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Worcester Public Schools elections (2017)
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Six seats on the Worcester Public Schools School Committee in Massachusetts
were up for at-large general election on November 7, 2017. All seven seats on the school committee were up for election. The seventh seat was held by the mayor of Worcester, but was not covered by Ballotpedia as the city fell outside of municipal elections coverage.[1] Incumbents Dianna Biancheria, John L. Foley, Molly McCullough, John F. Monfredo, and Brian A. O'Connell and newcomer Dante Comparetto won the election. Incumbent Donna M. Colorio lost her bid for re-election.[2][3]
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The Worcester School Committee consists of the mayor of Worcester, who serves as the chair, and six elected committee members, who serve two-year terms. Elections are held at large for all six members in odd-numbered years. The general election was held on November 7, 2017. If more than 12 candidates had filed to run in the election, a primary election would have been held on September 12, 2017.[4][5][6]
To get on the ballot, school committee candidates had to file their nomination papers with the Worcester Election Commission. The filing period opened on March 7, 2017, and closed on May 16, 2017, at 5 p.m.[4]
To vote in this election, citizens of the school district had to register by October 18, 2017.[4] Photo identification was not required to vote in Massachusetts.[7]
Candidates and results
At-large
Results
| Worcester Public Schools, At-large General Election, 2-year terms, 2017 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Brian A. O'Connell Incumbent |
15.79% | 9,097 |
| John L. Foley Incumbent |
14.98% | 8,628 |
| John F. Monfredo Incumbent |
14.76% | 8,504 |
| Molly McCullough Incumbent |
14.07% | 8,105 |
| Dante Comparetto |
13.73% | 7,906 |
| Dianna Biancheria Incumbent |
13.58% | 7,824 |
| Donna M. Colorio Incumbent | 13.08% | 7,534 |
| Total Votes | 57,598 | |
| Source: City of Worcester, "Summary Reports: Official Results," accessed November 28, 2017 | ||
Candidates
Dianna Biancheria 
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Donna M. Colorio | John L. Foley
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| Molly McCullough
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John F. Monfredo
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| Brian A. O'Connell
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Dante Comparetto
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Massachusetts elections, 2017
The Worcester Public Schools election shared the ballot with elections for six seats on the Worcester City Council.[2]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the Worcester Public Schools election:[4][8]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| March 7, 2017 - May 16, 2017 | Candidate filing period |
| May 25, 2017 | Candidate withdrawal deadline |
| October 18, 2017 | Voter registration deadline for general election |
| October 30, 2017 | Campaign finance reporting deadline |
| November 7, 2017 | General election |
| January 22, 2018 | Campaign finance reporting deadline |
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 Worcester Election Commission does not publish and freely disclose school board candidate campaign finance reports. If you have any information regarding the campaign finance disclosures in this race, please contact the school board elections team at editor@ballotpedia.org.
Reporting requirements
Candidates who ran in the Worcester School Committee election had to file two campaign finance reports. The first report was due on October 30, 2017, and the second report was due on January 22, 2018.[8]
Past elections
To see results from past elections in Worcester Public Schools, click here.
What was at stake?
Report a story for this election
Ballotpedia researches issues in school board elections across the United States, but information availability is a challenge for us in many school districts. Please contact us about the issues that impact your local school district. Note that not all submissions may meet Ballotpedia's coverage requirements for inclusion.
Candidate survey
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About the district
- See also: Worcester Public Schools, Massachusetts
The Worcester school district is located in central Massachusetts in Worcester County. The county seat is Worcester. Worcester County was home to an estimated 819,589 residents in 2016, according to the United States Census Bureau.[9] The district was the third-largest school district in the state in the 2014-2015 school year and served 25,254 students.[10]
Demographics
Worcester County underperformed compared to Massachusetts as a whole in terms of higher education achievement between 2011 and 2015. The United States Census Bureau found that 34.4 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 40.5 percent of state residents. The median household income in the county during that time period was $65,313, compared to $68,563 for the entire state. The poverty rate in the county was 12.1 percent, while it was 11.5 percent statewide.[9]
| Racial Demographics, 2015[9] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | Worcester County (%) | Massachusetts (%) |
| White | 87.0 | 82.1 |
| Black or African American | 5.5 | 8.4 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.4 | 0.5 |
| Asian | 4.9 | 6.6 |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Two or More Races | 2.1 | 2.3 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 10.8 | 11.2 |
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 Worcester Public Schools Massachusetts election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Worcester Public Schools | Massachusetts | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Worcester Public Schools, "School Committee," accessed May 18, 2017
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Worcester Election Commission, "2017 Municipal Candidates," accessed May 17, 2017
- ↑ City of Worcester, "Municipal Election 11/07/2017 Unofficial Results," accessed November 7, 2017
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 City of Worcester, "Election Calendar: 2017 Municipal Election," accessed May 16, 2017
- ↑ Worcester Public Schools, "Rules of the School Committee of the City of Worcester," accessed May 16, 2017
- ↑ telegram.com, "31 people signal interest in running for Worcester council, school board," March 16, 2017
- ↑ Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, "Identification Requirements," accessed May 16, 2017
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Office of Campaign and Political Finance Commonwealth of Massachusetts, "Campaign Finance Guide: Candidates for Municipal Office (Non-Depository)," accessed July 20, 2017
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 United States Census Bureau, "QuickFacts: Worcester County, Massachusetts," accessed May 16, 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
