Union Public Schools elections (2015)
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Two seats on the Union Public Schools Board of Education were scheduled for general election on February 10, 2015. Zone 5 incumbent Ed Payton did not file to run for re-election. Kenneth Kinnear II was the only candidate to file for the open seat. The Zone 4 seat was also up for election with an unexpired term. Stacey Roemerman was appointed to fill the vacancy on the board on April 14, 2014, and was the only candidate to file for the election for the remainder of the unexpired term.[1][2]
The lack of opposed races in the 2015 election made this the fourth consecutive unopposed election for the Union Public Schools Board of Education. While no board races appeared on the ballot, district residents approved a $27 million bond issue.
About the district
- See also: Union Public Schools, Oklahoma
Union Public Schools is located in Tulsa County in northeastern Oklahoma. The county seat of Tulsa County is Tulsa. The county seat of Tulsa County is Tulsa. Tulsa County was home to approximately 622,409 residents in 2013, according to the United States Census Bureau.[3] Union Public Schools was the ninth-largest school district in Oklahoma, serving 14,990 students during the 2010-2011 school year.[4]
Demographics
Tulsa County outperformed the rest of Oklahoma in terms of higher education achievement, median household income and percentage of residents living below the poverty level in 2013. The United States Census Bureau found that 29.7 percent of its residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree compared to 23.5 percent for Oklahoma as a whole. The median household income in the county was $48,181 compared to $45,339 for the state of Oklahoma. The poverty rate in Tulsa County was 15.9 percent compared to 16.9 percent for the entire state.[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 Union Public Schools Board of Education is composed of five members elected to five-year terms by geographic electoral districts. There was no primary election, and the general election for Zones 4 and 5 was scheduled to be held on February 10, 2015.[6]
Candidates began to file affidavits of candidacy on December 1, 2014. The filing deadline for school board candidates to get on the ballot in the general election was December 3, 2014.[2]
Elections
2015
Candidates
Zone 4
- Stacey Roemerman
- Incumbent, appointed April 14, 2014
Zone 5
- Kenneth Kinnear II
- Vice president and treasurer of Kaiser-Francis Oil Company
Endorsements
There were no official endorsements in this election.
Campaign finance
No contributions or expenditures were reported during the election, according to the Oklahoma Ethics Commission.[7]
Past elections
Information about earlier elections can be found by clicking [show] at the right. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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2014
No candidate filed for the open Zone 4 seat in the 2014 election. The election was canceled and Stacey Roemerman was appointed to the board on April 14, 2014.[1] 2013Heather McAdams ran unopposed for re-election and won the Zone 3 seat by default. The school district canceled the election due to the lack of opposition.[8] 2012Patrick Coyle was unopposed in the 2012 election for the Zone 2 seat. 2011
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What was at stake?
2015
The unexpired term for the Zone 4 seat and a regular term for the Zone 5 seat on the Union Public Schools Board of Education were scheduled for election in 2015. Appointed Zone 4 incumbent Stacey Roemerman was unopposed in her bid for the remainder of the term to which she was appointed in April 2014. Zone 5 incumbent Ed Payton's decision to not seek re-election meant the board would be seeing a new member. Candidate Kenneth Kinnear II sought and won the open seat unopposed.
While the election for the board was canceled, district residents still saw a bond issue question on the ballot on February 10, 2015. Beyond the election, the district had been dealing with continuing debates over the use of the term "redskins" for district sports teams' mascot.
