Fort Bend Independent School District elections (2014)
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Three seats on the Fort Bend Board of Trustees were up for general election on May 10, 2014. Jason Burdine defeated fellow challengers Ramesh Cherivirala, Qaisar Imam and C.J. Udoagwu for the Position 1 seat. Position 4 incumbent Bruce Albright was defeated by challenger Kristin K. Tassin with Deron R. Harrington and Rodrigo Carreon placing third and fourth. Newcomer KP George defeated incumbent Patsy Taylor and fellow challenger Kris Allfrey in the Position 5 race.
About the district
Fort Bend Independent School District is located in Sugar Land, a city in Fort Bend County, Texas. According to the United States Census Bureau, Sugar Land is home to 82,480 residents.[1] Fort Bend Independent School District was the seventh-largest school district in Texas, serving 69,449 students during the 2011-2012 school year.[2]
Demographics
Sugar Land outperformed the rest of Texas in terms of higher education achievement in 2010. The United States Census Bureau found that 53.8 percent of Sugar Land residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree compared to 26.3 percent for Texas as a whole. The median household income in Sugar Land was $107,149 compared to $51,563 for the state of Texas. The poverty rate in Sugar Land was 4.4 percent compared to 17.4 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 Fort Bend Board of Trustees consists of seven members elected to three-year terms. The board includes three residents of the city's east side, three residents of the city's west side and one residents from any location in the district. Each member represents the entire district. There was no primary election and a general election took place on May 10, 2014. Two seats will be on the ballot in May 2015 and two seats will be up for election in May 2016.[4]
Candidates for the Board of Trustees submitted paperwork with the school district secretary by February 28, 2014. Each candidate must be at least 18 years old, a registered voter and a resident of the district for at least six months. Members filed two campaign finance reports with the district clerk prior to the election unless they did not receive or spend $500 during the campaign.[4]
Elections
2014
Candidates
Position 1
- Jason Burdine
- Graduate, Texas A&M University
- Investment consultant
- Ramesh Cherivirala
- Graduate, Osmania University
- Partner, New York Life Insurance Company
- Qaisar Imam
- Graduate, The College of Wooster
- Project management consultant
- C.J. Udoagwu
- Graduate, University of Houston and University of Houston-Victoria
- Educator
Position 4
- Bruce Albright
- Incumbent
- Graduate, University of Central Florida
- Internet sales manager, Helfman Ford
- Rodrigo Carreon
- Graduate, Alvin Community College
- Self-employed electrician
- Deron R. Harrington
- Graduate, Oklahoma State University and South Texas College of Law
- Attorney and certified public accountant
- Veteran, U.S. Army
- Kristin K. Tassin
- Graduate, Louisiana State University Law Center
- Lawyer, Dry & Tassin, PLLC
- Co-founder, Father's Joy
Position 5
- Kris Allfrey
- Owner, The Legal Wizards, Inc.
- Veteran, U.S. Army
- KP George
- Independent financial planner
- Patsy Taylor
- Incumbent
- Program specialist, Texas Health & Human Services Commission
District map
Election results
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan |  Jason Burdine |
39.5% | 4,855 | |
| Nonpartisan | Qaisar Imam | 28.2% | 3,470 | |
| Nonpartisan | Ramesh Cherivirala | 24.7% | 3,042 | |
| Nonpartisan | C.J. Udoagwu | 7.5% | 925 | |
| Total Votes | 12,292 | |||
| Source: Fort Bend County Elections, "Official Results," May 21, 2014 | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Kristin K. Tassin |
41.1% | 4,848 | |
| Nonpartisan | Bruce Albright Incumbent | 30.8% | 3,637 | |
| Nonpartisan | Deron R. Harrington | 22.3% | 2,634 | |
| Nonpartisan | Rodrigo Carreon | 5.8% | 683 | |
| Total Votes | 11,802 | |||
| Source: Fort Bend County Elections, "Official Results," May 21, 2014 | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | KP George |
36.7% | 4,188 | |
| Nonpartisan | Patsy Taylor Incumbent | 35.3% | 4,036 | |
| Nonpartisan | Kris Allfrey | 28% | 3,203 | |
| Total Votes | 11,427 | |||
| Source: Fort Bend County Elections, "Official Results," May 21, 2014 | ||||
Endorsements
Outgoing Position 1 member Susan Hohnbaum endorsed Ramesh Cherivirala in the 2014 election.[5]
Campaign finance
Candidates received a total of $46,887.11 and spent a total of $42,523.62, according to the district office.[6]
In the Position 1 race, candidates raised a total of $34,005.00 and spent a total of $23,545.90.
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jason Burdine | $4,950.00 | $5,359.71 | -$409.71 |
| Ramesh Cherivirala | $7,620.00 | $4,805.79 | $2,814.21 |
| Qaisar Imam | $13,435.00 | $5,739.83 | $7,695.17 |
| C.J. Udoagwu | $8,000.00 | $7,640.57 | $360.43 |
In the Position 4 race, candidates raised a total of $11,782.11 and spent a total of $15,583.73.
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bruce Albright | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Rodrigo Carreon | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Deron R. Harrington | $8,750.00 | $8,026.45 | $723.55 |
| Kristin K. Tassin | $3,032.11 | $7,557.28 | -$4,525.17 |
In the Position 5 race, candidates raised a total of $1,000.00 and spent a total of $3,393.99.
