Canyons School District elections (2014)
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Four seats on the Canyons Board of Education were up for general election on November 4, 2014. This election was for Districts 2, 4, 5 and 6. Districts 2 and 4 held a primary election on June 24, 2014 to decide the top two candidates in each district that would move onto the general election.
In the District 2 race, primary winners Amber Shill and incumbent Kim Murphy Horiuchi faced off. Primary winners Clareen Arnold and incumbent Tracy Scott Cowdell competed for the District 4 seat. In the District 5 race, incumbent Steve Wrigley faced Cole Hansen. In the District 6 race, incumbent Sherril H. Taylor faced Andrew R. Boyce.
Newcomers Shill and Arnold won in Districts 2 and 4, respectively, while incumbents Wrigley and Taylor were re-elected in Districts 5 and 6.
About the district
- See also: Canyons School District, Utah
Canyons School District is located in Salt Lake County, Utah. The county seat is Salt Lake City. Salt Lake County was home to 1,091,742 residents in 2014, according to the United States Census Bureau.[1] In the 2012-2013 school year, Canyons School District was the fifth-largest school district in Utah and served 33,951 students.[2]
Demographics
Salt Lake County overperformed in comparison to the rest of Utah in terms of higher education achievement and median household income in 2013. The United States Census Bureau found that 31.0 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree compared to 30.3 percent for Utah as a whole. The median household income in Salt Lake County was $60,555 compared to $58,821 for the state of Utah. The poverty rate in Salt Lake County was 12.7 percent, the same rate for the entire state.[1]
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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 Canyons Board of Education consists of seven members elected by district to four-year terms. There was a primary election on June 24, 2014 to decide candidates for Districts 2 and 4. A general election was held on November 4, 2014 for four seats. Three seats will be up for election in November 2016.[4]
Candidates began to file affidavits of candidacy on March 14, 2014. The filing deadline for school board candidates to get on the ballot in the general election was March 20, 2014.[5]
Elections
2014
Candidates
District 2
- Kim Murphy Horiuchi
- Incumbent
- Freelance writer
- Amber Shill

Candidates defeated in the primary
District 4
- Tracy Scott Cowdell
- Incumbent
- Lawyer
- Clareen Arnold

Candidates defeated in the primary
District 5
- Steve Wrigley
- Incumbent
- Certified public manager
- Cole Hansen
District 6
- Sherril H. Taylor
- Incumbent
- Retired educator
- Andrew R. Boyce
Election results
General: District 2
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | 52.4% | 4,015 | ||
| Nonpartisan | Kim Murphy Horiuchi Incumbent | 47.6% | 3,643 | |
| Total Votes | 7,658 | |||
| Source: Salt Lake County Clerk, "Official Election Results 2014 General Election," accessed December 22, 2014 | ||||
General: District 4
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | 56.1% | 3,180 | ||
| Nonpartisan | Tracy Scott Cowdell Incumbent | 43.9% | 2,491 | |
| Total Votes | 5,671 | |||
| Source: Salt Lake County Clerk, "Official Election Results 2014 General Election," accessed December 22, 2014 | ||||
General: District 5
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | 61.6% | 3,650 | ||
| Nonpartisan | Cole Hansen | 38.4% | 2,272 | |
| Total Votes | 5,922 | |||
| Source: Salt Lake County Clerk, "Official Election Results 2014 General Election," accessed December 22, 2014 | ||||
General: District 6
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | 54.5% | 3,406 | ||
| Nonpartisan | Andrew R. Boyce | 45.5% | 2,849 | |
| Total Votes | 6,255 | |||
| Source: Salt Lake County Clerk, "Official Election Results 2014 General Election," accessed December 22, 2014 | ||||
Primary: District 2
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | 52.7% | 1,232 | ||
| Nonpartisan | 34.9% | 815 | ||
| Nonpartisan | Von Hortin | 12.4% | 289 | |
| Total Votes | 2,336 | |||
| Source: Salt Lake County, "Unofficial Election Results," June 24, 2014. These election results are unofficial. They will be updated once certified election results are available. | ||||
Primary: District 4
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | 46.1% | 705 | ||
| Nonpartisan | 35.8% | 547 | ||
| Nonpartisan | Charles Hardy | 18.1% | 276 | |
| Total Votes | 1,528 | |||
| Source: Salt Lake County, "Unofficial Election Results," June 24, 2014. These election results are unofficial. They will be updated once certified election results are available. | ||||
Endorsements
No candidate publicly received an endorsement in this election.
