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West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District elections (2014)
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Four seats on the West Windsor-Plainsboro Board of Education were up for general election on November 4, 2014. The West Windsor Township had two three-year terms up for election, and Plainsboro Township had one three-year term and an additional one-year term up for election.[1][2]
Two races were contested. West Windsor incumbents Richard A. Kaye and Dana Krug faced each other and Yingchao Zhang in their bids for re-election to three-year terms. Krug and Zhang defeated Kaye in that election.[1]
Plainsboro incumbent Rachelle Feldman Hurwitz lost her re-election to newcomer Isaac Cheng, who won the three-year term.[1] Rachel Juliana, also a Plainsboro incumbent, won a one-year unexpired term unopposed. Juliana was appointed to the board in January following the death of board member Yibao Xu in November 2013.[1][3]
About the district
| West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District is located in Plainsboro Township in Middlesex County and West Windsor Township in Mercer County, New Jersey. The county seat of Middlesex County is New Brunswick. Mercer County's seat of government is Trenton. In 2013, Mercer County was home to approximately 370,414 residents and Middlesex County was home to 828,919 residents, according to estimates by the United States Census Bureau.[4][5] In 2011-2012 school year, West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District was the 18th-largest school district by enrollment in New Jersey and served 9,804 students. |
Demographics
In 2012, both Middlesex County and Mercer County had higher percentages of residents with a bachelor's degree compared to the state overall. The United States Census Bureau reported that 39.8 percent of Middlesex County residents and 38.2 percent of Mercer County residents aged 25 and older had earned a bachelor's degree, versus 35.4 percent for New Jersey. Middlesex County's median household income was $79,442 and Mercer County's was $73,759, both above the state median of $71,637. The unemployment rate was 8.0 percent in Middlesex County and 10.8 percent in Mercer County, compared with 9.9 percent statewide.[4][5]
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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
As of the 2014 election, the West Windsor-Plainsboro Board of Education consisted of nine nonpartisan members elected to three-year terms. Five of the members represented the West Windsor Township, and four represented the Plainsboro Township. Candidates for the Board of Education must be 18 years old and have resided within the district for at least one year before their election or appointment. There are no term limits.
Candidates were required to submit nominating petitions to the county clerk by the filing deadline on July 28, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. Voters had to register by October 14, 2014, to vote in the election.[7][8]
Elections
2014
Candidates
West Windsor Township, three-year terms
- Richard A. Kaye
- Incumbent, first elected 2005
- Retired school principal
- Bachelor's degree in history and political science, Queens College
- Master's degree in social studies and education, New York University
- Master's degree in administration and supervision, City University of New York
- Dana Krug
- Incumbent, first elected in 2011
- B.A. in international area studies, Duke University
- M.S. in nonprofit management, New School University
- Yingchao Zhang
- Director of sales engineering at NetScout Systems
- B.S., University of Science and Technology of China
- Ph.D. in high-energy nuclear physics, SUNY Stony Brook
Plainsboro Township, three-year term
- Rachelle Feldman Hurwitz
- Incumbent, first elected in 2011
- Bachelor's degree in communication and history, Rutgers University
- Isaac Cheng
Plainsboro Township, one-year term
- Rachel Juliana
- Incumbent, appointed January 2014
- B.A. in rhetoric, University of California at Berkley
- J.D., University of Francisco School of Law
Sample ballots
Election results
West Windsor Township, three-year terms
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Dana Krug Incumbent |
37.4% | 3,265 | |
| Nonpartisan | Yingchao Zhang |
32.9% | 2,868 | |
| Nonpartisan | Richard A. Kaye Incumbent | 29.7% | 2,590 | |
| Total Votes | 8,723 | |||
| Source: Mercer County Clerk, "Official General Election Results," accessed December 23, 2014 | ||||
Plainsboro Township, three-year terms
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Isaac Cheng |
60.3% | 1,568 | |
| Nonpartisan | Rachelle Feldman Hurwitz Incumbent | 39.5% | 1,026 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.2% | 5 | |
| Total Votes | 2,599 | |||
| Source: Margaret Koenig, "Email correspondence with Claudia Jackson, Middlesex County Clerk's Office," February 27, 2015 | ||||
Plainsboro Township, one-year terms
Rachel Juliana retained her seat in an unopposed Plainsboro Township race for a one-year term.
Campaign finance
Candidates received a total of $1,928.73 and spent a total of $0.00 as of October 17, 2014, according to the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission.[9] Candidates were not required to declare their contributions unless they exceeded $4,500.00. The last campaign finance report before the election was due on October 24, 2014, and the final report was due on November 24, 2014.
In the West Windsor Township race, candidates received a total of $350.00 and spent a total of $0.00.
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richard A. Kaye | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Dana Krug | $350.00 | $0.00 | $350.00 |
| Yingchao Zhang | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
In the Plainsboro Township three-year term race, candidates received a total of $1,578.73 and spent a total of $0.00.
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rachelle Feldman Hurwitz | $1,578.73 | $0.00 | $1,578.73 |
| Isaac Cheng | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
In the Plainsboro Township one-year term race, no contributions or expenditures were reported.
Past elections
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2013
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What was at stake?
Issues in the district
NJM ranking
The magazine New Jersey Monthly ranked 339 New Jersey high schools in 2012 and 2014. The analysis for the report was conducted by the research company Leflein Associates. The report weighted school environment at 1, student performance at 1.5, and student outcomes at 2.1.[10] Both of West Windsor-Plainsboro's high schools saw an improvement in their rankings from 2012 to 2014. High School North rose from 32nd to 23rd, and High School South rose from 62nd to 35th.[11]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District election in 2014.[7][8]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| July 28, 2014 | Petition filing deadline for candidates |
| October 6, 2014 | Campaign finance reports due |
| October 14, 2014 | Voter registration deadline |
| October 24, 2014 | Campaign finance reports due |
| October 28, 2014 | Mail-in ballot application period ended |
| November 4, 2014 | Election Day |
| November 24, 2014 | Campaign finance reports due |
Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: New Jersey elections, 2014
This election shared the ballot with the general elections for the United States Senate, the United States House of Representatives, two statewide ballot measures, county offices, and municipal offices.
See also
- New Jersey
- West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District, New Jersey
- New Jersey school board elections, 2014
- List of school board elections in 2014
- School board elections, 2014
- Mercer County, New Jersey ballot measures
- Local ballot measures, New Jersey
External links
- West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District
- Mercer County Clerk’s Office
- Middlesex County Clerk's Office
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 NJ.com, "Mercer County school board candidates file to appear on November ballot," July 30, 2014
- ↑ Margaret Koenig, "E-mail correspondence with Mercer County Clerk's Office," September 8, 2014
- ↑ NJ.com, "West Windsor-Plainsboro school board fills deceased member's seat," January 9, 2014
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 United States Census Bureau, "Mercer County, New Jersey," accessed September 8, 2014
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 United States Census Bureau, "Middlesex County, New Jersey," accessed October 13, 2014
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "NJ Election Information and Results Archive," accessed September 8, 2014
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 New Jersey School Boards Association, "NOVEMBER ELECTIONS: IMPORTANT DATES," accessed September 8, 2014
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 New Jersey Department of State, "2014 General Election Timeline," accessed September 8, 2014
- ↑ New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission, "View a Candidate or Election Related Committee Report," accessed October 16, 2014
- ↑ New Jersey Monthly, "Top Schools 2014: Methodology," September 2, 2014
- ↑ New Jersey Monthly, "Top Schools Alphabetical List 2014," September 2, 2014
