Stafford County Public Schools elections (2017)
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Four of the seven seats on the Stafford County Public Schools school board in Virginia were up for by-district general election on November 7, 2017. In their bids for re-election, incumbents Irene Egan and Holly Hazard ran unopposed and won the Aquia District seat and the Hartwood District seat, respectively. Incumbent Scott Hirons was defeated by challenger Sarah Breedin Chase in the race for the Falmouth District seat. In the race for the Garrisonville District seat, which was left open when incumbent Christopher P. Connelly did not file to run for re-election, R. Pamela Yeung defeated Barton Randall.[1]
The 2017 election had more unopposed seats and fewer candidates compared to the district's previous two election cycles. For information on election trends in the district, click here.
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The Stafford County school board consists of seven members elected to four-year terms. Elections are held by district on a staggered basis every November of odd-numbered years. Three seats were up for election on November 3, 2015, and four seats were up for election on November 7, 2017.[2]
To qualify as school board candidates, interested parties had to be at least 18 years old, U.S. citizens, and residents of Virginia for at least one year prior to the election. To get on the ballot, candidates had to file nomination paperwork with their county election office by June 13, 2017.[3][4]
To vote in this election, citizens of the school district had to register by October 16, 2017.[5] Photo identification was required to vote in Virginia.[6]
Candidates and results
Aquia District
Results
| Stafford County Public Schools, Aquia District General Election, 4-year term, 2017 |
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|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Irene Egan Incumbent (unopposed) |
95.58% | 4,344 |
| Write-in votes | 4.42% | 201 |
| Total Votes | 4,545 | |
| Source: Virginia Department of Elections, "2017 November General," accessed November 21, 2017 | ||
Candidates
Irene Egan 
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Falmouth District
Results
| Stafford County Public Schools, Falmouth District General Election, 4-year term, 2017 |
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|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Sarah Breedin Chase |
57.74% | 3,341 |
| Scott Hirons Incumbent | 41.81% | 2,419 |
| Write-in votes | 0.45% | 26 |
| Total Votes | 5,786 | |
| Source: Virginia Department of Elections, "2017 November General," accessed November 21, 2017 | ||
Candidates
| Scott Hirons | Sarah Breedin Chase
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Garrisonville District
Results
| Stafford County Public Schools, Garrisonville District General Election, 4-year term, 2017 |
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|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| R. Pamela Yeung |
59.06% | 3,039 |
| Barton Randall | 40.42% | 2,080 |
| Write-in votes | 0.52% | 27 |
| Total Votes | 5,146 | |
| Source: Virginia Department of Elections, "2017 November General," accessed November 21, 2017 | ||
Candidates
| Barton Randall | R. Pamela Yeung
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Hartwood District
Results
| Stafford County Public Schools, Hartwood District General Election, 4-year term, 2017 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Holly Hazard Incumbent (unopposed) |
96.47% | 5,553 |
| Write-in votes | 3.53% | 203 |
| Total Votes | 5,756 | |
| Source: Virginia Department of Elections, "2017 November General," accessed November 21, 2017 | ||
Candidates
| Holly Hazard
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Virginia elections, 2017
The Stafford County school board election shared the ballot with elections for governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general.
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for Virginia school board elections in 2017:[5]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| June 13, 2017 | Candidate filing deadline |
| October 16, 2017 | Voter registration deadline |
| November 7, 2017 | General election |
Endorsements
The Stafford Education Association (SEA) endorsed incumbent Scott Hirons and challenger Sarah Breedin Chase for the Falmouth District seat. Hirons was also endorsed by the Stafford County Republican Committee.[7][8] The Stafford County Democratic Committee endorsed Chase and Garrisonville District candidate R. Pamela Yeung.[9]
Do you know of an official or organization that endorsed a candidate in this race? Let Ballotpedia know by email at editor@ballotpedia.org.
