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Union County Public Schools, North Carolina, elections

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Union County Public Schools
School Board badge.png
District details
School board members: 9
Students: 41,687 (2023-2024)
Schools: 52 (2023-2024)
Website: Link

Union County Public Schools is a school district in North Carolina (Union County). During the 2024 school year, 41,687 students attended one of the district's 52 schools.

This page provides information regarding school board members, election rules, finances, academics, policies, and more details about the district.

Elections

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Union County Public Schools school board At-Large

General election

General election for Union County Public Schools school board At-Large (2 seats)

Incumbent Sarah May and incumbent Todd Price defeated Liz Baxter and Weston Burroughs in the general election for Union County Public Schools school board At-Large on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Sarah May (R)
 
33.0
 
76,168
Image of Todd Price
Todd Price (R)
 
31.2
 
71,859
Image of Liz Baxter
Liz Baxter (D) Candidate Connection
 
20.3
 
46,839
Image of Weston Burroughs
Weston Burroughs (D)
 
15.5
 
35,698

Total votes: 230,564
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Union County Public Schools school board District 1

General election

General election for Union County Public Schools school board District 1

Incumbent John J. Kirkpatrick IV won election in the general election for Union County Public Schools school board District 1 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
John J. Kirkpatrick IV (D)
 
100.0
 
8,941

Total votes: 8,941
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Union County Public Schools school board District 2

General election

General election for Union County Public Schools school board District 2

Incumbent Matt Helms defeated Jen Sanders in the general election for Union County Public Schools school board District 2 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Matt Helms (R)
 
70.3
 
16,378
Jen Sanders (D)
 
29.7
 
6,929

Total votes: 23,307
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Union County Public Schools school board District 5

General election

General election for Union County Public Schools school board District 5

Incumbent Joseph Morreale won election in the general election for Union County Public Schools school board District 5 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Joseph Morreale (R)
 
100.0
 
15,569

Total votes: 15,569
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Union County Public Schools school board At-Large

General election

General election for Union County Public Schools school board At-Large

Incumbent Jimmy H. Bention Sr. defeated Weston Burroughs in the general election for Union County Public Schools school board At-Large on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Jimmy H. Bention Sr. (R)
 
64.8
 
57,636
Image of Weston Burroughs
Weston Burroughs (D) Candidate Connection
 
35.2
 
31,249

Total votes: 88,885
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Union County Public Schools school board District 1

General election

Special general election for Union County Public Schools school board District 1

Incumbent John J. Kirkpatrick IV defeated Colleen Kamolnik in the special general election for Union County Public Schools school board District 1 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
John J. Kirkpatrick IV (D)
 
51.7
 
3,954
Colleen Kamolnik (R)
 
48.3
 
3,692

Total votes: 7,646
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Union County Public Schools school board District 3

General election

General election for Union County Public Schools school board District 3

Incumbent Gary Sides defeated Maria Palacios in the general election for Union County Public Schools school board District 3 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Gary Sides (R)
 
70.3
 
10,582
Maria Palacios (D)
 
29.7
 
4,474

Total votes: 15,056
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Union County Public Schools school board District 4

General election

General election for Union County Public Schools school board District 4

Sandra Greene defeated Jodi McConkey in the general election for Union County Public Schools school board District 4 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Sandra Greene (R)
 
69.9
 
12,062
Image of Jodi McConkey
Jodi McConkey (D) Candidate Connection
 
30.1
 
5,202

Total votes: 17,264
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Union County Public Schools school board District 6

General election

General election for Union County Public Schools school board District 6

Incumbent Kathy Heintel defeated Steve Martin in the general election for Union County Public Schools school board District 6 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Kathy Heintel (R)
 
59.7
 
10,566
Image of Steve Martin
Steve Martin (D) Candidate Connection
 
40.3
 
7,125

Total votes: 17,691
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Union County Public Schools school board At-Large

General election

General election for Union County Public Schools school board At-Large (2 seats)

