Washoe County School District elections (2014)
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Three seats on the Washoe County Board of Trustees were up for general election on November 4, 2014. A primary election was held on June 10, 2014 to narrow the field to two candidates for each seat.
John R. Mayer won re-election to the District B seat without opposition. District C incumbent Barbara Clark and Nick Smith defeated Carlos Cardoso in the primary. Jim Shaw and Veronica Frenkel advanced from a six-candidate field in the District F primary. Shaw and Frenkel ran to replace Estela Gutierrez, who did not file for re-election. In the general election, Nick Smith ousted incumbent Barbara Clark for the District C seat, while Veronica Frenkel defeated fellow challenger Jim Shaw for the District F seat.
About the district
- See also: Washoe County School District, Nevada
Washoe County School District is located in Reno, Nevada, the county seat of Washoe County. Washoe County is home to 433,731 residents, according to the United States Census Bureau.[1] Washoe County School District was the second-largest school district in Nevada, serving 64,740 students during the 2011-2012 school year.[2]
Demographics
Washoe County outperformed in comparison to the rest of Nevada in terms of higher education achievement in 2012. The United States Census Bureau found that 26.8 percent of Washoe County residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree compared to 22.2 percent for Nevada as a whole. The median household income in Washoe County was $53,994 compared to $54,083 for the state of Nevada. The poverty rate in Washoe County was 14.7 percent compared to 14.2 percent 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 Washoe County Board of Education consists of seven members elected to four-year terms. Districts A, B, C, D and E represent specific geographic districts while Districts F and G are at-large members. There was a primary election on June 10, 2014 and the general election was held on November 4, 2014. Four seats will be up for election in November 2016.
Candidates filed their declarations of candidacy with the Washoe County Registrar of Voters office by March 14, 2014. The filing fee for school board candidates in Washoe County is $30. Each candidate had to actively reside in the district for at least 30 days prior to the filing deadline. State law requires candidates to file five campaign finance reports with the Nevada Secretary of State between May 20, 2014 and January 15, 2015.[4]
Elections
2014
Candidates
District B
- John R. Mayer
- Incumbent
- Retired district teacher
District C
- Barbara Clark
- Incumbent
- Graduate, University of California-San Diego and Western State University School of Law
- Former president, Nevada State Parent Teacher Association (PTA)
- Nick Smith
Candidates defeated in the primary
- Carlos Cardoso
- Graduate, Kennedy Western University
- EHS manager, Sherwin Williams
District F
- Veronica Frenkel
- Graduate, University of Texas and Webster University
- Organizational development manager, Washoe County
- Jim Shaw
- Graduate, University of Nevada-Reno
- Retired district principal
- Former member of Sparks City Council, Washoe County Commission
Candidates defeated in the primary
- Valerie Bourquin-Brown
- Graduate, Saint Mary's College of California
- Ronald A. King
- Retired
- Rick Saake
- Graduate, The Master's College
- Internet marketing manager, Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority
- John Wynn
- Graduate, Ashford University and Joint College of Bishops
- Director, Youth Empowered to Success
Election results
General
District B
John R. Mayer won the District B seat by default and did not appear on the general election ballot following his unopposed primary election victory.
District C
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan |  Nick Smith |
64.3% | 12,869 | |
| Nonpartisan | Barbara Clark Incumbent | 35.7% | 7,155 | |
| Total Votes | 20,024 | |||
| Source: Nevada Secretary of State, "Silver State 2014 Election Night Results," accessed December 29, 2014 | ||||
District F
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Veronica Frenkel |
50.2% | 21,641 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jim Shaw | 49.8% | 21,460 | |
| Total Votes | 43,101 | |||
| Source: Nevada Secretary of State, "Silver State 2014 Election Night Results," accessed December 29, 2014 | ||||
Primary
District B
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | John R. Mayer Incumbent |
100% | 6,380 | |
| Total Votes | 6,380 | |||
| Source: Nevada Secretary of State, "County Results Washoe," accessed October 13, 2014 | ||||
District C
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Barbara Clark Incumbent |
64% | 4,797 | |
| Nonpartisan | Nick Smith |
25.2% | 1,890 | |
| Nonpartisan | Carlos Cardoso | 10.8% | 806 | |
| Total Votes | 7,493 | |||
| Source: Nevada Secretary of State, "County Results Washoe," accessed October 13, 2014 | ||||
District F
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Jim Shaw |
30.1% | 5,316 | |
| Nonpartisan | Veronica Frenkel |
26.7% | 4,722 | |
| Nonpartisan | John Wynn | 16.4% | 2,901 | |
| Nonpartisan | Valerie Bourquin-Brown | 11.3% | 2,000 | |
| Nonpartisan | Rick Saake | 8.4% | 1,484 | |
| Nonpartisan | Ronald A. King | 7% | 1,239 | |
| Total Votes | 17,662 | |||
| Source: Nevada Secretary of State, "County Results Washoe," accessed October 13, 2014 | ||||
Endorsements
Rick Saake received the endorsement of Veterans in Politics International, Inc. ahead of the June 10, 2014 primary.[5] Veronica Frenkel received endorsements from State Senator Debbie Smith, Assemblyman David Bobzien and Assemblywoman Teresa Benitez-Thompson, Nevada State Board of Education member David Cook, Washoe County Sheriff Mike Haley and former state Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa. She also received endorsements from the Northern Nevada Central Labor Council and the Building and Construction Trades Council of Northern Nevada.[6] John R. Mayer was endorsed by fellow trustee Lisa Ruggerio.[7]
Campaign finance
Candidates received a total of $28,196.00 and spent a total of $18,260.01 according to reports available from the Nevada Secretary of State during the election.[8]
In the District B race, candidates did not report any contributions or expenditures.
