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Richmond Public Schools elections (2016)
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All nine seats on the Richmond Public Schools school board were up for by-district general election on November 8, 2016. A total of 22 candidates ran for the nine seats. Only one of the four incumbents running for re-election retained their seat. Jeff Bourne of District 3 defeated two challengers to win re-election. Other winners included Elizabeth Doerr (District 1), James Scott Barlow (District 2), Jonathan Young (District 4), Patrick Sapini (District 5), Felicia Dionne Cosby (District 6), Nadine Marsh-Carter (District 7), Dawn Page (District 8), and Linda Owen (District 9). Click here for a full list of candidates.[1]
The district faced a civil rights complaint lodged by the ACLU and the Legal Aid Justice Center on behalf of the Richmond branch of the NAACP and two black students alleging discriminatory disciplinary practices in the district. Click here to read more about the complaint and the district's response.
Three candidates participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 survey of school board candidates. Click here to read their responses.
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The Richmond school board consists of nine members elected by district. Members serve four-year terms and are all up for election in the same year. There was no primary election, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016.[1]
Candidates for the school board must be registered voters and residents of the district they are running to represent. Members of the board cannot be employees of the school district. The filing deadline for school board candidates to get on the 2016 ballot in this election was June 14, 2016.[2]
Candidates and results
District 1
Results
| Richmond Public Schools, District 1 General Election, 4-year term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Elizabeth Doerr |
67.98% | 9,267 |
| J.E. Dawson Boyer Incumbent | 31.49% | 4,292 |
| Write-in votes | 0.53% | 72 |
| Total Votes | 13,631 | |
| Source: Virginia Department of Elections, "2016 November General Official Results," accessed November 30, 2016 | ||
Candidates
| J.E. Dawson Boyer | Elizabeth Doerr 
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District 2
Results
| Richmond Public Schools, District 2 General Election, 4-year term, 2016 |
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|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| James Scott Barlow |
58.40% | 7,386 |
| Mariah White | 40.45% | 5,116 |
| Write-in votes | 1.15% | 146 |
| Total Votes | 12,648 | |
| Source: Virginia Department of Elections, "2016 November General Official Results," accessed November 30, 2016 | ||
Candidates
| James Scott Barlow
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Mariah White | ||
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District 3
Results
| Richmond Public Schools, District 3 General Election, 4-year term, 2016 |
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|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Jeff Bourne Incumbent |
62.52% | 6,401 |
| Kevin Starlings | 20.28% | 2,076 |
| Jesse Perry | 16.52% | 1,691 |
| Write-in votes | 0.69% | 71 |
| Total Votes | 10,239 | |
| Source: Virginia Department of Elections, "2016 November General Official Results," accessed November 30, 2016 | ||
Candidates
| Jeff Bourne
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Jesse Perry | Kevin Starlings | |||
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Withdrawn
| Lathaniel Kirts | |
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District 4
Results
| Richmond Public Schools, District 4 General Election, 4-year term, 2016 |
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|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Jonathan Young |
53.83% | 6,888 |
| Barrett Hardiman | 28.02% | 3,585 |
| Irvine Reaves | 8.82% | 1,129 |
| Sean Smith | 8.74% | 1,118 |
| Write-in votes | 0.59% | 75 |
| Total Votes | 12,795 | |
| Source: Virginia Department of Elections, "2016 November General Official Results," accessed November 30, 2016 | ||
Candidates
| Barrett Hardiman | Irvine Reaves | ||
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| Sean Smith | Jonathan Young
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District 5
Results
| Richmond Public Schools, District 5 General Election, 4-year term, 2016 |
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|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Patrick Sapini |
50.12% | 5,480 |
| Mamie Taylor Incumbent | 48.77% | 5,333 |
| Write-in votes | 1.11% | 121 |
| Total Votes | 10,934 | |
| Source: Virginia Department of Elections, "2016 November General Official Results," accessed November 30, 2016 | ||
Candidates
| Mamie Taylor | Patrick Sapini
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District 6
Results
