Detroit Public Schools elections (2014)
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Four seats on the Detroit Public Schools Board of Education were up for election on November 4, 2014. All four at-large positions on the board were up for election. Sixteen candidates filed for the seats including incumbents LaMar Lemmons, Reverend David Murray and Ida Carol Short. Fellow incumbent Jonathan Kinloch did not run in the election. All three incumbents who sought re-election retained their seats and Patricia Johnson Singleton won the fourth open seat.
The role these newly elected and re-elected board members would have, however, remains murky as the board remains largely stripped of its powers under the state's emergency manager law. The district has been under emergency management since 2009. The board made new efforts to remove the state-imposed emergency manager in 2014, which were dismissed in court. The board stated at that time they would continue to seek the removal of the emergency management.
About the district
- See also: Detroit Public Schools, Michigan
Detroit Public Schools is located in Wayne County, Michigan. The county seat of Wayne County is Detroit. Wayne County was home to an estimated 1,775,273 residents in 2013, according to the United States Census Bureau.[1] Detroit was the largest school district by enrollment in Michigan and served 67,064 students in the 2012-2013 school year.[2]
Demographics
Wayne County underperformed in comparison to the rest of Michigan in terms of higher education achievement in 2013. The United States Census Bureau found that 21.3 percent of Wayne County residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree compared to 25.9 percent for Michigan as a whole. The median household income in the county was $41,184 compared to $48,411 for the state. The poverty rate in Wayne County was 24.5 percent compared to 16.8 percent statewide.[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 Detroit Public Schools Board of Education is composed of 11 members elected to four-year terms. Four members are elected at-large and the other seven are elected to represent specific geographic areas. The four at-large seats were up for election in 2014. There was no primary election, and the general election was held on November 4, 2014.
School board candidates had to file with their county elections department during the candidate filing period, which ended on July 22, 2014. The deadline to withdraw was July 25, 2014. Write-in candidates had to file by October 24, 2014. To vote in the 2014 general election, voters had to register by October 6, 2014.[4]
Elections
2014
At-large
- LaMar Lemmons
- Incumbent
- Reverend David Murray
- Incumbent
- Ida Carol Short
- Incumbent
- Dennis M. Bryant
- Victor B. Gibson
- Wytrice Harris
- Arlyssa Heard
- Georgia Lemmons
- Ramon J. Patrick
- Robin Paul
- Sharon Render-Johnson
- Kerry Sanders
- Ulice Sherman Jr.
- Patricia Johnson Singleton
- Gregory White
- James W. Williams IV
- Russ Bellant - Withdrew July 25, 2014
Results
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan |  LaMar Lemmons Incumbent |
11.9% | 42,112 | |
| Nonpartisan | Reverend David Murray Incumbent |
10.8% | 38,242 | |
| Nonpartisan | Ida Carol Short Incumbent |
9.5% | 33,453 | |
| Nonpartisan | Patricia Johnson Singleton |
8.5% | 30,130 | |
| Nonpartisan | Arlyssa Heard | 7.3% | 25,959 | |
| Nonpartisan | Kerry Sanders | 7.2% | 25,514 | |
| Nonpartisan | Dennis M. Bryant | 7.1% | 24,963 | |
| Nonpartisan | Sharon Render-Johnson | 6.8% | 23,975 | |
| Nonpartisan | Victor B. Gibson | 5.2% | 18,456 | |
| Nonpartisan | Georgia Lemmons | 4.8% | 16,913 | |
| Nonpartisan | Wytrice Harris | 4.6% | 16,255 | |
| Nonpartisan | Gregory White | 4.5% | 15,952 | |
| Nonpartisan | Robin Paul | 3.2% | 11,321 | |
| Nonpartisan | Ramon J. Patrick | 3.2% | 11,175 | |
| Nonpartisan | James W. Williams IV | 2.8% | 9,984 | |
| Nonpartisan | Ulice Sherman Jr. | 1.7% | 5,844 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.9% | 3,094 | |
| Total Votes | 353,342 | |||
| Source: Wayne County Clerk, "Elections Division - Results," accessed January 5, 2015 | ||||
Funding
Candidates received a total of $15,245.20 and spent a total of $15,131.63 in the election, according to the Wayne County Clerk's Office.[5]
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| LaMar Lemmons | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Reverend David Murray | $0.00 | $0.00 | $4,086.00 |
| Ida Carol Short | $0.00 | $0.00 | $474.15 |
| Dennis M. Bryant | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Victor B. Gibson | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Wytrice Harris | $7,687.50 | $7,686.37 | $1.13 |
| Arlyssa Heard | $7,157.70 | $7,154.58 | $3.12 |
| Georgia Lemmons | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Ramon J. Patrick | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Robin Paul | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Sharon Render-Johnson | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Kerry Sanders | $400.00 | $290.68 | $109.32 |
| Patricia Johnson Singleton | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Gregory White | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| James W. Williams IV | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
What was at stake?
