Springfield Public Schools, Massachusetts elections (2017)
This page is about the 2017 school board election for Springfield Public Schools in Massachusetts. For the Missouri school district of the same name, click here.
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Six of the seven seats on the Springfield Public Schools School Committee in Massachusetts were up for general election on November 7, 2017. Incumbent Denise M. Hurst and newcomer LaTonia Naylor won election, defeating James Ferrera III and Ryan Hess for the at-large seats. Incumbent Barbara Gresham defeated Stephanie Murchison-Brown for the District 2 seat. Newcomer Maria Perez and incumbent Christopher Collins ran unopposed and won the District 1 and 3 seats, respectively. The District 4 race was won by incumbent Peter Murphy; he defeated challenger Zaida Govan.[1][2][3][4]
A primary election was held for the at-large and District 2 seats on September 19, 2017. Four candidates advanced to the general election from the at-large primary, and two candidates advanced from the District 2 primary.[1] James Anziano, LaMar Cook, Joesiah Gonzalez, and Michael Kocmiersky were defeated in the at-large primary, and Giselle Vizcarrondo was defeated in the District 2 primary.[3]
Gonzalez, Kocmiersky, Naylor, and Collins participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of school board candidates. Click here to read their responses.
The 2017 election attracted more candidates than the district's 2013 election attracted. An average of 2.5 candidates filed to run in 2017, while an average of 1.5 candidates filed to run in 2013. Click here for more election trends in the district.
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The Springfield School Committee consists of seven members elected to four-year terms. Two members are elected at large, and four members are elected by district. The mayor of Springfield holds the seventh seat. The six school committee seats are elected at the same time every four years, but the election for the mayor is held every four years on a cycle that is two years off from the school committee election.[5]
To get on the ballot, candidates for the school committee had to file with the city by August 1, 2017. To vote in the primary election, citizens of the school district had to register by August 30, 2017, and for the general election, they had to register by October 18, 2017.[6] Photo identification was not required to vote in Massachusetts.[7]
Candidates and results
At-large
General election
Results
| Springfield Public Schools, At-large General Election, 4-year terms, 2017 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Denise M. Hurst Incumbent |
34.34% | 5,783 |
| LaTonia Naylor |
25.72% | 4,330 |
| James Ferrera III | 24.20% | 4,074 |
| Ryan Hess | 15.41% | 2,594 |
| Write-in votes | 0.34% | 57 |
| Total Votes | 16,838 | |
| Source: City of Springfield, "Returns: Nov. 7, 2017 Municipal Election," accessed November 28, 2017 | ||
Candidates
Denise M. Hurst 
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James Ferrera III | ||
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| Ryan Hess |  LaTonia Naylor
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Primary election
Results
| Springfield Public Schools, At-large Primary Election, 4-year terms, 2017 |
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|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Denise M. Hurst Incumbent |
27.15% | 2,538 |
| James Ferrera III |
18.09% | 1,691 |
| LaTonia Naylor |
16.81% | 1,571 |
| Ryan Hess |
11.35% | 1,061 |
| LaMar Cook | 8.28% | 774 |
| Joesiah Gonzalez | 8.26% | 772 |
| James Anziano | 5.58% | 522 |
| Michael Kocmiersky | 4.23% | 395 |
| Write-in votes | 0.26% | 24 |
| Total Votes | 9,348 | |
| Source: Springfield Election Office, "Returns: Sept. 19, 2017 Preliminary Election," September 19, 2017 | ||
Candidates defeated in primary
| James Anziano | LaMar Cook | ||
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| Joesiah Gonzalez
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Michael Kocmiersky
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District 1
Results
| Springfield Public Schools, District 1 General Election, 4-year term, 2017 |
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|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Maria Perez (unopposed) |
96.03% | 918 |
| Write-in votes | 3.97% | 38 |
| Total Votes | 956 | |
| Source: City of Springfield, "Returns: Nov. 7, 2017 Municipal Election," accessed November 28, 2017 | ||
Candidates
| Maria Perez
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District 2
General election
Results
| Springfield Public Schools, District 2 General Election, 4-year term, 2017 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Barbara Gresham Incumbent |
55.36% | 1,359 |
| Stephanie Murchison-Brown | 44.11% | 1,083 |
| Write-in votes | 0.53% | 13 |
| Total Votes | 2,455 | |
| Source: City of Springfield, "Returns: Nov. 7, 2017 Municipal Election," accessed November 28, 2017 | ||
Candidates
| Barbara Gresham
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Stephanie Murchison-Brown | ||
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Primary election
Results
| Springfield Public Schools, District 2 Primary Election, 4-year term, 2017 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Barbara Gresham Incumbent |
57.35% | 749 |
| Stephanie Murchison-Brown |
25.27% | 330 |
| Giselle Vizcarrondo | 16.46% | 215 |
| Write-in votes | 0.92% | 12 |
| Total Votes | 1,306 | |
| Source: Springfield Election Office, "Returns: Sept. 19, 2017 Preliminary Election," September 19, 2017 | ||
Candidates defeated in primary
| Giselle Vizcarrondo | |
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District 3
Results