Campaign finance
Candidates received a total of $31,935.69 and spent a total of $39,342.02, according to the Salt Lake County Clerk.[6]
In the District 2 race, candidates received a total of $22,653.47 and spent a total of $22,422.48.
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kim Murphy Horiuchi | $12,575.00 | $12,344.01 | $230.99 |
| Amber Shill | $10,078.47 | $10,078.47 | $0.00 |
| Von Hortin | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
In the District 4 race, candidates received a total of $6,481.98 and spent a total of $13,611.52.
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clareen Arnold | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Tracy Scott Cowdell | $6,431.98 | $13,561.52 | $-7,129.54 |
| Charles Hardy | $50.00 | $50.00 | $0.00 |
In the District 5 race, candidates received a total of $1,950.24 and spent a total of $2,258.02.
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steve Wrigley | $1,950.24 | $2,258.02 | $-307.78 |
| Cole Hansen | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
In the District 6 race, candidates received a total of $850.00 and spent a total of $1,050.00.
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sherril H. Taylor | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Andrew R. Boyce | $850.00 | $1,050.00 | -$200.00 |
Note: Totals may reflect activity from past years.
Past elections
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What was at stake?
Issues in the district
Jordan School District split
In 2009, Jordan School District was split into two districts: the current Jordan School District and Canyons School District. The split resulted in the division of one billion dollars in assets, hundreds of millions of dollars in liabilities and the dispersal of over 81,000 students. In a 2010 poll conducted by Dan Jones & Associates Poll for the Deseret News and KSL-TV, 75 percent of those polled believed the split was unfair to Jordan students. According to Canyon school board member Tracy Scott Cowdell the poll showed that there were "serious misconceptions about school communities in the Canyons School District." He said that while he wasn't initially on board with the split and voted against it, in hindsight he would have changed his vote. He stated that, "[...] anybody who doesn't believe the division was done in a fair, amicable way, doesn't have all the information." Prior to the split, Jordan School District spent approximately $1,522 on each student. In 2010, the district reporting spending $1,136, while Canyons School District spent $2,087.[7][8]
Sex abuse allegations
In May 2014, a bus driver in the Canyons School District was charged with 23 counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child. According to reports, John Martin Carrell, 61, allegedly touched a young special needs girl inappropriately and repeatedly over the course of three months. According to Utah state court records, Carrell had no prior criminal history other than minor traffic violations. The girl's mother said that although she doesn't blame the school district, she believes that district buses should be required to have another adult on board besides the bus driver to prevent future cases.[9]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the Canyons School District election in 2014:[5]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| March 14, 2014 | Declaration of candidacy period opens |
| March 20, 2014 | Declaration of candidacy period closes |
| May 27, 2014 | Voter registration deadline for the primary election |
| June 10, 2014 | Early voting begins for primary election |
| June 24, 2014 | Primary election |
| September 5, 2014 | Last day write-in candidates may file declarations of candidacy |
| October 6, 2014 | Voter registration deadline for general election |
| October 21, 2014 | Early voting begins for general election |
| November 4, 2014 | General election |
Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Utah elections, 2014
This election shared the ballot with general elections for U.S. House seats and Utah state executive offices. It also shared the ballot with other county and municipal elections.[5]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Canyons + School + District + Utah"
See also
- Utah
- Canyons School District, Utah
- Utah school board elections, 2014
- List of school board elections in 2014
- School board elections, 2014
- Salt Lake County, Utah ballot measures
- Local ballot measures, Utah
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 United States Census Bureau, "Salt Lake County, Utah," accessed May 14, 2014
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed April 17, 2015
- ↑ Utah.gov, "Election Results," accessed August 5, 2015
- ↑ Canyons School District, "Board Members," June 3, 2014
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Utah.gov, "2014 Election Dates," accessed June 3, 2014
- ↑ Salt Lake County Clerk, "Candidate Campaign Finance Reports," accessed October 28, 2014
- ↑ Deseret News, "Poll: Jordan District split resulted in inequity," March 9, 2010
- ↑ Daybreak Today, "The Jordan School District Split," March 18, 2009
- ↑ KSL.com, "Former Canyons bus driver charged with 23 counts of aggravated abuse," May 22, 2014
| 2014 Canyons School District Elections | |
| Salt Lake County, Utah | |
| Election date: | November 4, 2014 |
| Candidates: | District 2: • Incumbent, Kim Murphy Horiuchi • Von Hortin • Amber Shill District 4: • Incumbent, Tracy Scott Cowdell • Clareen Arnold • Charles Hardy |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |