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Curtis Bethany

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Curtis Bethany
Image of Curtis Bethany

Education

High school

Woodside High School

Bachelor's

Old Dominion University

Personal
Profession
Nonprofit financial manager
Contact

Curtis Bethany was a candidate for North District representative on the Newport News School Board in Virginia. He was defeated in the general election that was held on May 3, 2016.[1]

Bethany ran for an at-large seat on the board in the general election on May 6, 2014. He was defeated by Gary B. Hunter.


Biography

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Bethany is the financial manager at The Focus Center, a nonprofit serving Norfolk and Newport News. He obtained a bachelor's degree from Old Dominion University. He is also a graduate of Woodside High School within the district.[2]

Elections

2016

See also: Newport News Public Schools elections (2016)

Three of the seven seats on the Newport News Public Schools school board were up for general election on May 3, 2016. In the North District, Marvin Harris defeated Curtis Bethany and Valerie Young. John Eley III won the South District seat by defeating four other candidates including Sheryl Holmes Abbott, Terri Best, Bethany Martin, and Yugonda Sample. Incumbent Shelly Simonds won re-election to the Central District seat after running unopposed.[1]

Results

Newport News Public Schools,
North District General Election, 4-year term, 2016
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.png Marvin Harris 42.18% 1,020
Curtis Bethany 33.62% 813
Valerie Young 23.74% 574
Write-in votes 0.45% 11
Total Votes 2,418
Source: Virginia Department of Elections, "2016 May City General Official Results," accessed June 23, 2016

Funding

Bethany reported $2,150.00 in contributions and $2,150.00 in expenditures to the Virginia Department of Elections, which left his campaign with $0.00 during the election.[3]

Endorsements

Bethany received no official endorsements during the election.

2014

See also: Newport News Public Schools elections (2014)

Curtis Bethany sought election against Gary B. Hunter and Rick E. Jones, Jr. in the general election on May 6, 2014. At-large incumbent Debbie Johnston did not file for re-election by the March 4, 2014 deadline.

Results

Newport News Public Schools, At-Large General Election, 4-year term, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Nonpartisan Green check mark transparent.pngGary B. Hunter 40.3% 3,569
     Nonpartisan Rick E. Jones, Jr. 39.8% 3,529
     Nonpartisan Curtis Bethany 19.2% 1,698
     Nonpartisan Write-in votes 0.8% 67
Total Votes 8,863
Source: Virginia State Board of Elections, "Official Results - General and Special Elections - May 6, 2014," May 6, 2014

Funding

Bethany reported $1,510.00 in contributions and $778.86 in expenditures to the Virginia State Board of Elections, leaving his campaign with $731.14 on hand prior to the election.[4]

Endorsements

Bethany did not receive any official endorsements for his campaign.

Campaign themes

2014

Bethany listed his themes for 2014 on his campaign website:

Strengthen collaboration between students, parents, and teachers
Ensure that we are budgeting appropriately to foster a student-centered learning environment:

  • Maintain reasonable class sizes in elementary, middle, and high school so that teachers can effectively connect with students
  • Provide effective early childhood education opportunities. Studies show that quality early education leads to a higher likelihood of future success.
  • Provide teachers with the resources they need to teach our students

Actively support schools in their efforts to expand PTA membership and outreach

Implement more targeted methods to help students and parents plan for life after high school

  • Implement Forums & College Fairs targeted for parents of students who will be first generation college students and/or who will attend community college first.
  • Create “Alternative Path” forums to assist and inform parents and students who intend to take alternative paths after high school, such as military, or trade.

Establish robust peer-to-peer programs to foster academic achievement and student leadership

  • Strong peer-mentoring program consisting of high school and college students
  • Peer-tutoring programs in middle and high school led by students who excelled in various courses

Provide excellent services to promote the success of Special Needs Students

  • Prioritize teaching vocational skills to promote future employment opportunities
  • Allocate funds appropriately to serve students with special needs
  • Ensure best qualified teachers are hired to serve students with specific special needs
  • Provide adequate transportation and accommodations for students with special needs

Strengthen community ties
Promote Student Safety, Security, and Intervention through school and community collaboration

  • Enhance collaboration with the Newport News City Council to bring attention to matters that affect the safety and security of young people throughout the community
  • Establish intervention programs to target troubled students for counseling and conflict resolution
  • Connect with community organizations to collaborate on after school programs, mentoring and tutoring opportunities
  • Connect with organizations to establish more volunteer day-care operations so that parents with young children can go to work while their children are safe and secure

Strengthen student viability in today's job market

Hold career fairs, forums, and panel discussions focusing on career opportunities, career planning, and fields that are in-demand

Incorporate Financial Literacy into the curriculum

  • Introduce basic finance in high school “Living Skills” classes
  • Introduce at least one Financial Literacy course in every high school in Newport News

Focus efforts to promote student achievement in STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math)

  • Introduce more hands on programs for elementary school students
  • Take necessary measures to increase student proficiency in math and science
  • Establish and/or expand strategic partnerships with local companies focusing on STEM fields
  • Establish computer science courses in every middle school and high school
  • Launch Coding and Robotics Clubs or expand existing clubs

[5]

—Curtis D. Bethany's campaign website, (2014)

[6]

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Curtis Bethany' 'Newport News Public Schools'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. 1.0 1.1 Tiffany Rouse, "Email correspondence with Newport News Voter Registrar Vicki Lewis," March 7, 2016
  2. Daily Press, "Former student Curtis Bethany III running for Newport News School Board," February 3, 2016
  3. Virginia Department of Elections, "Campaign Finance Reports," accessed July 2, 2016
  4. Virginia State Board of Elections, "Reporting," accessed April 22, 2014
  5. Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  6. (dead link)vision Friends of Curtis Bethany, "Visions," accessed March 17, 2014