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kris Allfrey | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| KP George | $1,100.00 | $3,393.99 | -$2,293.99 |
| Patsy Taylor | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Past elections
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2013
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What was at stake?
Issues in the election
Accusations of campaign sign stealing
Position 5 candidate Kris Allfrey filed a complaint with the Meadows Place police accusing Position 4 incumbent Bruce Albright of stealing his campaign signs. Allfrey discovered that campaign signs placed on the property of a local Ford dealership were stolen twice prior to the election. He placed a camera on a tree near the property to gather evidence against the sign thief. Allfrey's police complaint included photos of Albright removing the signs from Helfman Ford's property. Albright responded that he removed the signs because Allfrey did not have permission to place the signs on private property. Local police are investigating the case as of May 8, 2014.[7]
Candidate criticisms on Facebook
The FBISD Concerns page on Facebook developed into an open forum for criticisms against several board candidates. The page is operated by district residents and not affiliated with the district. Position 4 candidate Kristin K. Tassin faced criticism for conducting an interview with the local Fox TV station as a representative of the district's steering committee. Critics noted that district policy prevents candidates from representing the district in public. Tassin countered that she was selected due to scheduling conflicts by other committee members. She also noted that she did not claim to represent the district and provided answers based on her committee experience. Kris Allfrey also questioned Bruce Albright's military service after a dispute with an Albright supporter. Allfrey posted documents detailing his service in the U.S. Army and Albright did not respond prior to the election.[8]
April 27 candidate forum
The Fort Bend Voter Forum hosted a candidate forum at Sienna Branch Library on April 27, 2014. Here are highlights from the forum detailed by district:[9]
Position 1
Ramesh Cherivirala, Qaisar Imam and C.J. Udoagwu participated in the April 27 forum. Cherivirala stated that the biggest issue facing the district is the significant growth in enrollment. He argued that community members will need to work with board members to find a middle ground on bonds, rezoning and other growth-related issues. Imam noted that board members and the community will need to exhibit patience as the district's continued growth will strain resources in the future. Udoagwu cited teacher recruitment and retention as an important issue for district schools. He suggested that the district needs to offer salaries competitive with neighboring districts and hire teaching aides across the district.[9]
Position 4
Bruce Albright, Rodrigo Carreon and Kristin K. Tassin participated in the April 27 forum. Albright, Carreon and Tassin discussed the emphasis in district classrooms on state assessments. Albright and Tassin stated that too much weight was placed on state assessments when determining the success of students and teachers. Carreon argued that students weren't learning enough ahead of state assessments and teachers should assign more homework to improve assessment scores.[9]
Position 5
KP George and Patsy Taylor participated in the April 27 forum. George and Taylor agreed that the district should not solely focus on college preparedness in developing curriculum. George argued that students who weren't prepared for college or didn't want four-year degrees should be taught life skills necessary for employment after graduation. Taylor advocated for inclusion of associate degree courses into the district's high schools to prepare graduates for future employment opportunities.[9]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the Fort Bend Independent School District election in 2014:[4]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| January 29, 2014 | First day to file paperwork for ballot placement |
| February 28, 2014 | Last day to file paperwork for ballot placement |
| March 5, 2014 | Last day to withdraw from ballot |
| April 10, 2014 | Due date for first campaign finance report |
| April 10, 2014 | Last day for voter registration with county clerk |
| May 1, 2014 | Last day to request mailed ballot from county clerk |
| May 2, 2014 | Due date for second campaign finance report |
| May 10, 2014 | Election day |
| May 21, 2014 | Final day for canvassing of votes |
| July 15, 2014 | Last campaign finance report for election |
Additional elections on the ballot
The Fort Bend Board of Trustees election shared the ballot with elections for mayor and two seats on the Sugar Land City Council.[10]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Fort + Bend + Independent + School + District"
See also
- Texas
- Fort Bend Independent School District, Texas
- Texas school board elections, 2014
- List of school board elections in 2014
- School board elections, 2014
- Fort Bend County, Texas ballot measures
- Local ballot measures, Texas
External links
- Fort Bend Independent School District
- Sugar Land, Texas
- Fort Bend County Elections
- FBISD Concerns page
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 United States Census Bureau, "Sugar Land, Texas," accessed February 21, 2014
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed May 1, 2014
- ↑ Fort Bend County Elections, "Election Results," accessed February 21, 2014
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Fort Bend Independent School District, "Board of Trustee Elections," accessed February 21, 2014
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through e-mail from Ramesh Cherivirala on March 3, 2014
- ↑ Fort Bend Independent School District, "Board Elections," accessed April 15, 2014
- ↑ KHOU, "Ft. Bend ISD board member accused of stealing political signs," May 5, 2014
- ↑ Fort Bend Star, "Fort Bend ISD school board campaign turns up the heat," accessed May 1, 2014
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Your Houston News, "District’s future discussed at FBISD school board candidate forum," April 29, 2014
- ↑ City of Sugar Land, "City Officers' Election May 2014," December 16, 2013
| 2014 Fort Bend Independent School District Elections | |
| Sugar Land, Texas | |
| Election date: | May 10, 2014 |
| Candidates: | Position 1: • Jason Burdine • Ramesh Cherivirala • Qaisar Imam • C.J. Udoagwu Position 4: • Bruce Albright • Rodrigo Carreon • Deron R. Harrington • Kristin K. Tassin |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
