El Paso Independent School District elections (2015)

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2015 El Paso Independent School District Elections

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General Election date:
May 9, 2015
Table of Contents
About the district
Method of election
Elections
What was at stake?
Key deadlines
Additional elections
External links
See also
Texas
El Paso Independent School District
El Paso County, Texas ballot measures
Local ballot measures, Texas

Three seats on the El Paso Independent School District Board of Trustees were up for general election on May 9, 2015.

In 2013, Texas Education Commissioner Michael Williams announced that he was appointing a board of managers to oversee the district over the next two years as a result of a cheating scandal involving former Superintendent Lorenzo García. The incident marked the first time in Texas history that a commissioner removed power from the board of a large urban district. The three new board members elected in May 2015 joined the four members elected in 2013, who, as a result of the appointment, have not yet exercised any authority and were never sworn-in. The current board of managers will remain in place until the new members are sworn in. None of the incumbents in Districts 2, 6 and 7, Isela Castanon-Williams, David Dodge or Patty Hughes, respectively, filed for re-election. Since none of the incumbents who ran for re-election in 2013 were successful, that means El Paso ISD has a completely new board.

Both the District 2 and District 6 races featured three candidates. Luis Humberto De La Cruz, Maria Mayela Sanchez Serrano and Alfonso Velarde competed for the District 2 seat, while Timothy Dean Martin, Trent Kay Hatch and Alejandro Patino faced off in District 6. The District 7 race had a larger field with four candidates: Dori Lane Fenenbock, Diane Marie Flores, Michael Izquierdo and Andres Muro.[1] Velarde, Hatch and Fenenbock won the three seats.

## Contents

* 1 About the district
* 1.1 Demographics
* 2 Voter and candidate information
* 3 Elections
* 3.1 2015
* 3.1.1 Candidates
* 4 District 2
* 5 District 6
* 6 District 7
* 7 District maps
* 7.1 Election results
* 7.1.1 District 2
* 7.1.2 District 6
* 7.1.3 District 7
* 7.2 Endorsements
* 7.3 Campaign finance
* 7.3.1 Major donors
* 7.4 Past elections
* 7.4.1 2013
* 7.5 Key deadlines
* 7.6 Additional elections on the ballot
* 7.7 Recent news
* 7.8 See also
* 7.9 External links
* 7.10 Footnotes

## About the district[edit]

See also: El Paso Independent School District, Texas

El Paso Independent School District is located in El Paso County, Texas.

El Paso Independent School District is located in El Paso County, Texas. The county seat of El Paso County is El Paso. El Paso County was home to an estimated 827,718 residents in 2013, according to the United States Census Bureau.[2] El Paso Independent School District was the 11th-largest school district in Texas, serving 64,214 students during the 2011-2012 school year.[3]

### Demographics[edit]

El Paso County underperformed in comparison to the rest of Texas in terms of higher education achievement in 2013. The United States Census Bureau found that 20.7 percent of El Paso County residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 26.7 percent for the state as a whole. The median household income in El Paso County was $40,157 , compared to $51,900 statewide. The poverty rate in El Paso County was 23.3 percent, compared to 17.6 percent for the entire state.[2]

|  Racial Demographics, 2013[2]

Race  | El Paso County (%)  | Texas (%)
White | 92.2 | 80.3
Black or African American | 4.0 | 12.4
American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.0 | 1.0
Asian | 1.3 | 4.3
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0.2 | 0.1
Two or More Races | 1.3 | 1.8
Hispanic or Latino | 81.1 | 38.4

|  Presidential Voting Pattern,
El Paso County[4]

Year  | Democratic Vote  | Republican Vote  | Other Vote
2012 | 112,952 | 57,150 | 2,310
2008 | 122,021 | 61,783 | 1,429
2004 | 95,142 | 73,261 | 1,170
2000 | 83,848 | 57,574 | 3,620

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[edit]

The El Paso Board of Trustees consists of seven members elected by district to four-year terms. There was no primary election, and a general election took place on May 9, 2015. Three seats were on the ballot in May 2015 for Districts 2, 6 and 7.[5]

School board candidates submitted paperwork with the school district secretary by February 27, 2015. 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.[6]

## Elections[edit]

### 2015[edit]

#### Candidates[edit]

# District 2[edit]

Luis Humberto De La Cruz | Maria Mayela Sanchez Serrano | Alfonso Velarde

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* Retired sanitation director
* Veteran, U.S. Army

* Principal, San Elizario Elementary School

* Executive director, Child Crisis Center

# District 6[edit]

Timothy Dean Martin | Trent Kay Hatch | Alejandro Patino

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* Army Reserve chaplain
* Budget analyst

