← 2014
Gaston County Schools Elections
General election date:
November 8, 2016
Enrollment (13–14):
31,256 students

Four of the nine seats on the Gaston County Schools school board were up for general election on November 8, 2016. One seat was up for at-large election and three seats were up for by-district election. In his bid for re-election to the at-large seat, board incumbent Jeff Ramsey was joined by newcomer Rebecca Schwindeman. Ramsey successfully defended his spot on the board. Terry Usery and David (Brent) Moore filed for the Cherryville Township and the Crownders Mountain Township seats, respectively, and both newcomers ran unopposed and were elected. Incumbent Dot Guthrie filed for re-election to the Gastonia Township seat defeated newcomer Mike Stuart.^[1][2]

Since incumbents Kenneth Lutz, Jr. and William Marcus Upchurch, Sr. did not file for re-election, two newcomers were guaranteed to join the board. There was no primary.

Elections[edit]

Voter and candidate information[edit]

The Gaston County Schools school board consists of nine members elected to four-year terms. Seven members are elected by geographic electoral districts and two are elected at large. The filing deadline to get on the ballot was July 29, 2016. There was a general election on November 8, 2016.

Candidates and results[edit]

At-Large[edit]

Results[edit]

Gaston County Schools, At-Large General Election, 4-year term, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Jeff Ramsey Incumbent	63.71%	44,542
Rebecca Schwindeman	35.66%	24,927
Write-in votes	0.63%	441
Total Votes (100)		69,910
Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Official General Election Results-Gaston," accessed December 5, 2016

Candidates[edit]

Jeff Ramsey		Rebecca Schwindeman
	Incumbent

Cherryville Township[edit]

Results[edit]

Gaston County Schools, Cherryville Township General Election, 4-year term, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Terry Usery  (unopposed)	98.80%	62,024
Write-in votes	1.2%	755
Total Votes (100)		62,779
Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Official General Election Results-Gaston," accessed December 5, 2016

Candidates[edit]

Terry Usery

Crownders Mountain Township[edit]

Results[edit]

Gaston County Schools, Crownders Mountain Township General Election, 4-year term, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
David W. Moore  (unopposed)	99.07%	57,063
Write-in votes	0.93%	538
Total Votes (100)		57,601
Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Official General Election Results-Gaston," accessed December 5, 2016

Candidates[edit]

David (Brent) Moore

Gastonia Township[edit]

Results[edit]

Gaston County Schools, Gastonia Township General Election, 4-year term, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Dot Guthrie Incumbent	59.75%	46,219
Mike Stuart	39.77%	30,761
Write-in votes	0.48%	371
Total Votes (100)		77,351
Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Official General Election Results-Gaston," accessed December 5, 2016

Candidates[edit]

Dot Guthrie		Mike Stuart
	Incumbent

Additional elections on the ballot[edit]

See also: North Carolina elections, 2016

The following offices shared primary, general or both election dates with the school board elections in Gaston County:

Note: The date for North Carolina's congressional primary was June 7, 2016. This primary was originally scheduled for March 15, 2016.

Key deadlines[edit]

^[3]

Endorsements[edit]

Do you know of an official or organization that endorsed a candidate in this race? Let Ballotpedia know by email at elections@ballotpedia.org.

Campaign finance[edit]

No candidate in this election filed a campaign finance report with the Gaston County Board of Elections as of November 3, 2016.^[4]

See also: List of school board campaign finance deadlines in 2016

School board candidates in North Carolina were required to file campaign finance reports to their county's board of elections unless the candidate:

(1) Did not receive more than one thousand dollars ($1,000) in contributions, and

(2) Did not receive more than one thousand dollars ($1,000) in loans, and

(3) Did not spend more than one thousand dollars ($1,000).^[5]

The third quarter campaign finance deadline was October 31, 2016, and the fourth quarter deadline was January 11, 2017.^[6]

Past elections[edit]