| Springfield Public Schools, District 3 General Election, 4-year term, 2017 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Christopher Collins Incumbent (unopposed) |
97.84% | 2,314 |
| Write-in votes | 2.16% | 51 |
| Total Votes | 2,365 | |
| Source: City of Springfield, "Returns: Nov. 7, 2017 Municipal Election," accessed November 28, 2017 | ||
Candidates
| Christopher Collins
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District 4
Results
| Springfield Public Schools, District 4 General Election, 4-year term, 2017 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Peter Murphy Incumbent |
57.20% | 1,188 |
| Zaida Govan | 42.47% | 882 |
| Write-in votes | 0.34% | 7 |
| Total Votes | 2,077 | |
| Source: City of Springfield, "Returns: Nov. 7, 2017 Municipal Election," accessed November 28, 2017 | ||
Candidates
| Peter Murphy
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Zaida Govan | ||
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Massachusetts elections, 2017
The Springfield School Committee elections shared the ballot with elections for the Springfield City Council.[6]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the Springfield School Committee election.[6]
Endorsements
The Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of Massachusetts endorsed incumbent Denise M. Hurst in the primary election.[8]
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
Candidates received a total of $66,076.12 and spent a total of $57,313.23 in the election, according to the City of Springfield.[9]
| Candidate | Balance prior to election | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| At-large | ||||
| Denise M. Hurst | $0.00 | $7,918.70 | $7,893.70 | $25.00 |
| James Anziano | $0.00 | $2,665.22 | $2,494.75 | $170.47 |
| LaMar Cook | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| James Ferrera III | $0.00 | $13,569.60 | $13,565.65 | $4.35 |
| Joesiah Gonzalez | $0.00 | $4,800.00 | $2,182.30 | $2,167.70 |
| Ryan Hess | $0.00 | $10,860.00 | $9,210.30 | $1,649.16 |
| Michael Kocmiersky | $0.00 | $1,141.25 | $871.25 | $270.00 |
| LaTonia Naylor | $0.00 | $15,064.02 | $14,820.23 | $243.79 |
| District 1 | ||||
| Maria Perez | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| District 2 | ||||
| Barbara Gresham | $0.00 | $68.61 | $0.00 | $68.61 |
| Stephanie Murchison-Brown | $0.00 | $3,054.00 | $3,014.46 | $39.54 |
| Giselle Vizcarrondo | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| District 3 | ||||
| Christopher Collins | $1,727.66 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $1,727.66 |
| District 4 | ||||
| Peter Murphy | $14.77 | $4,725.00 | $1,246.00 | $3,493.77 |
| Zaida Govan | $0.00 | $2,209.72 | $2,014.59 | $195.13 |
Reporting requirements
Candidates who ran in the Springfield School Committee primary election had to file three campaign finance reports. The first report was due on September 11, 2017, the second report was due on October 30, 2017, and the third report was due on January 22, 2018. Candidates who ran only in the general election had to file the October and January reports.[10]
Past elections
To see results from past elections in Springfield 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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Ballotpedia invites school board candidates to participate in its annual survey. |
Survey responses
Four candidates in this race participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of school board candidates. The following sections display the responses to the survey questions from at-large challengers Joesiah Gonzalez, Michael Kocmiersky, and LaTonia Naylor and District 3 incumbent Christopher Collins.
Hope to achieve
When asked what he hoped to achieve if elected to the school board, Gonzalez stated:
| “ | If elected to the Springfield School Committee, I will push forth my message 'Students Before Politics' by putting forth comprehensive policies, and voting based on whether or not initiatives and or programs are for the benefit of our students. I will fight for Safety, Equity, and Student Success. For I believe that investing in Springfield Public Schools is an investment in the tomorrow of our Great City![11] | ” |
| —Joesiah Gonzalez (September 8, 2017)[12] | ||
When asked what he hoped to achieve if elected to the school board, Kocmiersky stated:
| “ | What I will do as a school committee member is reduce the amount of standardized testing to just a single standardized test, either the MCAS or the PARCC, and get rid of the district level testing and the ANet test. We spend too much time, money, and energy on an overwhelmingly abundant amount of testing, that the students don’t like, the parents don’t like, and the teachers don’t like. A good teacher will know what areas our kids need help with if we give them the time to work with our children rather than constantly preparing for the test. The more challenging issue will be to provide more enrichment opportunities for our students. Not just by bringing back shop classes, home economics, civics, foreign language, science, social studies, art, increasing the 15 minute recess time, gym, music, band, etc.; but also by bringing in people from the community to demonstrate a skill or a technology that will wow the students, opening their vision of what’s possible and make them interested and engaged. Engagement by the students, parents, and community is the only way that we will turn our schools into great learning facilities. By presenting more variety of opportunities we engage more students, by bringing in community we engage the community, and by demonstrating our activities with open houses, sports nights, science fairs, robotics displays, craft night, trade night, etc we engage parents. |
” |
| —Michael Kocmiersky (September 5, 2017)[13] | ||
Naylor did not respond to the question about what she hoped to achieve if elected to the school board.
