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Virginia school board elections, 2015
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Virginia's 2015 elections School boards • Candidate ballot access |
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A total of 20 Virginia school districts among America's largest school districts by enrollment held elections for 103 seats on November 3, 2015. While all Virginia school board elections are nonpartisan by law, observers have noted that partisanship still has a strong influence in some districts. Fairfax County Public Schools is one example of such a school district.[1][2]
Prior to 1995, Virginia school board members were appointed. State law was changed, however, to allow localities to decide between elected and appointed boards.[1] The statute reads:
| “ | If a majority of the qualified voters voting in such referendum vote in favor of changing the method of selecting school board members to direct election by the voters, then the members of the school board shall be elected by popular vote. Elections of school board members in a county, city, or town shall be held to coincide with the elections for members of the governing body of the county, city, or town at the regular general election in November or the regular general election in May, as the case may be.[3] | ” |
| —Code of Virginia § 22.1-57.3. (2014)[4] | ||
Here are several quick facts about Virginia's school board elections in 2015:
- The largest school district by enrollment with an election in 2015 was Prince William County Public Schools with 83,865 K-12 students.
- The smallest school district by enrollment with an election in 2015 was Pittsylvania County Public Schools with 9,311 K-12 students.
- Fairfax County Public Schools had the most seats on the ballot in 2015 with 12 seats up for election.
- Arlington Public Schools had the fewest seats on the ballot in 2015 with one seat up for election.
The districts listed below served 475,304 K-12 students during the 2012-2013 school year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.[5] Click on the district names for more information on the district and its school board elections.
Trends in Virginia school board elections
- See also: School boards in session: 2015 in brief
The 2015 school board elections in Virginia's largest school districts attracted a smaller average number of candidates per seat on the ballot compared to the average number of candidates that ran in the state's 2014 school board elections. The 2015 elections also had a higher percentage of unopposed seats than the 2014 elections had. Newcomers fared better in the 2014 elections than the 2015 elections. They won 50.00 percent of the seats on the ballot in 2014, compared to 41.75 percent of the seats in 2015.
The 2015 elections had more seats on the ballot than the 2014 elections did. There were 103 seats on the ballot in 2015, compared to 32 seats in 2014.
The following sections analyze competitiveness and incumbency advantage in Idaho's school board elections. These districts did not utilize primary or runoff elections. Winners only had to receive a plurality, or relative majority, of votes to secure a seat. All of the school board elections held in the state in 2014 and 2015 were nonpartisan.
Details of the data discussed here can be found in the table below.
Competitiveness
In 2015, school board elections in Virginia's largest school districts attracted an average of 1.61 candidates per seat on the ballot. This was lower than the average 2.16 candidates that ran per seat in 2014. The 2015 elections also had a higher percentage of unopposed seats. Nearly half of the seats—44.66 percent—were unopposed in 2015, compared to the 15.63 percent of seats that were unopposed in 2014.
Incumbency advantage
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A total of 85.29 percent of incumbents who ran for re-election in 2015 retained their seats. A total of 68 of the 103 incumbents whose seats were on the ballot ran to keep their seats, and 58 of them won. Of the winners, 37 ran unopposed; the others defeated challengers to win additional terms. In 2014, two-thirds of incumbents who ran to retain their seats won re-election. Twenty-four of the 32 incumbents whose terms were up for re-election ran to keep their seats, and 16 of them won. Five of those winners ran unopposed; the other 11 winners defeated challengers to win re-election. The map below details the success rates for incumbents who ran in the 2015 school board elections that were held in the largest school districts by enrollment in the U.S.
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Data table
The table below displays the statistics for school board elections in Virginia's largest school districts from 2014 to 2015.