| Richmond Public Schools, District 6 General Election, 4-year term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Felicia Dionne Cosby |
67.85% | 6,097 |
| Shonda Harris-Muhammed Incumbent | 31.28% | 2,811 |
| Write-in votes | 0.87% | 78 |
| Total Votes | 8,986 | |
| Source: Virginia Department of Elections, "2016 November General Official Results," accessed November 30, 2016 | ||
Candidates
| Felicia Dionne Cosby
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Shonda Harris-Muhammed | ||
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Withdrawn
| Ricky Johnson | Jason Thompson | ||
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District 7
Results
| Richmond Public Schools, District 7 General Election, 4-year term, 2016 |
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|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Nadine Marsh-Carter |
57.18% | 6,102 |
| Kirsten Gray | 35.14% | 3,750 |
| Rick Tatnall | 6.91% | 737 |
| Write-in votes | 0.77% | 82 |
| Total Votes | 10,671 | |
| Source: Virginia Department of Elections, "2016 November General Official Results," accessed November 30, 2016 | ||
Candidates
| Kirsten Gray | Nadine Marsh-Carter
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Rick Tatnall | |||
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Withdrawn
| Shawn Minter | Jaynell Pittman-Shaw | ||
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District 8
Results
| Richmond Public Schools, District 8 General Election, 4-year term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Dawn Page |
64.07% | 5,076 |
| Christopher Woody | 19.92% | 1,578 |
| Tia Redd | 15.69% | 1,243 |
| Write-in votes | 0.33% | 26 |
| Total Votes | 7,923 | |
| Source: Virginia Department of Elections, "2016 November General Official Results," accessed November 30, 2016 | ||
Candidates
| Dawn Page
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Tia Redd | Christopher Woody | |||
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District 9
Results
| Richmond Public Schools, District 9 General Election, 4-year term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Linda Owen (unopposed) |
98.45% | 7,048 |
| Write-in votes | 1.55% | 111 |
| Total Votes | 7,159 | |
| Source: Virginia Department of Elections, "2016 November General Official Results," accessed November 30, 2016 | ||
Candidates
| Linda Owen
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Additional elections
- See also: Virginia elections, 2016
The Richmond school board election shared the ballot with federal elections for the United States President and the United States House of Representatives. Other elections on the ballot included municipal elections for mayor and city council.[3]
Key deadlines
The following dates are key deadlines for the Richmond school board elections in 2016:[4][5]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| June 14, 2016 | Candidate filing deadline |
| October 17, 2016 | Last day to register to vote in the general election |
| October 17, 2016 | First campaign finance deadline |
| October 31, 2016 | Second compaign finance deadline |
| November 8, 2016 | Election Day |
| January 17, 2017 | Final campaign finance deadline |
Endorsements
Doerr received an official endorsement from President Barack Obama.[6]
Campaign finance
Candidates received a total of $83,158.05 and spent a total of $36,742.35 as of October 17, 2016, according to the Virginia Department of Elections.[7]
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| District 1 | |||
| J.E. Dawson Boyer | $8,943.90 | $2,915.91 | $6,027.99 |
| Elizabeth Doerr | $19,870.23 | $4,436.62 | $15,433.61 |
| District 2 | |||
| James Scott Barlow | $11,488.97 | $1,893.60 | $9,595.37 |
| Mariah White | $6,450.00 | $4,167.00 | $2,283.00 |
| District 3 | |||
| Jeff Bourne | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Jesse Perry | $2,366.43 | $2,317.43 | $49.00 |
| Kevin Starlings | $2,839.44 | $2,839.44 | $0.00 |
| District 4 | |||
| Barrett Hardiman | $19,294.74 | $12,976.26 | $6,318.48 |
| Irvine Reaves | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Sean Smith | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Jonathan Young | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| District 5 | |||
| Mamie Taylor | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Patrick Sapini | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| District 6 | |||
| Shonda Harris-Muhammed | $524.00 | $320.40 | $203.60 |
| Felicia Dionne Cosby | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| District 7 | |||
| Kirsten Gray | $487.00 | $20.43 | $466.57 |
| Nadine Marsh-Carter | $4,600.00 | $2,529.44 | $2,070.56 |
| Rick Tatnall | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| District 8 | |||
| Dawn Page | $1,759.47 | $1,759.47 | $0.00 |
| Tia Redd | $2,375.00 | $0.00 | $2,375.00 |
| Christopher Woody | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| District 9 | |||
| Linda Owen | $2,160.00 | $566.35 | $1,593.65 |
What was at stake?