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| John R. Mayer | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
In the District C race, candidates raised a total of $1,500.00 and spent a total of $30.00.
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carlos Cardoso | $0.00 | $30.00 | -$30.00 |
| Barbara Clark | $1,500.00 | $0.00 | $1,500.00 |
| Nick Smith | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
In the District F race, candidates raised a total of $26,696.00 and spent a total of $18,230.01.
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valerie Bourquin-Brown | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Veronica Frenkel | $7,929.00 | $5,358.36 | $2,570.64 |
| Ronald A. King | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Rick Saake | $1,800.00 | $1,834.42 | $-34.42 |
| Jim Shaw | $500.00 | $999.84 | -$499.84 |
| John Wynn | $16,467.00 | $10,037.39 | $6,429.61 |
Past elections
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2012
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What was at stake?
Issues in the district
Graduation rate inflation
Washoe County School District's high school graduation rates were investigated by state officials following a significant jump in 2013. The district's graduation rate jumped by four percent in 2013, which contributed to an eight-percent increase for the state graduation rate. State officials worked with the U.S. Department of Education to evaluate the district's calculation of graduation rates. This evaluation found that the district excluded high school seniors who transferred into adult education programs without earning diplomas or earned high school equivalency degrees not considered diplomas when calculating graduation rates. Federal officials asked school administrators across the country to calculate graduation rates by following each freshman class through a four-year period. This policy was not strictly followed by state education officials, who allowed districts to exclude adult education students from the four-year graduation rate. The 2013 graduate rates will not be adjusted though the addition of omitted students in 2014 will likely contribute to a drop in graduation rates.[9]
Superintendent Martinez & closed meetings
Several community efforts to recall all of the members of the board developed following controversies surrounding its dismissal and reinstatement of Superintendent Pedro Martinez. Martinez was accused of misrepresented himself as a certified public accountant, which he denied. The board relieved him of his duties, but announced the following day that he was on paid leave. Shortly after, they told him to return to work immediately. The actions came under heavy criticism, in part, due to the fact that much of the decision-making process was done in closed meetings. Some have posited that the decision violated the Open Meeting Law.[10][11][12]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the Washoe County School District election in 2014:[4]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| March 3-14, 2014 | Declarations of candidacy due |
| March 25, 2014 | Last day to withdraw candidacy |
| May 20, 2014 | Campaign finance reporting deadline |
| May 24, 2014 - June 6, 2014 | Early voting for primary election |
| June 3, 2014 | Deadline for requesting mail or absentee ballot for primary election |
| June 6, 2014 | Campaign finance reporting deadline |
| June 10, 2014 | Primary election day |
| October 14, 2014 | Campaign finance reporting deadline |
| October 18-31, 2014 | Early voting for general election |
| October 28, 2014 | Deadline for requesting mail or absentee ballot for general election |
| October 31, 2014 | Campaign finance reporting deadline |
| November 4, 2014 | General election day |
| January 15, 2015 | Campaign finance reporting deadline |
Additional elections on the ballot
The school board election shared the ballot with local, county, state and federal elections on November 4, 2014. Reno voters decided on candidates for mayor, city council and city attorney. Residents of Washoe County voted in races for county commission, district attorney, treasurer and other county executive positions. The ballot included candidates for governor, secretary of state, state treasurer and other state executive offices. Voters also chose candidates for state legislative seats. One U.S. House seat was also up for election on November 4, 2014.[13]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Washoe + County + School + District + Nevada"
See also
- Nevada
- Washoe County School District, Nevada
- Nevada school board elections, 2014
- List of school board elections in 2014
- School board elections, 2014
- Washoe County, Nevada ballot measures
- Local ballot measures, Nevada
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 United States Census Bureau, "Washoe County, Nevada," accessed April 22, 2014
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed April 22, 2014
- ↑ Washoe County Registrar of Voters, "Precincts within Districts," April 18, 2014
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Nevada Secretary of State, "Filing for Non-Judicial Office," accessed April 22, 2014
- ↑ Saake for Schools, "Saake only candidate for WCSD Trustee to receive Veterans endorsement," May 17, 2014
- ↑ Frenkel for School Board F, "Home," accessed May 28, 2014
- ↑ RGJ.com, "School board trustee John Mayer to run for re-election," February 17, 2014
- ↑ Nevada Secretary of State, "Nevada Contributions & Expenditures," accessed October 13, 2014
- ↑ Reno Gazette-Journal, "Data change could affect Washoe and Nevada graduation numbers," April 20, 2014
- ↑ RGJ, "Martinez sues Washoe County School District, trustees," July 26, 2014
- ↑ RGJ, "Reading to recalls: 10 things to watch this school year in Washoe," August 6, 2014
- ↑ RGJ, "Future of Pedro Martinez, school board unknown," August 2, 2014
- ↑ Washoe County Registrar of Voters, "2014 Offices Up for Election in Washoe County," accessed April 22, 2014
| 2014 Washoe County School District Elections | |
| Reno, Nevada | |
| Election date: | November 4, 2014 |
| Candidates: | District B: • John R. Mayer District C: • Barbara Clark • Nick Smith |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
