Wappingers Central School District elections (2017)
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Four of the nine seats on the Wappingers Central School District Board of Education were up for general election on May 16, 2017. Three of the seats were up for election to regular three-year terms, but the fourth seat was up for election to a one-year term due to an appointment on the board.[1] Incumbents Peggy Kelland, John Lumia, and Tracy Pelton and challenger Keith Odums ran unopposed and won the election.[2] Pelton won the one-year term as she received the fewest votes.[3][4]
The 2017 election had the most unopposed seats on the ballot in four election cycles (2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017). It also added the fewest new members to the board out of those four elections. Click here for more election trends in the district.
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The Wappingers Central Board of Education consists of nine members elected to three-year terms. Elections are held at large on a staggered basis every year in May. Three seats were up for election on May 17, 2016, and four seats—three regular three-year terms and one one-year term—were up for election on May 16, 2017.[5]
To qualify for the ballot, school board candidates had to be qualified voters, residents of the school district for one year prior to the election, and able to read and write. They could not reside as a family member with another school board member, could not have been removed from a school district office within one year of the election, and could not hold another, incompatible office.[6] To get on the ballot, candidates had to file petitions with signatures of 94 qualified voters of the school district to the district clerk by April 17, 2017.[7][8]
Candidates and results
At-large
Results
| Wappingers Central School District, At-large General Election, 3- and 1-year terms, 2017 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Keith Odums |
25.56% | 2,212 |
| John Lumia Incumbent |
25.50% | 2,207 |
| Peggy Kelland Incumbent |
25.14% | 2,176 |
| Tracy Pelton Incumbent |
23.80% | 2,060 |
| Total Votes | 8,655 | |
| Source: Wappingers Central School District, "Verified Vote Results 2017," accessed September 6, 2017 | ||
Candidates
Peggy Kelland 
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John Lumia
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| Tracy Pelton
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Keith Odums
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: New York elections, 2017
The Wappingers Central Board of Education election shared the ballot with the district's budget vote.[9]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for New York school board elections in 2017:[10][11]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| April 17, 2017 | Campaign finance reporting deadline |
| April 17, 2017 | Candidate filing deadline for central, union free, and common school districts |
| April 26, 2017 | Candidate filing deadline for small city school districts |
| May 11, 2017 | Campaign finance reporting deadline |
| May 16, 2017 | Election day |
| June 5, 2017 | Campaign finance reporting deadline |
Endorsements
The Wappingers Congress of Teachers endorsed all four candidates in this race.[12]
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
| 2017 Campaign Finance Deadlines in New York[11] | |
|---|---|
| Date | Deadline |
| April 17, 2017 | First report due (pre-general) |
| May 11, 2017 | Second report due (pre-general) |
| June 5, 2017 | Third report due (post-general) |
All school board candidates in New York who raise or spend more than $50 are required to file campaign finance reports. If candidates raise or spend less than $1,000 they are required to file with their city or county's board of elections. If they raise or spend over $1,000, they must file with the New York State Board of Elections. Candidates who raise or spend less than $50 (including their own personal funds) do not have to file any reports. If this occurs, candidates are required to file an exemption statement with the appropriate board of elections.[13]
Reports
No contributions or expenditures were reported in the election, according to the New York State Board of Elections.[14]
Past elections
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What was at stake?
2017
Election trends
- See also: School boards in session: 2015 in brief
The 2017 Wappingers Central Board of Education election was the first election in four cycles that had all unopposed seats. The board of education elections held in 2014, 2015, and 2016 had no unopposed seats and had a minimum average of 1.67 candidates running per seat.