Election trends
The 2016 school board election in Richmond Public Schools guaranteed the addition of five new members to the board. Incumbents ran in Districts 1, 3, 5, and 6. Overall, there were 22 candidates in the race for the nine seats up for election. Only one seat, District 9, was unopposed.
The district's 2012 election for nine seats attracted 19 candidates. Three of the seats—Districts 6, 7, and 9—were unopposed.
| School board election trends | |||||
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| Year | Candidates per seat | Unopposed seats | Incumbent success rate | Seats won by newcomers | |
| Richmond Public Schools | |||||
| 2016 | 2.44 | 11.11% | 25.00% | 88.89% | |
| Virginia | |||||
| 2015 | 1.6 | 44.66% | 85.29% | 41.75% | |
| United States | |||||
| 2015 | 1.72 | 32.57% | 81.31% | 38.24% | |
| 2014 | 1.89 | 35.97% | 82.66% | 40.77% | |
Issues in the district
Federal civil rights complaint filed against district
In August 2016, the ACLU of Virginia and the Legal Aid Justice Center filed an administrative complaint with the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights against Richmond Public Schools. The complaint—filed on behalf of the Richmond branch of the NAACP and two black students with disabilities—stated that the school district had a history of punishing minority students, including minority students with disabilities, at a higher rate than white students.[8]
The two students mentioned in the complaint both had disabilities and were both eligible to receive special education services. Both students faced suspension and possible expulsion as a result of separate incidents. They both appealed their punishments and were allowed to return to their assigned school within the district. One student was suspended in April 2016 and did not return to his assigned school until the start of the following school year. The other student's mother was denied a meeting with administrators to discuss accommodations for her son's disabilities for six months. She was granted a meeting after her son was suspended for 10 days following an altercation with a staff member.[9]
The complaint provided data that showed that black students were suspended at a rate that was five times higher than that of white students in the 2014-2015 school year. Black students with disabilities were suspended at a rate that was 13 times higher than that of white students in the same school year. Richmond Public Schools had the eighth-highest racial suspension disparity rate out of 102 school districts in the state of Virginia that suspended at least 10 black students and 10 white students in the 2014-2015 school year.[10]
Richmond Public Schools' spokeswoman, Kenita Bowers, responded to the complaint on behalf of the district.
| “ | Based on the filing of this complaint, we await contact from the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) and we will fully cooperate to provide any necessary information to facilitate the investigation. Our goal is to find disciplinary measures that balance safety and instruction, so we welcome any dialogue that promotes both equity and quality in the education of our students.[11] | ” |
| —Kenita Bowers (2016)[12] | ||
Candidate survey
Survey responses
Three candidates in this race participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 survey of school board candidates. The following sections display the responses to the survey questions from Tia Redd, Linda Owen, and [[Sean Smith (Virginia)]|Sean Smith]].