* General sales manager

* Security manager, 3M Edusa/Edumex
* Longtime district volunteer

# District 7[edit]

Dori Lane Fenenbock | Diane Marie Flores

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* Small business owner

* Administrator, Ysleta Independent School District

Michael Izquierdo | Andres Muro

* Executive director, El Paso County's Council of Judges

* Administrator, El Paso Community College

# District maps[edit]

District 2

District 6

District 7

#### Election results[edit]

##### District 2[edit]

El Paso Independent School District,
District 2 General Election, 4-year term, 2015

Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes
| Nonpartisan  | Alfonso Velarde | 67.5% | 1,522
| Nonpartisan  |  Maria Mayela Serrano | 23% | 519
| Nonpartisan  |  Luis Humberto De La Cruz | 9.5% | 214
Total Votes | 2,255
Source: El Paso County Elections, "Final Election Results," accessed May 26, 2015

##### District 6[edit]

El Paso Independent School District,
District 6 General Election, 4-year term, 2015

Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes
| Nonpartisan  | Trent Kay Hatch | 53.5% | 1,454
| Nonpartisan  |  Alejandro Patino | 30% | 815
| Nonpartisan  |  Timothy Dean Martin | 16.5% | 448
Total Votes | 2,717
Source: El Paso County Elections, "Final Election Results," accessed May 26, 2015

##### District 7[edit]

El Paso Independent School District,
District 7 General Election, 4-year term term, 2015

Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes
| Nonpartisan  | Dori Lane Fenenbock | 68.4% | 2,589
| Nonpartisan  |  Diane Marie Flores | 13.3% | 504
| Nonpartisan  |  Michael Izquierdo | 13.2% | 501
| Nonpartisan  |  Andres Muro | 5% | 190
Total Votes | 3,784
Source: El Paso County Elections, "Final Election Results," accessed May 26, 2015

#### Endorsements[edit]

Trent Kay Hatch, Dori Lane Fenenbock, Alejandro Patino and Alfonso Velarde were endorsed by the El Paso Federation of Teachers and Support Personnel.[7]

#### Campaign finance[edit]

See also: List of school board campaign finance deadlines in 2015

Candidates received a total of $53,820.93 and spent a total of $7,805.18 as of April 9, 2015, according to the Texas Ethics Commission.[8]

Candidate  | Receipts  | Disbursements  | Cash on hand

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|
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District 2
Luis Humberto De La Cruz | $0.00  | $0.00  | $0.00
Maria Mayela Sanchez Serrano | $150.00  | $0.00  | $150.00
Alfonso Velarde | $10,425.00  | $382.17  | $10,042.83
District 6
Timothy Dean Martin | $0.00  | $0.00  | $0.00
Trent Kay Hatch | $10,876.00  | $724.86  | $10,151.14
Alejandro Patino | $2,400.00  | $416.07  | $1,983.93
District 7
Dori Lane Fenenbock | $29,969.93  | $6,282.08  | $23,687.85
Diane Marie Flores | $0.00  | $0.00  | $0.00
Michael Izquierdo | $0.00  | $0.00  | $0.00
Andres Muro | $0.00  | $0.00  | $0.00

Texas school board candidates and officeholders must file semiannual reports, which were due on January 15, 2015, and July 15, 2015. In addition, candidates in contested elections were required to file 30-day and 8-day pre-election reports, unless the candidate chose modified reporting.[6]

Candidates in contested elections who did not intend to exceed $500 in contributions or expenditures, excepting filing fees, were eligible for modified reporting. If they exceeded the threshold before the 30th day prior to the election, candidates were required to submit the 30- and 8-day reports. If they exceeded the threshold after the 30th day prior to the election, they were required to file a report within 48 hours of exceeding the threshold and participate in regular reporting for the rest of the election cycle.[9]

##### Major donors[edit]

Several major donors contributed to the campaigns of District 2 candidate Alfonso Velarde and District 7 candidate Dori Lane Fenenbock. Current Board of Managers President Dee Margo and his wife, Tom Lea Institute Founder Adair Margo, gave $750 each to Velarde and Fenenbock. According to Margo, "it's absolutely imperative to get involved in these elections and that we elect qualified people." Area businessman Woody Hunt and McDonald's franchise owner Richard Castro also contributed to Velarde and Fenenbock, each giving Fenenbock $500 and Velarde $1,000. Fenenbock also received a $250 contribution from Executive Vice President of Hunt Companies, Joshua Hunt, and a $725 contribution from Western Refining Executive Chairman Paul Foster.[10]

### Past elections[edit]

Information about earlier elections can be found by clicking [show] at the right.