Seventeen candidates initially filed for just four seats on the Detroit Public Schools Board of Education in the 2014 general election. Thirteen challengers and three incumbents ultimately made it on to the ballot, which meant the board was guaranteed at least one new member. Winners in the election joined a board facing ongoing disputes over a state-mandated emergency manager.
Issues in the district
Emergency manager lawsuit
The Detroit Board of Education sought the removal of the state-imposed emergency manager for a third time in September 2014. The district had been under emergency management since 2009, which has been described as leaving the school board "essentially powerless."[6] The struggle between the board, the emergency manager and the state has been ongoing, including a lawsuit by Attorney General Bill Schuette to remove the entire board from office. While that effort failed in early 2013, better relations between the board and emergency manager have not developed.[7]
The school board had made previous challenges to the legal basis for emergency managers that failed. In September, a majority of the board believed they finally had the power to vote then-emergency manager Jack Martin. According to the emergency manager law that provided for the position, Public Act 436, a governing body can remove the emergency manager by a two-thirds vote after the manager has served for 18 months. In the resolution passed by the board to remove Martin, the board accused the state of putting the district into a deficit through poor financial decisions and by refusing to let the board take action against those decisions.[8]
The board then filed a lawsuit asking a judge to allow them to remove Martin immediately, while Martin's lawyers argued the he count not be removed until January 2015, which would be 18 months after his appointment. The school board calculated the 18 months from when PA 436 was passed. The judge gave a summary ruling and dismissed the school board's case. The board stated at the time that they would turn their focus to a pending federal court lawsuit challenging the emergency manager law on constitutional ground.[6]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the Detroit Public Schools election in 2014:[4][9]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| July 22, 2014 | Candidates nomination documents filing deadline |
| July 25, 2014 | Candidates withdrawal deadline |
| October 6, 2014 | Voter registration deadline |
| October 24, 2014 | Pre-election campaign finance report deadline |
| October 24, 2014 | Write-in candidates nomination documents filing deadline |
| November 4, 2014 | Election Day |
| December 4, 2014 | Post-election campaign finance report deadline |
Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Michigan elections, 2014
This election shared the ballot with general elections for a U.S. House seat, U.S. Senate seat, Michigan state executive offices, Michigan House of Representatives seats and Michigan State Senate seats. It also shared the ballot with county, municipal and judicial elections.
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Detroit + Public + Schools + Michigan"
See also
- Michigan
- Detroit Public Schools Community District, Michigan
- Michigan school board elections, 2014
- List of school board elections in 2014
- School board elections, 2014
- Wayne County, Michigan ballot measures
- Local ballot measures, Michigan
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 United States Census Bureau, "Wayne County, Michigan," accessed January 5, 2015
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed January 15, 2014
- ↑ Department of State, "Previous Election Information," accessed February 3, 2014
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Secretary of State - Department of State, "2014 Michigan Election Dates," accessed September 1, 2014
- ↑ Wayne County Campaign Finance Information System, "View Filed Reports Information," accessed January 5, 2015
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Detroit Free Press, "DPS board loses court battle over emergency manager," October 1, 2014
- ↑ Michigan Radio, "Michigan AG loses a bid to remove Detroit school board members," February 7, 2013
- ↑ Detroit Free Press, "DPS board votes to get rid of emergency manager," September 29, 2014
- ↑ Michigan Secretary of State, "Registration Deadlines and Election Dates 2014 Election Cycle," accessed January 5, 2015