Hope to achieve
When asked what she hoped to achieve if elected to the school board, Redd stated:
| “ | I hope to get Richmond Public Schools back on track. I would like to really assess the curriculum and ensure that it is suitable for all of the students. My goal is to create a system that can attract and retain quality teachers and provide a secondary education that encourages parents to allow their students to become proud RPS alum. I would love to see the athletics and fine arts programs that were boast worthy and extra curricular activities that help boost academic performance. I have such high hopes for our city and I know that any chance at greatness begins with education. Richmond Public Schools has the potential to be amazing. I would love to see that potential come to fruition for the students because that is what they deserve. In a nut shell I hope to begin moving Richmond Public Schools in the right direction. There is much work to be done but nothing that is impossible.[11] | ” |
| —Tia Redd (October 10, 2016)[13] | ||
When asked what she hoped to achieve if elected to the school board, Owen stated:
| “ | I hope to collaborate with other members and the city council and mayor to fund the Academic Improvement Plan and Option 5 for facilities. I advocate training and supporting teachers in working with children in poverty and enriching school culture and literacy programs.[11] | ” |
| —Linda Owen (October 11, 2016)[14] | ||
When asked what he hoped to achieve if elected to the school board, Smith stated:
| “ | If elected to the School Board, I hope to implement a greater level of transparency, and build a level of unprecedented community and parental engagement. If wrap-around services were fully supported, and the business community works to support non-profits and community based programs that work to increase student achievement, I believe that we will see a substantial increase in student performance and increase in morale about our school system. Additionally, I hope to secure more funding to implement the Facilities Task Force Plan to improve building infrastructure, and reduce overcrowding in schools South of the river. Above all, I hope to achieve a level of trust, commitment, and bring a level of competency, understanding of social policy, and fresh ideas and younger energy that is desperately needed on the board..[11] | ” |
| —Sean Smith (October 20, 2016)[15] | ||
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 | ||||
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| Issue | Redd's ranking | Owen's ranking | Smith's 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.
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. |
About the district
- See also: Richmond Public Schools, Virginia
Richmond Public Schools is located in eastern Virginia in Richmond. Richmond is an independent city and therefore does not belong to a county. This city was home to 220,289 residents in 2015, according to the United States Census Bureau.[16] The district was the 12th-largest school district in the state in the 2013–2014 school year and served 23,775 students.[17]
Demographics
Richmond underperformed compared to Virginia as a whole in terms of higher education achievement in the years 2010 to 2014. The United States Census Bureau found that 35.4 percent of city residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 35.8 percent of all state residents. The median household income in Richmond was $41,331, compared to $64,792 statewide. The poverty rate was 25.5 percent in the city, while it was 11.8 percent for the entire state.[16]
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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.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Richmond Public Schools' 'Virginia'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Richmond Public Schools | Virginia | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Richmond Times-Dispatch, "58 file to run for Richmond City Council, School Board," June 15, 2016
- ↑ Richmond Public Schools, "Bylaws," accessed July 5, 2016
- ↑ Richmond, Virginia, "City of Richmond 10-year Election Schedule," July 5, 2016
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "2016 Candidate Reporting Deadlines," accessed July 4, 2016
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "Registration," accessed July 4, 2016
- ↑ Politico, "Obama endorses alums in hyper local races," November 5, 2016
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "Campaign Finance Reports," accessed October 18, 2016
- ↑ Newsone Education, "Disabled Black Students, NAACP File Discrimination Complaint Against Virginia District," September 4, 2016
- ↑ NBC29, "Federal Civil Rights Complaint Filed Against Richmond Public Schools," September 5, 2016
- ↑ ACLU-Virginia, "Federal Civil Rights Complaint Challenges Discrimination in City of Richmond Public Schools," accessed October 4, 2016
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Black students file civil rights complaint against Richmond schools over discipline practices," August 24, 2016
- ↑ Ballotpedia's school board candidate survey, "Tia Redd's responses," October 10, 2016
- ↑ Ballotpedia's school board candidate survey, "Linda Owen's responses," October 11, 2016
- ↑ Ballotpedia's school board candidate survey, "Sean Smith's responses," October 20, 2016
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 United States Census Bureau, "Quickfacts:Richmond (city), Virginia," accessed July 5, 2016
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed November 16, 2015
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "Election Results," accessed September 9, 2015
