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Plano Independent School District elections (2015): Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 20:04, 21 May 2025
2017 →
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Method of election Elections What was at stake? Key deadlines Additional elections External links |
Plano Independent School District Collin County, Texas ballot measures Local ballot measures, Texas |
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Three seats on the Plano Independent School District Board of Trustees were up for general election on May 9, 2015.
In the Place 4 race, newcomer Yoram Solomon defeated incumbent Michael Friedman and fellow challenger Sharon Hirsch. Place 7 incumbent Missy Bender triumphed over Paul Kaminsky. Place 5 incumbent David Stolle ran unopposed and was re-elected to his seat.[1]
About the district
- See also: Plano Independent School District, Texas
Plano Independent School District is located in Collin County, Texas. The county seat of Collin County is McKinney. Collin County was home to an estimated 854,778 residents in 2013, according to the United States Census Bureau.[2] In the 2011-2012 school year, Plano Independent School District was the 14th-largest school district in Texas and served 55,659 students.[3]
Demographics
Collin County outperformed the rest of Texas in terms of higher education achievement in 2013. The United States Census Bureau found that 49.3 percent of Collin County residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 26.7 percent for Texas as a whole. The median household income in Collin County was $82,762 , compared to $51,900 for the state of Texas. The poverty rate in Collin County was 7.8 percent, compared to 17.6 percent for the entire state.[2]
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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.
Voter and candidate information
The Plano Board of Trustees consists of seven members elected to four-year terms. There was no primary election, and a general election took place on May 9, 2015. Three seats were on the ballot in May 2015.[5]
School board candidates submitted paperwork with the school district secretary by February 27, 2015. Each candidate must be at least 18 years old, a registered voter and a resident of the district for at least six months. Members filed two campaign finance reports with the district clerk prior to the election unless they did not receive or spend $500 during the campaign.[6]
Elections
2015
Candidates
Place 4
- Michael Friedman
- Incumbent
- Graduate, University of North Texas and Harvard University
- Senior vice president, CB Richard Ellis, Inc.
- Yoram Solomon
- Graduate, University of Colorado, Tel-Aviv University and Capella University
- Vice president of corporate strategy, Interphase Corporation
- Sharon Hirsch
- Graduate, Collin College and the University of North Texas
- Office manager, Plano ISD
Place 5
- David Stolle
- Incumbent
- Graduate, Texas A&M University, University of Texas at Tyler and St. Mary’s University School of Law
- Lawyer
Place 7
- Missy Bender
- Incumbent
- Graduate, Southern Methodist University
- Vice president of governance solutions, Center for Reform of School Systems
- Paul Kaminsky
- Vetaran, U.S. Army
- Graduate, Delaware Technical and Community College and City University
- Substitute teacher, Plano ISD
Election results
Place 4
| Plano Independent School District, Place 4 General Election, 4-year term, 2015 |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Yoram Solomon |
40.4% | 3,797 | |
| Nonpartisan | Sharon Hirsch | 32.6% | 3,061 | |
| Nonpartisan | Mike Friedman Incumbent | 27% | 2,542 | |
| Total Votes | 9,400 | |||
| Source: Collins County, Texas, "Election Summary Report," accessed June 15, 2015 | ||||
Place 5
| Plano Independent School District, Place 5 General Election, 4-year term, 2015 |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | David Stolle Incumbent |
100% | 5,580 | |
| Total Votes | 5,580 | |||
| Source: Collins County, Texas, "Election Summary Report," accessed June 15, 2015 | ||||
Place 7
| Plano Independent School District, Place 7 General Election, 4-year term, 2015 |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Missy Bender Incumbent |
59.6% | 5,384 | |
| Nonpartisan | Paul Kaminsky | 40.4% | 3,650 | |
| Total Votes | 9,034 | |||
| Source: Collins County, Texas, "Election Summary Report," accessed June 15, 2015 | ||||
Endorsements
Yoram Solomon was endorsed by the Metroplex bureau of Texans for Fiscal Responsibility.[7]
Sharon Hirsch was endorsed by the following people, among others listed on her website:[8]
- Mary Beth King, former Plano ISD trustee and board president
- Lloyd “Skip” Jenkins, former Plano ISD board president and Plano ISD Education Foundation president
- Brad Shanklin, former Plano ISD trustee and board vice president
- Melody Timinsky, former Plano ISD trustee and board vice president
- Doug Otto, Plano ISD superintendent, 1995–2012
- Marilyn Brooks, former Plano ISD associate superintendent for curriculum and instruction
- Annette Maule, Plano ISD parent and former Plano PTA council president
- Gail Lundberg, former Plano ISD principal and special education director
Campaign finance
Candidates received a total of $17,090.50 and spent a total of $7,381.27 as of April 28, 2015, according to the Texas Ethics Commission.[9]
| Candidate | Receipts | Disbursements | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place 4 | |||
| Michael Friedman | $3,523.03 | $405.24 | $3,117.79 |
| Yoram Solomon | $8,960.50 | $1,202.67 | $7,757.83 |
| Sharon Hirsch | $5,860.00 | $2,870.13 | $2,989.87 |
| Place 5 | |||
| David Stolle | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Place 7 | |||
| Missy Bender | $2,270.09 | $2,903.23 | -$633.14 |
| Paul Kaminsky | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Note: Contributions for incumbents Michael Friedman and Missy Bender included funds left over from their previous campaigns.