Sarah May and incumbent Todd Price defeated Claudia Sandoval in the general election for Union County Public Schools school board At-Large on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Sarah May (R)
 
37.4
 
73,912
Image of Todd Price
Todd Price (R)
 
37.4
 
73,854
Claudia Sandoval (D)
 
25.2
 
49,901

Total votes: 197,667
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Union County Public Schools school board District 1

General election

General election for Union County Public Schools school board District 1

Incumbent Candice Sturdivant won election in the general election for Union County Public Schools school board District 1 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Candice Sturdivant
Candice Sturdivant (D)
 
100.0
 
8,197

Total votes: 8,197
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Union County Public Schools school board District 2

General election

General election for Union County Public Schools school board District 2

Incumbent Matt Helms won election in the general election for Union County Public Schools school board District 2 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Matt Helms (R)
 
100.0
 
17,755

Total votes: 17,755
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Union County Public Schools school board District 5

General election

General election for Union County Public Schools school board District 5

Incumbent Joseph Morreale won election in the general election for Union County Public Schools school board District 5 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Joseph Morreale (R)
 
100.0
 
16,958

Total votes: 16,958
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Union County Public Schools school board At-Large

General election

General election for Union County Public Schools school board At-Large

Travis Kiker defeated Dan Zeller in the general election for Union County Public Schools school board At-Large on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Travis Kiker
Travis Kiker (R)
 
62.8
 
53,831
Dan Zeller (D)
 
37.2
 
31,912

Total votes: 85,743
(100.00% precincts reporting)
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Union County Public Schools school board District 3

General election

General election for Union County Public Schools school board District 3

Incumbent Gary Sides won election in the general election for Union County Public Schools school board District 3 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Gary Sides (R)
 
100.0
 
9,280

Total votes: 9,280
(100.00% precincts reporting)
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Union County Public Schools school board District 4

General election

General election for Union County Public Schools school board District 4

Incumbent Melissa Merrell won election in the general election for Union County Public Schools school board District 4 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Melissa Merrell
Melissa Merrell (R)
 
100.0
 
12,175

Total votes: 12,175
(100.00% precincts reporting)
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Union County Public Schools school board District 6

General election

General election for Union County Public Schools school board District 6

Incumbent Kathy Heintel won election in the general election for Union County Public Schools school board District 6 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Kathy Heintel (R)
 
100.0
 
13,707

Total votes: 13,707
(100.00% precincts reporting)
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Union County Public Schools school board At-Large

General election

General election for Union County Public Schools school board At-Large

Incumbent Leslie Boyd won election in the general election for Union County Public Schools school board At-Large on November 4, 2014.

Candidate
Image of Leslie Boyd
Leslie Boyd (Nonpartisan)

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Union County Public Schools school board District 1

General election

General election for Union County Public Schools school board District 1

Incumbent Sharon Harrell won election in the general election for Union County Public Schools school board District 1 on November 4, 2014.

Candidate
Sharon Harrell (Nonpartisan)

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Union County Public Schools school board District 3

General election

General election for Union County Public Schools school board District 3

Incumbent Gary Sides won election in the general election for Union County Public Schools school board District 3 on November 4, 2014.

Candidate
Gary Sides (Nonpartisan)

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Union County Public Schools school board District 4

General election

General election for Union County Public Schools school board District 4

Incumbent Melissa Merrell won election in the general election for Union County Public Schools school board District 4 on November 4, 2014.

Candidate
Image of Melissa Merrell
Melissa Merrell (Nonpartisan)

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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About the district

School board

Union County Public Schools consists of nine members serving four-year terms. To find information about school board meetings, click here.