When asked what he hoped to achieve if elected to the school board, Collins stated:
| “ | Insure that a policy and financial decisions are student centered.[11] | ” |
| —Christopher Collins (October 17, 2017)[14] | ||
Ranking the issues
The candidates were asked to rank the following issues by importance in the school district, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. This table displays their rankings:
| Issue importance ranking | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Issue | Gonzalez's ranking | Kocmiersky's ranking | Naylor's ranking | Collins' ranking |
| Expanding arts education | ||||
| Improving relations with teachers | ||||
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | ||||
| Improving post-secondary readiness | ||||
| Closing the achievement gap | ||||
| Improving education for special needs students | ||||
| Expanding school choice options | ||||
Positions on the issues
The candidates were asked to answer nine multiple choice and short answer questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. A link to their responses can be found below.
- Joesiah Gonzalez's survey responses
- Michael Kocmiersky's survey responses
- LaTonia Naylor's survey responses
- Christopher Collins' survey responses
Election trends
- See also: School boards in session: 2015 in brief
The 2017 election for Springfield Public Schools attracted more candidates than the district's 2013 election attracted. Fifteen candidates filed to run for six seats for an average of 2.5 candidates per seat in 2017, while nine candidates filed to run for six seats for an average of 1.5 candidates per seat in 2013.
Two newcomers were guaranteed to be elected to the board in 2017 due to open seats on the ballot. In 2013, there were no open seats as every incumbent filed to run for another term on the board. The two candidates who were elected that year defeated incumbents to win their seats.
| School board election trends | ||||||
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| Year | Candidates per seat | Unopposed seats | Incumbents running for re-election | Incumbent success rate | Seats won by newcomers | |
| 2017 | 2.50 | 33.33% | 66.67% | 100.00% | 33.33% | |
| 2013 | 1.50 | 33.33% | 100.00% | 66.67% | 33.33% | |
| Massachusetts | ||||||
| 2015 | 1.49 | 25.49% | 68.63% | 85.71% | 33.33% | |
| United States | ||||||
| 2015 | 1.72 | 35.95% | 70.37% | 82.66% | 40.81% | |
About the district
The Springfield school district is located in west-central Massachusetts in Hampden County. The county seat is Springfield. Hampden County was home to an estimated 468,467 residents in 2016, according to the United States Census Bureau.[15] The district was the second-largest school district in the state in the 2014-2015 school year and served 25,645 students.[16]
Demographics
Hampden 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 25.8 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 40.5 percent of state residents. During the same time period, the median household income in Hampden County was $50,461, compared to $68,563 for the entire state. The poverty rate in the county was 17.1 percent, while it was to 11.5 percent statewide.[15]
| Racial Demographics, 2016[15] | ||
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| Race | Hampden County (%) | Massachusetts (%) |
| White | 83.1 | 81.8 |
| Black or African American | 10.7 | 8.6 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.8 | 0.5 |
| Asian | 2.6 | 6.7 |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0.2 | 0.1 |
| Two or More Races | 2.6 | 2.3 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 24.6 | 11.5 |
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 Springfield Public Schools Massachusetts election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Springfield Public Schools | Massachusetts | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Mass Live, "Here's who qualified for the 2017 Springfield School Committee election," August 2, 2017
- ↑ Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Gladys Oyola, City of Springfield, Massachusetts," August 3, 2017
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Springfield Election Office, "Returns: Sept. 19, 2017 Preliminary Election," September 19, 2017
- ↑ City of Springfield, "Returns: Nov. 7, 2017 Municipal Election," accessed November 7, 2017
- ↑ Springfield Public Schools, "School Committee," accessed July 31, 2017
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 City of Springfield, "2017 Election Calendar," accessed February 2, 2017
- ↑ Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, "Identification Requirements," accessed May 16, 2017
- ↑ Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of Massachusetts, "2017 City of Springfield Endorsements," accessed September 11, 2017
- ↑ City of Springfield, "Campaign Finance Reporting," accessed January 23, 2018
- ↑ Office of Campaign and Political Finance Commonwealth of Massachusetts, "Campaign Finance Guide: Candidates for Municipal Office (Non-Depository)," accessed September 1, 2017
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Ballotpedia's school board candidate survey, "Joesiah Gonzalez's responses," September 8, 2017
- ↑ Ballotpedia's school board candidate survey, "Michael Kocmiersky responses," September 5, 2017
- ↑ Ballotpedia's school board candidate survey, "Christopher Collins responses," October 17, 2017
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 United States Census Bureau, "QuickFacts: Hampden County, Massachusetts; Massachusetts," accessed July 31, 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
| Springfield Public Schools elections in 2017 | |
| Hampden County, Massachusetts | |
| Election date: | Primary election: September 19, 2017 • General election: November 7, 2017 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Denise M. Hurst • James Anziano • LaMar Cook • James Ferrera III • Joesiah Gonzalez • Ryan Hess • Michael Kocmiersky • LaTonia Naylor District 1: • Maria Perez District 2: • Incumbent, Barbara Gresham • Stephanie Murchison-Brown • Giselle Vizcarrondo District 3: • Incumbent, Christopher Collins District 4: • Incumbent, Peter Murphy • Zaida Govan |
| Important information: | What's at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