Texas school board candidates and officeholders must file semiannual reports, which were due on January 15, 2015, and July 15, 2015. In addition, candidates in contested elections were required to file 30-day and 8-day pre-election reports, unless the candidate chose modified reporting.[6]
Candidates in contested elections who did not intend to exceed $500 in contributions or expenditures, excepting filing fees, were eligible for modified reporting. If they exceeded the threshold before the 30th day prior to the election, candidates were required to submit the 30- and 8-day reports. If they exceeded the threshold after the 30th day prior to the election, they were required to file a report within 48 hours of exceeding the threshold and participate in regular reporting for the rest of the election cycle.[10]
What was at stake?
Issues in the district
Superintendent search
At the time of the election, Plano ISD was in the process of searching for a new superintendent after longtime educator and administrator Richard Matkin retired from the district in January 2015. In March 2015, the district named a lone finalist, Dr. Brian Binggeli, who oversaw Brevard Public Schools in Florida. The board pointed to Binggeli's leadership skills and commitment to students as reasons he stood out in the field of 103 candidates from 43 states. Binggeli has his bachelor's degree from Miami University, his master's in education from Virginia State University, and doctorate of education from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. The board plans for Binggeli to start in July 2015.[11]
2003 lawsuit
In 2003, a Plano ISD student was prohibited from giving out candy cane pens with religious messages to fellow classmates. The student's family opened a lawsuit against the district, claiming their student's religious rights had been violated. As a result, the suit prompted school districts nationwide to focus on their religion policies, in addition to a Texas law prohibiting religious discrimination. In July 2013, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled that the student's family could not move forward with the case because they did not inform Plano ISD via certified mail, which was required by state law. The appeals ruling also stated that the family had contacted the district via mail, fax, and email with school officials responding.[12]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the Plano Independent School District election in 2015:[6][13]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| December 29, 2014 | Deadline to post notice of candidate filing deadline |
| January 28, 2015 | First day to file for place on general election ballot |
| February 27, 2015 | Last day to file for place on general election ballot |
| March 4, 2015 | Last day to withdraw from ballot |
| March 10, 2015 | First day to apply for ballot by mail |
| April 9, 2015 | Last day for voter registration with county clerk |
| Campaign finance report due | |
| April 27, 2015 | First day of early voting |
| April 30, 2015 | Last day to apply for ballot by mail |
| May 1, 2015 | Campaign finance report due |
| May 5, 2015 | Last day of early voting |
| May 9, 2015 | Election Day |
| May 20, 2015 | Final day for canvassing of votes |
| July 15, 2015 | Campaign finance report due |
Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Texas elections, 2015
The election on May 9, 2015, shared the ballot with other municipal elections in Collin County.
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Plano + Independent + School + District + Texas"
See also
| Plano Independent School District | Texas | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Dallas News, "Contested mayor races in Arlington, Mesquite top Dallas-area cities’ ballots," February 27, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 United States Census Bureau, "Collin County, Texas," accessed August 5, 2014
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed August 5, 2014
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Collin County," accessed December 31, 2014
- ↑ Plano Independent School District, "Board of Trustees," February 4, 2015
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Texas Ethics Commission, "2015 Filing Schedule for Elections Held on Uniform Election Dates," accessed January 21, 2015
- ↑ Empower Texans, "Metroplex 2015 Endorsements," accessed April 29, 2015
- ↑ Sharon Hirsch for Plano ISD, "Endorsements," accessed May 5, 2015
- ↑ Plano Independent School District, "Campaign Finance Reports," accessed April 29, 2015
- ↑ Texas Ethics Commission, "Campaign Finance Guide for Candidates and Officeholders Who File with Local Filing Authorities," September 1, 2013
- ↑ Plano Blog, "Plano ISD names lone superintendent finalist," March 5, 2015
- ↑ Plano Blog, "Yet another turn in the Plano ISD’s “candy cane” case," July 29, 2013
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Important 2015 Election Dates," accessed January 20, 2015
| 2015 Plano Independent School District Elections | |
| Collin County, Texas | |
| Election date: | May 9, 2015 |
| Candidates: | Place 4: Incumbent, Michael Friedman • Sharon Hirsch • Yoram Solomon Place 5: Incumbent, David Stolle |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