List of school board members
NameSeatYear assumed officeYear term ends
Barry TuckerDistrict 32025
John J. Kirkpatrick IVDistrict 120212028
Sarah MayAt Large20202028
Todd PriceAt Large20192028
Matt HelmsDistrict 220162028
Joseph MorrealeDistrict 520162028
Sandra GreeneDistrict 420222026
Jimmy H. Bention Sr.At Large20202026
Kathy HeintelDistrict 620162026

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District map

Overlapping state house districts

The table was limited to the lower chamber because it provides the most granularity. State house districts tend to be more numerous and therefore smaller than state senate or U.S. House districts. This provides an impression of the partisan affiliations in the area.

Budget

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[1]

Revenue, 2021-2022
SOURCE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Federal: $73,714,000 $1,816 15%
Local: $139,058,000 $3,425 29%
State: $269,137,000 $6,629 56%
Total: $481,909,000 $11,870
Expenditures, 2021-2022
TYPE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Total Expenditures: $478,690,000 $11,790
Total Current Expenditures: $447,013,000 $11,010
Instructional Expenditures: $278,744,000 $6,865 58%
Student and Staff Support: $41,494,000 $1,022 9%
Administration: $45,770,000 $1,127 10%
Operations, Food Service, Other: $81,005,000 $1,995 17%
Total Capital Outlay: $19,483,000 $479
Construction: $14,487,000 $356
Total Non El-Sec Education & Other: $2,582,000 $63
Interest on Debt: $7,549,000 $185

Academic performance

Each year, state and local education agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency. Although the data below was published by the U.S. Department of Education, proficiency measurements are established by the states. As a result, proficiency levels are not comparable between different states and year-over-year proficiency levels within a district may not be comparable because states may change their proficiency measurements. To protect student privacy, percentages are reported as ranges for groups of 300 students or fewer. If five or fewer students were included in a data set, the data will display as "PS."[2]

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 64 92 36 47 60-69 57 73
2018-2019 63 90 36 47 60-69 57 71
2017-2018 56 83 34 46 50-59 56 62
2016-2017 66 92 41 50 50-59 62 73
2015-2016 64 90 38 48 50-59 62 72
2014-2015 62 85 36 45 60-69 60 70
2013-2014 62 87 34 46 60-69 59 70
2012-2013 59 82 32 41 50-59 58 67
2011-2012 91 98 78 84 80-89 90 95
2010-2011 91 97 77 84 80-89 91 95

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 62 87 40 43 60-69 59 71
2018-2019 60 83 36 40 40-49 57 69
2017-2018 60 83 34 38 40-49 58 69
2016-2017 60 82 36 36 50-59 58 70
2015-2016 58 79 35 35 50-59 56 68
2014-2015 61 78 37 37 50-59 58 71
2013-2014 60 78 35 35 50-59 58 69
2012-2013 58 75 35 32 40-49 56 68
2011-2012 83 91 66 65 60-69 85 90
2010-2011 81 90 61 62 70-79 82 88

The following table shows the graduation rate of district students each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2019-2020 93 >=95 87 86 >=50 >=95 96
2018-2019 93 >=95 87 87 >=50 >=95 95
2017-2018 93 >=95 90 82 >=50 90-94 95
2016-2017 93 >=95 89 85 >=50 85-89 95
2015-2016 93 >=95 91 87 PS 90-94 94
2014-2015 93 >=90 91 88 >=50 80-89 94
2013-2014 93 >=90 86 90 >=50 >=90 95
2012-2013 91 >=90 86 87 PS 70-79 93
2011-2012 90 >=90 82 80-84 >=50 >=90 92
2010-2011 89 >=90 79 85-89 >=50 80-89 91

Students

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[3]