| Virginia school board elections, 2014-2015 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Total | Incumbents | ||||||||
| Seats up | Candidates | Candidates/ seat |
Unopposed seats | % unopposed | % seats won by newcomers | Sought re-election | Unopposed | Retained | % retained | |
| 2015 | 103 | 166 | 1.61 | 46 | 44.66% | 41.75% | 68 | 37 | 58 | 85.29% |
| 2014 | 32 | 69 | 2.16 | 5 | 15.63% | 50.00% | 24 | 5 | 16 | 66.67% |
Spotlight districts
Fairfax County Public Schools
Budget deficit for 2016-2017 school year
Superintendent Karen Garza faced questions about a $70 million deficit in the 2016-2017 district budget during a community meeting on October 1, 2015. Garza noted that the district reduced budgets each year between 2008 and 2014 with more significant cuts necessary for 2016-2017 due to limited state funding. Fairfax County received 22 percent of total district funding from the state for 2015-2016 compared to an average state funding rate of 45 percent for other districts in Virginia. The state's education funding formula is based on median income and other economic measurements for the county.[6]
Garza initiated discussions about budget cuts prior to the 2015-2016 school year with a virtual budget proposal tool. This online tool allowed county residents to propose budget changes to the district's Budget Task Force until September 25, 2015. Users were able to toggle options for increasing class size, reducing athletic program funding, cutting school staff and charging fees for parking and community use of facilities.[7]
The October 1 meeting hosted by the McLean Citizens Association raised questions about class size, advanced placement programs and district transparency. Attendees stated that cutting advanced placement options and class periods would reduce options for advanced studies diplomas and elective courses. Garza responded to concerns about cutting high school class periods from seven to six by suggesting that any schedule changes or switches to a new trimester schedule would take place over time. Another resident questioned the district's assessment of its budget situation, leading Garza to highlight almost $500 million in budget cuts from 2008 and 2014.[6]
Non-discrimination policy changes
Changes to the district's non-discrimination policy generated debate at school board meetings in spring 2015. In 2014, the board approved the addition of sexual orientation to the policy, which prohibits discrimination of students, employees and job applicants. Ryan McElveen introduced a proposal to include gender identity in the policy in March 2015. He argued that the district could lose federal funding based on the U.S. Department of Education's push for gender identity inclusion in school district policies. He also dismissed concerns about student safety by noting the absence of any incidents involving students of one gender using bathrooms and locker rooms for another gender.[8]
The board voted 10-1 to add gender identity to the non-discrimination policy on May 8, 2015, with a heated debate preceding the vote. Patricia Reed was the only board member to abstain from the vote. Elizabeth Schultz was the lone vote against the policy change and made the following argument during the May 8 meeting:
| “ |
[That] a class of individuals may hurt another in a bathroom is not the issue...How those rights are protected has not been addressed by this board. We have no information about the potential cost [of implementation]. It is fiduciary malfeasance to undertake anything without understanding the germane costs of such action. [3] |
” |
| —Elizabeth Schultz, (2015), [9] | ||
Freddy Burgos, a parent of three students in the district, stated that the policy would decrease academic performance by distracting students and harm minorities because it is "anti-Black" and "anti-Christian." He also suggested that the policy would infringe on student rights “by institutionalizing that boys and men can dress like girls in school.” Another parent quoted by Reston Now stated that the policy would make schools more attractive to sex offenders.[9] Emma Chattin, a reverend with the Metropolitan Community Church of Northern Virginia, supported the policy change:
| “ |
All I have heard [in citizen testimony] is fear...One thing I can assure you of is this nation never moved forward in fear. It is not a matter of affirming something you don’t believe in. These kids are already here. [3] |
” |
| —Emma Chattin, (2015), [9] | ||
Board member salary increases
In April 2015, the school board voted 5-4 to increase board member salaries from $20,000 to $32,000 per year starting in 2016. State law allows school boards to propose salary increases every four years prior to board elections. The board's last raise came in 2007 when salaries increased from $12,000 to $20,000 per year.[10]
At-large incumbent Ilryong Moon was the lead proponent of this measure because he believed that higher salaries would attract a more diverse group of board candidates. He initially proposed doubling the salary from $20,000 to $40,000 but reduced his proposal after concerns were expressed by fellow board members. Moon was joined by Tamara Derenak Kaufax, Ted Velkoff, Pat Hynes and Sandra Evans in voting for the pay increase. Hynes made the following statement regarding her vote for the pay increase:
| “ |
Paying School Board members so little is a reflection of the value we put on public education in general in this country, and I think that’s true here as well...You have to pay people a respectable wage because that respects the office. [3] |
” |
| —Pat Hynes, (2015), [10] | ||
Kathy Smith, Megan McLaughlin, Patricia Reed and Ryan McElveen voted against the proposal. Dan Storck, Jane Strauss and Elizabeth Schultz abstained from the vote. Smith voted against salary increases because of her concern about staff morale as teacher salaries were stagnant while board members received raises.[10]
Survey responses
Eight of the 103 candidates running for a school board seat in Virginia's largest school districts in the 2015 elections responded to Ballotpedia's school board candidate survey. The following sections display their answers to questions about top priorities and education issues.
