% | 4,297 | |
| Independent | Shane Hodgson | 35.5% | 2,367 | |
| Total Votes | 6,664 | |||
| Source: Louisiana Secretary of State, "Official Results," accessed December 5, 2014 | ||||
District 10
Ronald "Ron" Bettencourtt (R) was re-elected without opposition.
District 11
Robert "Bob" R. Womack (R) was re-elected without opposition.
District 12
James "Ronnie" Panks Sr. (R) was re-elected without opposition.
District 13
Robin Mullett (R) was elected without opposition.
District 14
Ray Anthony Alfred (D) was re-elected without opposition.
District 15
Mary K. Bellisario (R) was re-elected without opposition.
Endorsements
Michael C. Nation (R) and Sharon Lo Drucker (R) were both endorsed by the St. Tammany Republican Parish Executive Committee.[10] Shane Hodgson (I) was endorsed by NOLA.com/The Times-Picayune.[11]
Campaign finance
Candidates received a total of $ and spent a total of $ during the election, according to the Louisiana Ethics Administration Program as of October 30, 2014. The following receipt totals include in-kind contributions, monetary contributions, candidates' personal funds and loans.[12]
District 1
In the District 1 race, no contributions or expenditures were reported.
District 2
In the District 2 race, no contributions or expenditures were reported.
District 3
In the District 3 race, no contributions or expenditures were reported.
District 4
In the District 4 race, no contributions or expenditures were reported.
District 5
In the District 5 race, no contributions or expenditures were reported.
District 6
In the District 6 race, candidates received $3,050.00 and spent a total of $1,316.00.
| Candidate | Receipts | Disbursements | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael C. Nation | $3,050.00 | $1,316.00 | $1,334.00 |
| Mike Rivault | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
District 7
In the District 7 race, no contributions or expenditures were reported.
District 8
In the District 8 race, no contributions or expenditures were reported.
District 9
In the District 9 race, candidates received $3,455.00 and spent a total of $1,655.67.
| Candidate | Receipts | Disbursements | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharon Lo Drucker | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Shane Hodgson | $3,455.00 | $1,655.67 | $1,799.33 |
District 10
In the District 10 race, no contributions or expenditures were reported.
District 11
In the District 11 race, no contributions or expenditures were reported.
District 12
In the District 12 race, no contributions or expenditures were reported.
District 13
In the District 13 race, no contributions or expenditures were reported.
District 14
In the District 14 race, no contributions or expenditures were reported.
District 15
In the District 15 race, no contributions or expenditures were reported.
Past elections
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2010District 1Neal M. Hennegan (R) was re-elected without opposition.[13] District 2
District 3Incumbent Michael "Mike" J. Dirmann (D) won re-election without opposition.[13] District 4Stephen "Jack" J. Loup III (R) was re-elected without opposition.[13] District 5Incumbent Charles T. Harrell (R) was unopposed in his re-election bid.[13] District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9Robin Mullett (R) was re-elected without opposition after Kathryne C. Delcarpio (D) withdrew from the race.[2][13] District 10Ronald "Ron" Bettencourtt (R) was re-elected following the withdrawal of his opponent, Sean Mickal (R), from the race just before the election.[13] District 11Robert "Bob" R. Womack (R) was re-elected without opposition.[13] District 12James "Ronnie" Panks Sr. (R) was re-elected without opposition.[13] District 13John C. Lamarque, Jr. (D) was re-elected without opposition.[13] District 14Ray Anthony Alfred (D) was re-elected without opposition.[13] District 15
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What was at stake?
While all 15 seats were up for election, 12 of those were filed by incumbents elected without opposition. An additional seat was filed by an incumbent switching districts, leaving just two contested races in the election. After Mike Rivault (R) withdrew from the District 6 race, just one seat was left undecided. Prior to the election, the board was comprised of 11 Republicans and 4 Democrats. Democrats lost one seat, which could have become Republican or independent. The District 9 race between Drucker (R) and Hodgson (I) determined the new board's partisan makeup. The board remained solidly Republican.
However, the long tenure of several of these returning incumbents now had a definite end guaranteed after a 2012 vote which instated term limits on school board members. The new term limits took effect with terms won in this election.
While much stayed the same in terms of board membership, several issues faced the district. Like much of the country, Common Core was a topic of interest in the district, as well as a controversy about the school board's financial arrangement with Assistant District Attorney Harry Pastuszek.
Issues
Issues in the district
Term limits
Terms won in this election were the first to be affected by the imposition of term limits on school board members in the parish. On November 6, 2012, St. Tammany Parish voters elected by a strong majority to instate term limits.