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#### 2013

| El Paso Independent School District, District 1 General Election, 4-year term, 2013

Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes
| Nonpartisan  | Bob Geske | 40.9% | 690
| Nonpartisan  |  Omar Villa  | 31.3% | 529
| Nonpartisan  |  Rocio Benedicto  | 27.8% | 469
Total Votes | 1,688
Source: El Paso County Elections, "2013 May Election," accessed February 24, 2015

El Paso Independent School District, District 3 General Election, 4-year term, 2013

Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes
| Nonpartisan  | Susie Byrd | 54% | 930
| Nonpartisan  |  Alfredo Fred Borrego  | 46% | 792
Total Votes | 1,722
Source: El Paso County Elections, "2013 May Election," accessed February 24, 2015

El Paso Independent School District, District 5 General Election, 4-year term, 2013

Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes
| Nonpartisan  | Chuck Taylor | 43.8% | 621
| Nonpartisan  |  James Lamonica  | 32.1% | 455
| Nonpartisan  |  Joel Barrios  | 14% | 198
| Nonpartisan  |  Julian Gonzalez  | 10.1% | 143
Total Votes | 1,417
Source: El Paso County Elections, "2013 May Election," accessed February 24, 2015

Note: Diane Dye ran an uncontested race for District 4.[11]

## Key deadlines[edit]

The following dates were key deadlines for the El Paso Independent School District election in 2015:[6][12]

Deadline  | Event

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December 29, 2014 | Deadline to post notice of candidate filing deadline
January 28, 2015 | First day to file for place on general election ballot
February 27, 2015 | Last day to file for place on general election ballot
March 4, 2015 | Last day to withdraw from ballot
March 10, 2015 | First day to apply for ballot by mail
April 9, 2015 | Last day for voter registration with county clerk
Campaign finance report due
April 27, 2015 | First day of early voting
April 30, 2015 | Last day to apply for ballot by mail
May 1, 2015 | Campaign finance report due
May 5, 2015 | Last day of early voting
May 9, 2015 | Election Day
May 20, 2015 | Final day for canvassing of votes
July 15, 2015 | Campaign finance report due

## Additional elections on the ballot[edit]

See also: Texas elections, 2015

The election on May 9, 2015, shared the ballot with other municipal elections in El Paso County.

## Recent news[edit]

This section links to a Google news search for the term "El + Paso + Independent + School + District + Texas"

El Paso Independent School District News Feed

## See also[edit]

El Paso Independent School District | Texas | School Boards

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* List of school districts in Texas

* Texas school board elections, 2015
* Public education in Texas
* Local ballot measures, Texas

* School board elections, 2015
* School board elections, 2014
* School board election data analysis, 2015
* School board election data analysis, 2014

## External links[edit]

| Suggest a link

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* El Paso Independent School District
* El Paso County Clerk
* El Paso County, Texas
* Texas Secretary of State

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ Lauren Dixon, "Email correspondence with El Paso ISD," March 3, 2015
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 United States Census Bureau, "El Paso County, Texas," accessed February 11, 2015
3. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed May 5, 2014
4. ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "El Paso County," accessed December 31, 2014
5. ↑ El Paso Independent School District, "Order for Election of Trustees," November 5, 2014
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Texas Ethics Commission, "2015 Filing Schedule for Elections Held on Uniform Election Dates," accessed January 21, 2015
7. ↑ El Paso Times, "EPISD candidates continue to raise big bucks," May 1, 2015
8. ↑ El Paso Independent School District, "Campaign Finance & Disclosures," accessed April 29, 2015
9. ↑ Texas Ethics Commission, "Campaign Finance Guide for Candidates and Officeholders Who File with Local Filing Authorities," September 1, 2013
10. ↑ El Paso Times, "Two EPISD candidates raise big bucks," April 9, 2015
11. ↑ El Paso Times, "EPISD elections: Bob Geske, Chuck Taylor elected," June 16, 2013
12. ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Important 2015 Election Dates," accessed January 20, 2015

2015 El Paso Independent School District Elections

El Paso County, Texas
Election date:| May 9, 2015
Candidates:| District 2: Luis Humberto De La Cruz • Maria Mayela Sanchez Serrano • Alfonso Velarde

District 6: Timothy Dean Martin • Trent Kay Hatch • Alejandro Patino

District 7: Dori Lane Fenenbock • Diane Marie Flores • Michael Izquierdo • Andres Muro
Important information:| Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot

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