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

2014 Gaston County Schools, At-Large General Election, 4-year term, 2014 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Nonpartisan Dot Cherry 51.5% 23,808      Nonpartisan Jerry J. Bostic 25.8% 11,950      Nonpartisan Rebecca Abernethy Schwindeman 14.9% 6,901      Nonpartisan Nick Huffman 7.4% 3,411      Nonpartisan Write-in votes 0.4% 197 Total Votes 46,267 Source: North Carolina Board of Elections, "2014 General Election Results," accessed December 30, 2014 Gaston County Schools, Southpoint District General Election, 4-year term, 2014 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Nonpartisan Chris Howell Incumbent 53.1% 21,579      Nonpartisan Wil Neumann 32.2% 13,080      Nonpartisan Rae Marie Pritchard 14.5% 5,880      Nonpartisan Write-in votes 0.3% 134 Total Votes 40,673 Source: North Carolina Board of Elections, "2014 General Election Results," accessed December 30, 2014 Gaston County Schools, Gastonia District General Election, 4-year term, 2014 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Nonpartisan Lee Dedmon 47.1% 21,308      Nonpartisan Mark A. Stephens Incumbent 40% 18,076      Nonpartisan Daniel Ware 12.6% 5,696      Nonpartisan Write-in votes 0.3% 117 Total Votes 45,197 Source: North Carolina Board of Elections, "2014 General Election Results," accessed December 30, 2014 Gaston County Schools, Riverbend District General Election, 4-year term, 2014 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Nonpartisan Kevin Collier Incumbent 99.2% 32,838      Nonpartisan Write-in votes 0.8% 275 Total Votes 33,113 Source: North Carolina Board of Elections, "2014 General Election Results," accessed December 30, 2014 Gaston County Schools, Dallas Township District General Election, 4-year term, 2014 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Nonpartisan Catherine Bailey Roberts 53.9% 22,590      Nonpartisan Kaye Gribble Incumbent 45.8% 19,164      Nonpartisan Write-in votes 0.3% 123 Total Votes 41,877 Source: North Carolina Board of Elections, "2014 General Election Results," accessed December 30, 2014 2012 Gaston County Schools, At-Large General Election, 4-year term, 2012 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Nonpartisan Jeff K. Ramsey 62.1% 37,667      Nonpartisan Josh Helms 37.1% 22,484      Nonpartisan Write-in votes 0.8% 488 Total Votes 60,639 Source: Gaston County Board of Elections, "Election Results 2012," accessed August 14, 2014 Gaston County Schools, Cherryville TownshipGeneral Election, 4-year term, 2012 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Nonpartisan Mark Upchurch, Sr. 98.6% 46,938      Nonpartisan Write-in votes 1.4% 675 Total Votes 47,613 Source: Gaston County Board of Elections, "Election Results 2012," accessed August 14, 2014 Gaston County Schools, Crowders Mountain Township General Election, 4-year term, 2012 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Nonpartisan Kenny Lutz 43% 24,726      Nonpartisan Nick Huffman 35.3% 20,258      Nonpartisan James Davison 21.2% 12,172      Nonpartisan Write-in votes 0.5% 305 Total Votes 57,461 Source: Gaston County Board of Elections, "Election Results 2012," accessed August 14, 2014 Gaston County Schools, Gastonia Township General Election, 4-year term, 2012 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Nonpartisan Dot Guthrie 39.5% 26,852      Nonpartisan Jerry J. Bostic 34.8% 23,630      Nonpartisan Alfred C. Current III 25.4% 17,288      Nonpartisan Write-in votes 0.3% 214 Total Votes 67,984 Source: Gaston County Board of Elections, "Election Results 2012," accessed August 14, 2014 Gaston County Schools, At-Large General Election, 2-year term, 2012 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Nonpartisan Chris Howell 42.3% 23,826      Nonpartisan Dot Cherry-Accurso 30.8% 17,345      Nonpartisan Donyel Barber 26.5% 14,918      Nonpartisan Write-in votes 0.5% 270 Total Votes 56,359 Source: Gaston County Board of Elections, "Election Results 2012," accessed August 14, 2014