The question appeared on the ballot as follows:
| “ | LOCAL OPTION ELECTION
Within St. Tammany Parish School District: Shall the number of terms of office that any member of the school board may serve be limited to three consecutive four-year terms?[14] |
” |
| —Louisiana Secretary of State's website (2014)[15] | ||
Election results
| Parishwide School District Local Option Term Limits Proposition (2012) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
 Yes | 87373 | 84.94% | ||
| No | 15496 | 15.06% | ||
Starting with terms that began on or after January 1, 2015, any member who, at the end of his or her term, has served more than two and one-half terms in the last three consecutive terms cannot be re-elected in the following term. However, they can be re-elected following the one term break. The limit does not apply retroactively to incumbents, thus allowing them to potentially serve up to 12 more years.[1][7]
ADA Harry Pastuszek controversy
Spending on legal counsel by the school board to Assistant District Attorney Harry Pastuszek came under criticism following the revelation that the district had paid more than $500,000 for the services in the last year. The practice of assistant district attorneys providing legal counsel to school boards is common in Louisiana. However, the payment for those services is a complicated manner. Whether these deals are seen as a public service that is compensated through the district attorney's office or a private arrangement that is compensated directly with the lawyer providing the services varies.[16]
In the case of the St. Tammany School Board, the school board has paid Pastuszek directly for legal services. The district paid him $440,666 in 2011, $475,194 in 2012 and $545,399 in 2013.[16]
Common Core
- See also: Common Core State Standards Initiative
Although the school board approved a resolution calling on the state to drop the Common Core standards in October 2013, the topic was not closed. At the September 11, 2014, school board meeting, 10 people spoke to the school board to express their dissatisfaction with the mathematics curriculum being taught under the Common Core. While Governor Bobby Jindal (R) has sued the federal government over Common Core, Louisiana Superintendent of Education John White has been a strong supporter.[17][18]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the St. Tammany Parish Schools election in 2014.[8][9][19]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| August 20-22, 2014 | Qualifying period for candidates |
| October 5, 2014 | 30th day prior to election campaign finance report due |
| October 6, 2014 | Last day to register to vote in the primary election |
| October 21, 2014 | Early voting begins |
| October 25, 2014 | 10th day prior to election campaign finance report due |
| October 28, 2014 | Early voting ends |
| November 4, 2014 | Election Day |
| December 14, 2014 | 40th day after the election campaign finance report due |
Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Louisiana elections, 2014
This election shared the ballot with primary elections for the United States Senate, the United States House of Representatives, two down ballot state executive positions, 14 statewide ballot measures, judiciary and local officials and propositions.[20]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "St. + Tammany + Parish + Public + Schools + Louisiana"
See also
- Louisiana
- St. Tammany Parish Public Schools, Louisiana
- Louisiana school board elections, 2014
- List of school board elections in 2014
- School board elections, 2014
- St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana ballot measures
- Local ballot measures, Louisiana
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Louisiana Secretary of State, "HOW ARE CANDIDATES ELECTED?" accessed September 2, 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Louisiana Secretary of State, "Candidate Inquiry," accessed September 3, 2014
- ↑ The Times-Picayune, "St. Tammany Parish School Board member Ray Alfred dies," September 17, 2014
- ↑ The Times-Picayune, "St. Tammany School Board taps familiar candidate to fill open seat," October 3, 2014
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 United States Census Bureau, "St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, Quick Facts," accessed September 3, 2014
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, "Official Results," accessed September 2, 2014
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Louisiana Secretary of State, "QUALIFICATIONS OF CANDIDATES," accessed September 2, 2014
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Louisiana Secretary of State, "FEES/NOMINATING PETITIONS TO QUALIFY FOR OFFICE," accessed September 2, 2014
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Louisiana Secretary of State, "2014 Elections," accessed September 2, 2014
- ↑ The Times-Picayune, "St. Tammany Republican panel makes initial round of endorsements," September 15, 2014
- ↑ The Times-Picayune, "Warren Montgomery for DA and other St. Tammany election recommendations: Editorial," October 28, 2014
- ↑ Louisiana Ethics Administration Program, "Louisiana Campaign Finance Reports," accessed October 30, 2014
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 13.6 13.7 13.8 13.9 The Times-Picayune, "St. Tammany Parish election results," October 2, 2010
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, "Official Election Results," accessed September 12, 2014
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 The New Orleans Advocate, "Tammany DA’s arrangement with School Board raises questions," September 4, 2014
- ↑ The Times-Picayune, "Common Core opposition again visits St. Tammany Parish School Board," September 11, 2014
- ↑ Politico, "Bobby Jindal sues federal government over the Common Core," August 27, 2014
- ↑ Louisiana Ethics Commission, "SCHEDULE OF REPORTING AND FILING DATES PROPOSITION ELECTION: NOVEMBER 4, 2014," accessed August 15, 2014
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, "REVIEW TYPES OF ELECTIONS," accessed September 11, 2014