The 2017 race also added the fewest newcomers to the board in four election cycles. The district was guaranteed to add one new member to the board due to an open seat, but it was also guaranteed to re-elect the three incumbents who sought additional terms as they ran unopposed. The district's 2014 and 2016 races added three new members to the board, and the 2015 race added two new members to the board. The 2014 and 2015 races also re-elected incumbents, but no incumbents ran for re-election in 2016.
| School board election trends | ||||||
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| Year | Candidates per seat | Unopposed seats | Incumbents running for re-election | Incumbent success rate | Seats won by newcomers | |
| Wappingers Central School District | ||||||
| 2017 | 1.00 | 100.00% | 75.00% | 100.00% | 25.00% | |
| 2016 | 1.67 | 0.00% | 0.00% | N/A | 100.00% | |
| 2015 | 2.00 | 0.00% | 66.67% | 50.00% | 66.67% | |
| 2014 | 2.20 | 0.00% | 40.00% | 100.00% | 60.00% | |
| New York | ||||||
| 2015 | 1.66 | 25.00% | 63.64% | 67.86% | 50.00% | |
| 2014 | 2.02 | 23.40% | 72.34% | 82.35% | 40.43% | |
| United States | ||||||
| 2015 | 1.72 | 35.95% | 70.37% | 82.66% | 40.81% | |
Candidate survey
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Ballotpedia invites school board candidates to participate in its annual survey. |
About the district
The Wappingers Central School District is located in Dutchess County in southeastern New York. The county seat is Poughkeepsie. Dutchess County was home to an estimated 294,473 residents in 2016, according to the United States Census Bureau.[15] The district was the ninth-largest school district in the state in the 2014-2015 school year and served 11,592 students.[16]
Demographics
Dutchess County underperformed compared to New York as a whole in terms of higher education achievement between 2011 and 2015. The United States Census Bureau found that 33.4 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 34.2 percent of state residents. During the same time period, the median household income in Dutchess County was $71,904, compared to $59,269 for the entire state. The poverty rate in the county was 10.4 percent, while it was 15.4 percent statewide.[15]
| Racial Demographics, 2015[15] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | Dutchess County (%) | New York (%) |
| White | 81.7 | 70.1 |
| Black or African American | 11.3 | 17.6 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.5 | 1.0 |
| Asian | 4.0 | 8.8 |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Two or More Races | 2.4 | 2.4 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 11.8 | 18.8 |
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 Wappingers Central School District New York election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Wappingers Central School District | New York | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Poughkeepsie Journal, "Wappingers school board appoints former candidate to seat," November 29, 2016
- ↑ Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Alberta Pedro, Secretary to the Superintendent/District Clerk, Wappingers Central School District," April 18, 2017
- ↑ Wappingers Central School District, "Meet the Board of Education Candidates," accessed May 3, 2017
- ↑ Wappingers Central School District, "WCSD Vote Results," accessed May 16, 2017
- ↑ Wappingers Central School District, "Members of the Board of Education (2016-2017)," accessed April 18, 2017
- ↑ Wappingers Central School District, "WCSD Policy Manual: Board Member Qualifications," accessed April 18, 2017
- ↑ Wappingers Central School District, "WCSD Policy Manual: School Board Elections," accessed April 18, 2017
- ↑ Wappingers Central School District, "Information for Prospective Board of Education Candidates," accessed April 21, 2017
- ↑ Wappingers Central School District, "WCSD 2017-18 Budget Information," accessed April 18, 2017
- ↑ New York State School Boards Association, "Running for the School Board," accessed April 18, 2017
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 New York Education Law, "New York Education Section 1529 - Times For Filing Statements," accessed May 5, 2017
- ↑ Wappingers Congress of Teachers, "BOE Candidates," accessed May 11, 2017
- ↑ New York Board of Elections, "Campaign Finance Handbook," accessed May 8, 2017
- ↑ New York State Board of Elections, "Campaign Finance View Disclosure Reports: Search by Candidate or Committee Name," accessed June 6, 2017
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 United States Census Bureau, "Dutchess County, New York," accessed April 20, 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
| Wappingers Central School District elections in 2017 | |
| Dutchess County, New York | |
| Election date: | May 16, 2017 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Peggy Kelland • Incumbent, John Lumia • Incumbent, Tracy Pelton • Keith Odums |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