Top priorities
When asked what her top priority would be if elected, Dolly Joseph, challenger for a seat on the Albemarle County School Board, made the following statement:
| “ |
My top priority would be to ensure our schools are preparing students for a successful and happy life once they complete their grade school career. [3] |
” |
| —Dolly Joseph (2015)[11] | ||
Karen Graf, incumbent on the Alexandria City School Board, made the following statement about her top priorities:
| “ |
My top priority would be to support our districts budget, capacity and academic strategies so they are better aligned. We are redistricting and challenged with building schools, while still building academic supports for all our students. [3] |
” |
| —Karen Graf (2015)[12] | ||
The top priorities of Darla Dillard, challenger for a seat on the Alexandria City School Board, were:
| “ |
Reducing class size; Retaining and training our staff; Empowering our parents to get involved in their child's education. [3] |
” |
| —Darla Dillard (2015)[13] | ||
When asked what her top priority would be if elected, Burnette Scarboro, challenger for a seat on the Fairfax County School Board, made the following statement:
| “ |
If elected, my top priority is work on eradicating the achievement gap. In my opinion it is not good enough to close nor narrow the gap. There are numerous gaps so the first to tackle is the academic gap.[3] |
” |
| —Burnette Scarboro (2015)[14] | ||
Seth Thatcher, winner of a seat on the Frederick County School Board, said the following were his top priorities:
| “ |
Continue the tradition of great schools in our county, keep taxes low for county taxpayers, and strive for greater school safety. [3] |
” |
| —Seth Thatcher (2015)[15] | ||
When asked what her top priority would be if elected, Joy Maloney, winner of a seat on the Loudoun County School Board, made the following statement:
| “ | My top priorities would be:
- put a plan in place for full day kindergarten for all |
” |
| —Joy Maloney (2015)[16] | ||
The top priorities of Joseph George, challenger for a seat on the Prince William County School Board, were:
| “ |
My top three priorities will be: |
” |
| —Joseph George (2015)[17] | ||
When asked what her top priority would be if elected, Sandra Young, winner of a seat on the Williamsburg-James City County School Board, made the following statement:
| “ |
My top priority would be to be accessible to the Berkeley District and to address their concerns.[3] |
” |
| —Sandra Young (2015)[18] | ||
Ranking the issues
The candidates were asked to rank the following issues by importance in the school district, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. This table displays the candidates' average rankings as well as the highest and lowest rankings for each issue.
| Issue importance ranking | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Issues | Average ranking | Highest ranking | Lowest ranking |
| Expanding arts education | 5.14 | 3 | 7 |
| Expanding career-technical education | 4.14 | 2 | 6 |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | 1.43 | 1 | 3 |
| Improving college readiness | 4.43 | 3 | 6 |
| Closing the achievement gap | 2.86 | 1 | 6 |
| Improving education for special needs students | 3.43 | 2 | 6 |
| Expanding school choice options | 6.57 | 4 | 7 |
Positions on the issues
The candidates were asked an additional 10 short answer and multiple choice questions regarding significant issues in education. Links to those responses can be found below.
State profile
| Demographic data for Virginia | ||
|---|---|---|
| Virginia | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 8,367,587 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 39,490 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 69% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 19.2% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 6% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.3% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 3.2% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 8.6% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 88.3% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 36.3% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $65,015 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 13% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Virginia. **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. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in Virginia
Virginia voted for the Democratic candidate in five out of the seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, five are located in Virginia, accounting for 2.43 percent of the total pivot counties.[19]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Virginia had five Retained Pivot Counties, 2.76 percent of all Retained Pivot Counties.
More Virginia coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Virginia
- United States congressional delegations from Virginia
- Public policy in Virginia
- Endorsers in Virginia
- Virginia fact checks
- More...
Academic performance
| Education terms |
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| For more information on education policy terms, see this article. |
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- See also: Public education in Virginia
NAEP scores
- See also: NAEP scores by state
The National Center for Education Statistics provides state-by-state data on student achievement levels in mathematics and reading in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The chart below presents the percentage of fourth and eighth grade students that scored at or above proficient in reading and math during the 2012-2013 school year. Compared to three neighboring states (Maryland, North Carolina and West Virginia), Virginia had the highest percentage of eighth grade students score at or above proficient in math. Both fourth and eighth grade students fell below those in Maryland in reading.[20]
| Percent of students scoring at or above proficient, 2012-2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Math - Grade 4 | Math - Grade 8 | Reading - Grade 4 | Reading - Grade 8 | |
| Virginia | 47% | 38% | 43% | 36% |
| Maryland | 47% | 37% | 45% | 42% |
| North Carolina | 45% | 36% | 35% | 33% |
| West Virginia | 35% | 24% | 27% | 25% |
| United States | 41% | 34% | 34% | 34% |
| Source: United States Department of Education, ED Data Express, "State Tables" | ||||
Graduation, ACT and SAT scores
The following table shows the graduation rates and average composite ACT and SAT scores for Virginia and surrounding states during the 2012-2013 school year. All statements made in this section refer to that school year.[20][21][22]
In the United States, public schools reported graduation rates that averaged to about 81.4 percent. About 54 percent of all students in the country took the ACT, while 50 percent reported taking the SAT. The average national composite scores for those tests were 20.9 out of a possible 36 for the ACT and 1,498 out of a possible 2,400 for the SAT.[23]
Virginia schools reported a graduation rate of 84.5 percent during the 2012-2013 school year, which was the second-highest rate among its neighboring states.