Year Enrollment Year-to-year change (%)
2023-2024 41,687 0.5
2022-2023 41,497 2.2
2021-2022 40,600 1.0
2020-2021 40,207 -3.7
2019-2020 41,707 0.5
2018-2019 41,488 -0.2
2017-2018 41,581 -0.5
2016-2017 41,782 -1.0
2015-2016 42,199 1.3
2014-2015 41,650 1.4
2013-2014 41,074 1.0
2012-2013 40,659 1.3
2011-2012 40,111 -0.1
2010-2011 40,153 1.9
2009-2010 39,395 2.4
2008-2009 38,439 3.6
2007-2008 37,053 3.9
2006-2007 35,616 11.3
2005-2006 31,584 8.8
2004-2005 28,816 6.3
2003-2004 26,993 5.0
2002-2003 25,636 5.8
2001-2002 24,152 5.3
2000-2001 22,862 4.0
1999-2000 21,949 0.0
Racial Demographics, 2023-2024
RACE Union County Public Schools (%) North Carolina K-12 STUDENTS (%)
American Indian/Alaska Native 0.2 1.0
Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander 8.4 4.2
Black 12.2 24.5
Hispanic 21.3 21.2
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0.1 0.1
Two or More Races 4.7 6.0
White 53.1 43.0

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.

Staff

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[4]

As of the 2023-2024 school year, Union County Public Schools had 2,492.61 full-time classroom teachers. The student-teacher ratio was 16.72.

Teachers, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF TEACHERS
Prekindergarten: 41.79
Kindergarten: 165.09
Elementary: 1,454.07
Secondary: 817.16
Total: 2,492.61

Union County Public Schools employed 18.70 district administrators and 154.31 school administrators as of the 2023-2024 school year.

Administrators, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATORS
District Administrators: 18.70
District Administrative Support: 141.45
School Administrators: 154.31
School Administrative Support: 170.36
Other staff, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF
Instructional Aides: 551.57
Instruc. Coordinators & Supervisors: 16.70
Total Guidance Counselors: 116.64
Elementary Guidance Counselors: 33.08
Secondary Guidance Counselors: 76.81
Librarians/Media Specialists: 45.00
Library/Media Support: 1.91
Student Support Services: 322.20
Other Support Services: 849.03

Schools

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[5]

Union County Public Schools operates 52 schools. They are listed below in alphabetical order.
List of schools
SCHOOL NAMENUMBER OF STUDENTSGRADES
Antioch Elementary842KG-5
Benton Heights Elementary471PK-5
Central Academy Of Technology And Arts8469-12
Cuthbertson High1,9009-12
Cuthbertson Middle1,3476-8
East Elementary396PK-5
East Union Middle6956-8
Fairview Elementary382KG-5
Forest Hills High9369-12
Hemby Bridge Elementary493PK-5
Indian Trail Elementary620PK-5
Kensington Elementary975KG-5
Marshville Elementary433PK-5
Marvin Elementary726PK-5
Marvin Ridge High2,0509-12
Marvin Ridge Middle1,3096-8
Monroe High1,0999-12
Monroe Middle8556-8
New Salem Elementary249KG-5
New Town Elementary728PK-5
Parkwood High1,0559-12
Parkwood Middle8216-8
Piedmont High1,3049-12
Piedmont Middle9916-8
Poplin Elementary759KG-5
Porter Ridge Elementary724PK-5
Porter Ridge High School1,7669-12
Porter Ridge Middle School1,3856-8
Prospect Elementary369KG-5
Rea View Elementary588KG-5
Rock Rest Elementary426PK-5
Rocky River Elementary530PK-5
Sandy Ridge Elementary571KG-5
Sardis Elementary508PK-5
Shiloh Valley Elementary5453-5
Shiloh Valley Primary School622PK-2
South Providence1106-12
Stallings Elementary762KG-5
Sun Valley High1,3839-12
Sun Valley Middle9296-8
Union County Early College344
Union Elementary279KG-5
Unionville Elementary687PK-5
Walter Bickett Elementary465PK-5
Waxhaw Elementary657PK-5
Weddington Elementary662PK-5
Weddington High1,8579-12
Weddington Middle1,4036-8
Wesley Chapel Elementary767KG-5
Western Union Elementary576KG-5
Wingate Elementary382PK-5
Wolfe School1086-12

About school boards

Education legislation in North Carolina

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See also

School Boards Education Policy Local Politics North Carolina
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External links

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  • Footnotes