Your monthly support provides voters the knowledge they need to make confident decisions at the polls. Donate today.
Whittier Union High School District elections (2013)
2015 →
|
 |
Method of election Elections What was at stake? Key deadlines Additional elections External links |
Whittier Union High School District Los Angeles County, California ballot measures Local ballot measures, California |
 |
Three seats on the school board for Whittier Union High School District were up for district wide elections on November 5, 2013. The school district canceled the scheduled election due to a lack of opposition for the candidates who filed, which left Leighton Anderson, Jeffrey S. Baird and Russell A. Castaneda-Calleros as the default winners of the three at-large seats.
About the district
Whittier Union High School District is located in Los Angeles County in Whittier, California. As of the 2010 United States Census, Whittier was home to 85,331 residents.[1]
Demographics
Whittier underperformed in comparison to the rest of California in terms of higher education achievement in 2011, but overperformed in comparison to the rest of California in terms of median household income and percentage of residents living under the poverty rate. The United States Census Bureau found that 23.3% of Whittier residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree compared to 30.5% for California as a whole. The median household income in Whittier was $68,055 compared to $61,400 for the state of California. The poverty rate in Whittier was 10.1% compared to 15.3% for the entire state.[1]
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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.
Method of board member selection
Whittier Union High School District School Board consists of five members, all of whom are elected to four year terms. All board members represent the district at large. Board member terms are staggered so that at least two members, but no more than three are to be elected each odd numbered year on the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November. There are no primary elections. Three seats were up for election on November 5, 2013. The two remaining seats were up for election on November 3, 2015.[4]
Elections
2013
Candidates
- Leighton Anderson
- Incumbent board member
- Jeffrey S. Baird
- Incumbent board member
- Russell A. Castaneda-Calleros
- Incumbent appointed board member
Funding
No contributions or expenditures were reported during the election, according to the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk.
Endorsements
Russell A. Castaneda-Calleros received official endorsements from Congresswoman Grace Napolitano, Cathy Warner - Mayor of Whittier and several members of the elementary school boards in the WHUHSD area.[5]
Past elections
2011
On November 8, 2011, two at large full term seats and one short term seat were up for election. With only two incumbent candidates Ralph S. Pacheco and Tim Schneider filing for the full term seats and incumbent Russell A. Castaneda Calleros applying for the short term seat, the election was canceled and not placed on the ballot.[6]
What was at stake?
Three at-large seats were up for election on November 5, 2013. Incumbents Leighton Anderson, Jeffrey S. Baird and Russell A. Castaneda-Calleros filed seeking re-election and were unopposed. The election was canceled and did not appear on the ballot.
Issues
Common Core implementation
As of 2013, Whittier Union High School District was in the third year of implementing Common Core. During this process they had developed plans that "infuse instructional programs with the four C’s – critical thinking, creative problem-solving, collaboration, and communication – in order to move student learning from factual recitation to analytical problem-solving" according WUHSD Superintendent Sandra Thorstenson. She also added "“Our parents and school community support these changes because they recognize their value, and I am pleased to say that in Whittier, we are setting the pace in education in California and nationally by providing early implementation of the new standards,” “The transition to the CCSS is a difficult task for school districts, but the quality of education in Whittier provides a solid foundation for the new and more rigorous standards.”[7]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the Whittier Union High School District election in 2013:[8]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| July 15, 2013 | First day to file a petition of candidacy |
| August 9, 2013 | Close of filing period for petition of candidacy |
| October 21, 2013 | Last day to register to vote in school election |
| October 29, 2013 | Final day to apply to vote by mail |
| November 5, 2013 | Election Day |
Additional elections on the ballot
The ballot for the November 5, 2013 election in Los Angeles County also featured elections for local and municipal positions, such as elections for City Clerk, City Treasurer, Mayor and City Council.[9]
See also
- California school board elections draw over 200 candidates
- School board elections review: Voters opt for experience over new blood in nation's largest school districts
- School board election wrap-up: Incumbents re-elected overwhelmingly in November 5 elections
- California
- Whittier Union High School District, California
- List of school board elections in 2013
- Los Angeles County, California ballot measures
- Local ballot measures, California
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 United States Census Bureau, "Whittier (city), California," accessed October 2, 2013
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedCensus1 - ↑ California Secretary of State, "Report of Registration as of February 10, 2013 - Registration by County," accessed January 7, 2014
- ↑ Whittier Union High School District, "Board Policy" accessed October 30, 2013
- ↑ Russell Castaneda Calleros, "Endorsements," accessed October 31, 2013
- ↑ SmartVoter.org, "School Contests for Los Angeles County, CA," accessed October 30, 2013
- ↑ Pat Wingert Whittier Daily News, "California more accepting of Common Core education overhaul than other states," October 16, 2013
- ↑ LA Votes, "TENTATIVE CALENDAR OF EVENTS " accessed October 30, 2013
- ↑ LA Vote, "FINAL LIST OF QUALIFIED CANDIDATES TO APPEAR ON THE BALLOT" accessed October 30, 2013
| ||||||||||