Union Public Schools, "Union's 2014-15 Bond Election: Building Our Future Together," January 5, 2015 |
Issues in the election
Bond issue
In November 2014, the board of education voted to place a $27 million bond issue on the February 2015 ballot. Voter approval made the measure the largest in the school district's history. The largest single project funded by the bond issue was a $9.1 million second phase of the district's eighth grade center. Other projects include technology improvements and additional elementary classrooms. Superintendent Kirt Hartzler stated that the growth in overall enrollment and, in particular, sports and fine arts enrollment in the eight grade class necessitates the expansion. Similarly, Hartzler cited the growth in elementary enrollment as the reason to expand the number of classrooms at Rosa Parks Elementary. A more detailed list of the allocations can be read in the table below.[9]
Results
| Proposition Union Public Schools (2015) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
 Yes | 1,858 | 81.2% | ||
| No | 429 | 18.8% | ||
Allocations
| 2015 school bond allocations[10] | |
|---|---|
| Description | Amount |
| Phase II eigth grade center expansion: additional classrooms, fine arts performance space improvements and athletic field improvements | $9,100,000 |
| Additional classrooms at Rosa Parks Elementary | $3,800,000 |
| Elementary #14 Phase I: architectural fees, preconstruction expenses, demolition, utilities and other related construction costs | $1,500,000 |
| District-wide textbooks, media and library books, STEM, technology, software licenses and subscriptions | $5,368,750 |
| Site allocations: capital expenditures, technology equipment and software; projects at each school | $805,000 |
| Athletic, fine arts and spirit uniforms; instruments, equipment and technology | $626,250 |
| Maintenance and operations including, but not limited to, safety and security upgrades; HVAC equipment including rooftop units; parking lots and sidewalks; flooring, painting and remodeling/renovation projects; vehicles; architectural fees, engineering and other professional services | $3,300,000 |
| Rosa Parks Early Childhood Center Building: payment toward purchase of the building | $1,000,000 |
| Contingency and bond fees and expenses | $1,500,000 |
| Total | $27,000,000 |
Issues in the district
High school mascot debate
A federal decision to cancel six trademarks held by the Washington's NFL team over the use of the term "redskins" as their mascot renewed discussion of the term in Union Public Schools's mascots in June 2014. The trademarks for the professional football team were canceled due to a ruling that the term is disparaging. While the NFL team's decision to defend its use of the term garnered national media attention, it also caused local discussions of school mascots which use the term. The district's high school mascot switched to the term in 2003.[11]
A statement from the district defended its use of the term saying:
| “ | Union community members of all races tell us this is not an issue divided strictly on the lines of race. In the Union community, "Redskins" is not derogatory; rather it defines a diverse, yet close-knit community that exhibits great pride and spirit in its schools.[12] | ” |
| —Union Public Schools (2014)[11] | ||
Union Public Schools was not the only district among Oklahoma's largest to debate the use of the term in 2014. Oklahoma City Public Schools changed a high school mascot which used the term in December 2014, leading to protests from students.
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the Union Board of Education election in 2015:[6][13]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| December 1-3, 2014 | Candidate filing period |
| January 16, 2015 | Voter registration closes |
| February 4, 2015 | Absentee ballot request deadline |
| February 5-6, 2015 | Early voting period |
| February 10, 2015 | Election Day |
| April 30, 2015 | Campaign finance report deadline |
Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Oklahoma elections, 2015
The statewide annual school election date was February 10, 2015. No other offices were scheduled for election on that date, but a bond issue for the school district was on the ballot.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Union Public Schools Oklahoma. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Union Public Schools | Oklahoma | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Union Public Schools, "Minutes Of The Regular Meeting Board Of Education," April 14, 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Tulsa County Election Board, "2015 Annual School Election Filings," accessed December 5, 2014
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 United States Census Bureau, "Tulsa County, Oklahoma," accessed December 12, 2014
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed January 15, 2014
- ↑ Oklahoma State Election Board, "Voter Registration Reports," accessed December 12, 2014
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Oklahoma State Elections Board, "2015 Election Calendar," accessed December 5, 2014
- ↑ Oklahoma Ethics Commission, "Campaign Reporting Systems," accessed February 17, 2015
- ↑ Union Public Schools, "Bond vote Feb. 12, Board member maintains seat," accessed January 15, 2014
- ↑ Tulsa World, "Union calls election for $27 million bond issue," November 17, 2014
- ↑ Union Public Schools, "Bond Issue 2015," accessed January 20, 2015
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 News On 6, "Union Public Schools: 'Redskins Is Not Derogatory,' Others Disagree," June 20, 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Oklahoma Ethics Commission, "Reporting Calendar," accessed December 5, 2014
| 2015 Union Public Schools Elections | |
| Tulsa County, Oklahoma | |
| Election date: | February 10, 2015 |
| Candidates: | Zone 4: • Incumbent, Stacey Roemerman Zone 5: • Kenneth Kinnear II |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