In Virginia, more students took the SAT than the ACT in 2013, earning an average SAT score of 1,528.
| Comparison table for graduation rates and test scores, 2012-2013 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Graduation rate, 2013 | Average ACT composite, 2013 | Average SAT composite, 2013 | ||||
| Percent | Quintile ranking** | Score | Participation rate | Score | Participation rate | ||
| Virginia | 84.5% | Third | 22.6 | 26% | 1,528 | 71% | |
| Maryland | 85% | Second | 22.3 | 21% | 1,483 | 73% | |
| North Carolina | 82.5% | Third | 18.7 | 100% | 1,479 | 62% | |
| West Virginia | 81.4% | Third | 20.6 | 63% | 1,513 | 15% | |
| United States | 81.4% | 20.9 | 54% | 1498 | 50% | ||
| **Graduation rates for states in the first quintile ranked in the top 20 percent nationally. Similarly, graduation rates for states in the fifth quintile ranked in the bottom 20 percent nationally. Sources: United States Department of Education, "ED Data Express" ACT.org, "2013 ACT National and State Scores" The Commonwealth Foundation, "SAT scores by state, 2013" | |||||||
Dropout rate
- See also: Public high school dropout rates by state for a full comparison of dropout rates by group in all states
The high school event dropout rate indicates the proportion of students who were enrolled at some time during the school year and were expected to be enrolled in grades nine through 12 in the following school year but were not enrolled by October 1 of the following school year. Students who have graduated, transferred to another school, died, moved to another country, or who are out of school due to illness are not considered dropouts. The average public high school event dropout rate for the United States remained constant at 3.3 percent for both school year 2010–2011 and school year 2011–2012. The event dropout rate for Virginia was lower than the national average at 2.3 percent in the 2010-2011 school year, and 1.9 percent in the 2011-2012 school year.[24]
See also
| Virginia | School Boards | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
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Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Washington Post, "Fairfax County School Board election uniquely partisan," September 7, 2011
- ↑ American School Board Journal, "Politics and School Board Races," March 2012
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Code of Virginia, "§ 22.1-57.3. Election of school board members; election of tie breaker.," accessed Juen 24, 2015
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed April 20, 2015
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Fairfax Times, "Fairfax County public schools face $70 million budget deficit," October 1, 2015
- ↑ Fairfax County Public Schools, "Budget Proposal Tool," accessed October 6, 2015
- ↑ The Connection, "Fairfax County School Board Adds "Gender Identity" to Nondiscrimination Policy," May 11, 2015
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Reston Now, "Amid Jeers and Cheers, FCPS Board Adds Transgender Protections," May 8, 2015
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 The Washington Post, "Fairfax County School Board approves higher salaries for board members," April 13, 2015
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2015, "Dolly Joseph's responses," September 16, 2015
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2015, "Karen Graf's responses," October 18, 2015
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2015, "Darla Dillard's responses," September 28, 2015
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2015, "Burnette Scarboro's responses," October 29, 2015
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2015, "Seth Thatcher's responses," October 19, 2015
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2015, "Joy Maloney responses," October 28, 2015
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2015, "Joseph George's responses," September 30, 2015
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2015, "Sandra Young's responses," September 30, 2015
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 United States Department of Education, ED Data Express, "State Tables," accessed May 13, 2014
- ↑ ACT, "2012 ACT National and State Scores," accessed May 13, 2014
- ↑ Commonwealth Foundation, "SAT Scores by State 2013," October 10, 2013
- ↑ StudyPoints, "What's a good SAT score or ACT score?" accessed June 7, 2015
- ↑ United States Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, "Common Core of Data (CCD), State Dropout and Graduation Rate Data File, School Year 2010-11, Provision Version 1a and School Year 2011-12, Preliminary Version 1a," accessed May 13, 2014
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