Campaign finance
Candidates received a total of $31,507.84 and spent a total of $30,992.82 in the election, according to the Virginia Department of Elections.[10]
| Candidate | Balance prior to election | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aquia District | ||||
| Irene Egan | $400.95 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $400.95 |
| Falmouth District | ||||
| Scott Hirons | $0.00 | $18,397.59 | $18,362.32 | $35.27 |
| Sarah Breedin Chase | $0.00 | $2,990.00 | $2,794.96 | $195.04 |
| Garrisonville District | ||||
| Barton Randall | $0.00 | $3,188.24 | $3,186.17 | $2.07 |
| R. Pamela Yeung | $0.00 | $6,782.01 | $6,499.37 | $282.64 |
| Hartwood District | ||||
| Holly Hazard | $0.00 | $150.00 | $150.00 | $0.00 |
Filing schedule
The following table details the filing schedule for campaign finance reports for school board candidates in Virginia who ran in a general election on November 7, 2017. The left column details the time period covered for each report, and the right column details the report's due date.[11]
Past elections
To see results from past elections in Stafford County Public Schools, click here.
What was at stake?
Election trends
- See also: School boards in session: 2015 in brief
The 2017 Stafford County school board election was the first election in three consecutive cycles to have unopposed seats. Two of the four seats on the ballot in 2017 were unopposed, while no seats were unopposed in 2013 or 2015.
The 2017 election also attracted a smaller average number of candidates per seat. Six candidates ran for four seats for an average of 1.5 candidates per seats in 2017. Eight candidates ran for four seats for an average of two candidates per seat in 2013, and seven candidates ran for three seats for an average of 2.33 in 2015.
| School board election trends | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Candidates per seat | Unopposed seats | Incumbents running for re-election | Incumbent success rate | Seats won by newcomers | |
| Stafford County Public Schools | ||||||
| 2017 | 1.50 | 50.00% | 75.00% | 50.00% | 66.67% | |
| 2015 | 2.33 | 0.00% | 100.00% | 66.67% | 33.33% | |
| 2013 | 2.00 | 0.00% | 50.00% | 100.00% | 50.00% | |
| Virginia | ||||||
| 2015 | 1.61 | 44.66% | 66.02% | 85.29% | 41.75% | |
| United States | ||||||
| 2015 | 1.72 | 35.95% | 70.37% | 82.66% | 40.81% | |
Report a story for this election
Ballotpedia researches issues in school board elections across the United States, but information availability is a challenge for us in many school districts. Please contact us about the issues that impact your local school district. Note that not all submissions may meet Ballotpedia's coverage requirements for inclusion.
Candidate survey
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About the district
- See also: Stafford County Public Schools, Virginia
The Stafford County school district is located in northeast Virginia in Stafford County. The county seat is Stafford. Stafford County was home to 144,361 residents in 2016, according to estimates by the United States Census Bureau.[12] The district was the 10th-largest school district in the state in the 2014-2015 school year and served 27,573 students.[13]
Demographics
Stafford County outperformed Virginia as a whole in terms of higher education achievement between 2011 and 2015. The United States Census Bureau found that 36.8 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 36.3 percent of state residents. During the same time period, the median household income in Stafford County was $97,144, compared to $65,015 for the entire state. The poverty rate in the county was 5.4 percent, while it was 11.2 percent statewide.[12]
| Racial Demographics, 2015[12] | ||
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| Race | Stafford County (%) | Virginia (%) |
| White | 73.5 | 70.2 |
| Black or African American | 18.3 | 19.7 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.7 | 0.5 |
| Asian | 3.4 | 6.5 |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0.2 | 0.1 |
| Two or More Races | 4.0 | 2.9 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 11.8 | 9.0 |
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.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Stafford County Public Schools Virginia election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Stafford County Public Schools | Virginia | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Stafford County Registrar," June 15, 2017
- ↑ Stafford County Public Schools, "School Board Overview," accessed June 8, 2017
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "Becoming a Candidate," accessed June 8, 2017
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "Certificate Of Candidate Qualification: Local Offices," accessed June 8, 2017
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Virginia Department of Elections, "2017 Election Calendar: Election Deadline Calendar," accessed June 8, 2017
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "In-Person Voting," accessed June 8, 2017
- ↑ Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Sarah Breedin Chase," October 16, 2017
- ↑ Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Scott Hirons," October 17, 2017
- ↑ Stafford County Democratic Committee, "Support Our Democratic Candidates," accessed October 18, 2017
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "Campaign Finance Reports: Search Committees," accessed January 17, 2018
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "Campaign Committee: 2017 Reporting Deadlines," accessed July 18, 2017
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 United States Census Bureau, "QuickFacts: Stafford County, Virginia," accessed June 9, 2017
- ↑ U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, "Common Core of Data, file ccd_lea_052_1414_w_0216161a, 2014-2015," accessed November 16, 2016
