Wayne County Public Schools elections (2016)
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Three of the seven seats on the Wayne County Public Schools school board were up for general election on November 8, 2016. There was a primary election to eliminate two of the four candidates who filed for the District 3 seat on March 15, 2016.[1] The winners of the District 2 seat and one at-large seat were determined during the general election.[2]
The seats of District 2 incumbent Dwight Cannon, District 3 incumbent Patricia Burden and at-large incumbent Edward Radford were up for election. Burden was the only incumbent who filed for re-election and was joined by three other candidates in the primary election for the seat: Trebor Jackson, Taj Polack and Charles Wright, Sr. Burden and Jackson were the two winners of the primary and competed for the District 3 seat in the general election, with Burden emerging victorious. Len Henderson ran unopposed and won the open District 2 seat. Finally, two candidates vied for the at-large seat, with Raymond Smith Jr. defeating Ven Faulk.[1][2][3]
Elections
Voter and candidate information
Wayne County schools are overseen by a seven-member board elected to four-year terms. Six members are elected by-district and one member is elected at-large.[4] There was a primary election for the District 3 seat on March 15, 2016, and a general election for the at-large, District 2 and District 3 seats was held on November 8, 2016.
Candidates began to file affidavits of candidacy on December 1, 2015. The filing deadline for school board candidates to get on the ballot in the general election was December 21, 2015.[5]
Candidates and results
At-large
Results
| Wayne County Public Schools, At-Large General Election, 4-year term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Raymond Smith Jr. |
52.21% | 22,544 |
| Ven Faulk | 46.99% | 20,293 |
| Write-in votes | 0.8% | 346 |
| Total Votes (100) | 43,183 | |
| Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Official General Election Results-Wayne," accessed December 5, 2016 | ||
Candidates
Raymond Smith Jr. 
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Ven Faulk | ||
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District 2
Results
| Wayne County Public Schools, District 2 General Election, 4-year term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Len Henderson (unopposed) |
97.54% | 4,712 |
| Write-in votes | 2.46% | 119 |
| Total Votes (100) | 4,831 | |
| Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Official General Election Results-Wayne," accessed December 5, 2016 | ||
Candidates
| Len Henderson
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District 3 general election
Results
| Wayne County Public Schools, District 3 General Election, 4-year term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Patricia Burden Incumbent |
59.89% | 4,549 |
| Trebor Jackson | 39.68% | 3,014 |
| Write-in votes | 0.42% | 32 |
| Total Votes (100) | 7,595 | |
| Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Official General Election Results-Wayne," accessed December 5, 2016 | ||
Candidates
| Patricia Burden
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Trebor Jackson | ||
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District 3 primary election
Results
| Wayne County Public Schools, District 3 Primary Election, 4-year term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Patricia Burden Incumbent |
49.65% | 1,998 |
| Trebor Jackson |
21.89% | 881 |
| Taj Polack | 16.43% | 661 |
| Charles Wright, Sr. | 12.03% | 484 |
| Total Votes (100) | 4,024 | |
| Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections, "03/15/2016 Official Primary Election Results," accessed September 2, 2016 | ||
Candidates defeated in the primary
| Taj Polack | Charles Wright, Sr. | ||
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: North Carolina elections, 2016
The following offices shared primary, general or both election dates with the school board elections in Wayne County:
The North Carolina Connect NC Public Improvement Bond question was also on the March ballot statewide.
Note: The date for North Carolina's congressional primary was June 7, 2016. This primary was originally scheduled for March 15, 2016.
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for North Carolina school board general elections held on November 8, 2016:[6]
| Deadline | Event |
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| December 1, 2015 | Candidate filing begins |
| December 21, 2015 | Candidate filing ends |
| March 7, 2016 | First quarter campaign finance deadline |
| March 15, 2016 | Primary Election Day, if necessary |
| November 8, 2016 | General Election Day |
Endorsements
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
The Wayne County Board of Elections did not publish school board candidate campaign finance reports on its website as of November 4, 2016.[7]
School board candidates in North Carolina were required to file campaign finance reports to their county's board of elections unless the candidate:
(1) Did not receive more than one thousand dollars ($1,000) in contributions, and
(2) Did not receive more than one thousand dollars ($1,000) in loans, and
(3) Did not spend more than one thousand dollars ($1,000).[8]
The third quarter campaign finance deadline was October 31, 2016, and the fourth quarter deadline was January 11, 2017.[9]
Past elections
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2014District 1
District 4
District 5
District 6
2012At-large
District 2
District 3
2010District 1
District 4
District 5
District 6
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What was at stake?
Report a story for this election
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2016
Issues in the district
Transgender bathroom law
North Carolina passed the Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act (HB 2) which stated that individuals in government-operated facilities had to use the bathroom that corresponds with the gender stated on their birth certificate on March 23, 2016. The law was passed by the legislature in a one-day special session and was signed into law that night by Governor Pat McCrory (R). The bill reversed an earlier ruling that allowed transgender individuals to use the restroom of their preference, and it offset local ordinances in the state that let transgender citizens do so.[10]
On March 30, 2017, the North Carolina State Legislature approved and Gov. Roy Cooper (D) signed a repeal of HB 2. HB 142 repealed HB 2 but created a three-year moratorium on local anti-discrimination ordinances and prohibited local ordinances related to bathroom access.[11] The state house approved HB 142 by a 70-48 vote and the state senate voted 32-16 to pass the measure.[12]
HB 2's effect on NC school districts
When HB 2 was signed into law, many school districts in the state struggled to formulate a response, especially since Title IX prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex. North Carolina school districts were unsure of how to balance these two laws. In the Wake County Public School System, Wake County sheriff Donnie Harrison said he would consider pulling deputies out of schools if the district did not decide on a consistent transgender bathroom policy. Harrison said the district did not have a uniform policy on the use of bathrooms by transgender students, which was causing confusion and unease among parents.[13][14]
According to Lisa Luten, a Wake County Public School System spokesperson, transgender student issues with bathrooms and locker rooms were handled on a case-by-case basis. "No child has ever been at risk based on how we have handled this issue,” Luten said. “Because this issue is still being debated in federal courts, the school system is unable to create a formal policy.”[13] (Note: The court ruling on HB 2 was made on March 30, 2017.) The district's superintendent James Merrill said that transgender bathroom questions ought to be addressed by administrators rather than student resource officers. According to Nathan Smith, the director of public policy for the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network, the consequence is that many schools decide their transgender bathroom policies on a case-by-case basis, leading to conflicting rules between school campuses.[13][15]
Backlash
On July 21, 2016, the NBA announced it planned to move its All-Star Game from Charlotte, North Carolina, which was scheduled to be held there in 2017. According to the Charlotte Observer, this decision would cost the city approximately $100 million. On September 12, 2016, the NCAA moved seven championships that were scheduled to be held in the state during the 2016-2017 school year. Two days later, the Atlantic Coast Conference made a similar decision, revealing it planned to move the men's football championship game scheduled for December 2016 from Charlotte.
Want to see how this election related to state and national trends on this topic? Ballotpedia tracked this issue in the 2016 election cycle so you can see the connections and impact on this race in context.
About the district
Wayne County Public Schools is located in eastern North Carolina in Wayne County. The county seat is Goldsboro. Wayne County was home to 124,456 residents in 2014, according to the United States Census Bureau.[16] The district was the 21st-largest school district in the state in the 2013–2014 school year and served 19,197 students.[17]
Demographics
Wayne County underperformed in comparison to North Carolina as a whole in terms of higher education achievement from 2010 to 2014. The United States Census Bureau found that 17.2 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 27.8 percent of state residents. The median household income in the county was $41,172, compared to $46,693 for the state. The poverty rate in the county was 23.3 percent, compared to 17.2 percent for the state.[16]
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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.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Wayne County Public Schools' 'North Carolina'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Wayne County Public Schools | North Carolina | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Wayne County, "Primary Election Candidate List," accessed January 22, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Wayne County Board of Elections, "General Election Candidate List," accessed November 4, 2016
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Unofficial General Election Results-Wayne," accessed November 8, 2016
- ↑ Wayne County Public Schools, "Wayne County Board of Education," accessed December 3, 2014
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "2016 Candidate Filing," accessed January 20, 2016
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Reporting Schedules," accessed November 1, 2016
- ↑ Wake County, "Campaign Finance Reports," accessed November 4, 2016
- ↑ General Assembly of North Carolina, "Chapter 163: Elections And Election Laws, Article 22A - Regulating Contributions and Expenditures in Political Campaigns," accessed February 11, 2016
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Reporting Schedules," accessed October 11, 2016
- ↑ Charlotte Observer, "Understanding HB2: North Carolina’s newest law solidifies state’s role in defining discrimination," March 26, 2016
- ↑ ABC 11, "GOV. COOPER SIGNS NORTH CAROLINA'S HB2 COMPROMISE BILL," March 30, 2017
- ↑ NBC News, "HB2 Repeal: North Carolina Legislature Votes to Overturn Controversial ‘Bathroom Bill’," March 30, 2017
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Daily Tarheel, "Wake County sheriff calls for consistent transgender bathroom policy," September 29, 2016
- ↑ CBS North Carolina, "Wake sheriff threatens to pull deputies over transgender bathroom policy," September 27, 2016
- ↑ The News & Observer, "Four things to remember about House Bill 2," September 13, 2016
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 United States Census Bureau, "Wayne County, North Carolina," accessed March 7, 2016
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed November 16, 2015
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "NC Voter Statistics Results," accessed September 6, 2014
| 2016 Wayne County Public Schools Elections | |
| Election date: | Primary: March 15, 2016 General: November 8, 2016 |
| Candidates: | At-large: Raymond Smith Jr. • Ven Faulk District 3: Incumbent, Patricia Burden • Trebor Jackson • Taj Polack • Charles Wright, Sr. |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