What was at stake?[edit]

Report a story for this election[edit]

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Candidate survey[edit]

2016[edit]

Issues in the district[edit]

Transgender bathroom law[edit]

North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory (R)

North Carolina passed the Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act (HB 2) which stated that individuals in government-operated facilities had to use the bathroom that corresponds with the gender stated on their birth certificate on March 23, 2016. The law was passed by the legislature in a one-day special session and was signed into law that night by Governor Pat McCrory (R). The bill reversed an earlier ruling that allowed transgender individuals to use the restroom of their preference, and it offset local ordinances in the state that let transgender citizens do so.^[7]

On March 30, 2017, the North Carolina State Legislature approved and Gov. Roy Cooper (D) signed a repeal of HB 2. HB 142 repealed HB 2 but created a three-year moratorium on local anti-discrimination ordinances and prohibited local ordinances related to bathroom access.^[8] The state house approved HB 142 by a 70-48 vote and the state senate voted 32-16 to pass the measure.^[9]

HB 2's effect on NC school districts[edit]

When HB 2 was signed into law, many school districts in the state struggled to formulate a response, especially since Title IX prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex. North Carolina school districts were unsure of how to balance these two laws. In the Wake County Public School System, Wake County sheriff Donnie Harrison said he would consider pulling deputies out of schools if the district did not decide on a consistent transgender bathroom policy. Harrison said the district did not have a uniform policy on the use of bathrooms by transgender students, which was causing confusion and unease among parents.^[10][11]

According to Lisa Luten, a Wake County Public School System spokesperson, transgender student issues with bathrooms and locker rooms were handled on a case-by-case basis. "No child has ever been at risk based on how we have handled this issue,” Luten said. “Because this issue is still being debated in federal courts, the school system is unable to create a formal policy.”^[10] (Note: The court ruling on HB 2 was made on March 30, 2017.) The district's superintendent James Merrill said that transgender bathroom questions ought to be addressed by administrators rather than student resource officers. According to Nathan Smith, the director of public policy for the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network, the consequence is that many schools decide their transgender bathroom policies on a case-by-case basis, leading to conflicting rules between school campuses.^[10][12]

Backlash[edit]

On July 21, 2016, the NBA announced it planned to move its All-Star Game from Charlotte, North Carolina, which was scheduled to be held there in 2017. According to the Charlotte Observer, this decision would cost the city approximately $100 million. On September 12, 2016, the NCAA moved seven championships that were scheduled to be held in the state during the 2016-2017 school year. Two days later, the Atlantic Coast Conference made a similar decision, revealing it planned to move the men's football championship game scheduled for December 2016 from Charlotte.

About the district[edit]

See also: Gaston County Schools, North Carolina

Gaston County Schools is located in Gaston County, North Carolina.

Gaston County Schools is located in the county of the same name in North Carolina. The county seat is Gastonia. Gaston County was home to 213,442 residents between 2010 and 2015, according to the United States Census Bureau.^[13] The district was the ninth-largest school district in the state in the 2013–2014 school year and served 31,256 students.^[14]

Demographics[edit]

Gaston County underperformed in comparison to North Carolina as a whole in terms of higher education attainment from 2010 to 2014. The United States Census Bureau found that 18.5 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree or higher, compared to 27.8 percent for state residents. The median household income in the county was $42,158, compared to $46,693 for the state. County residents lived below the poverty level at a rate of 16.7 percent, compared to a rate of 17.2 percent for state residents.^[13]

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.

Recent news[edit]

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Gaston County Schools' 'North Carolina'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

See also[edit]

Gaston County Schools	North Carolina	School Boards
Gaston County Schools elections (2014) List of school districts in North Carolina	North Carolina school board elections, 2016 Public education in North Carolina Local ballot measures, North Carolina	School board elections, 2016 School board elections, 2015

External links[edit]

• Gaston County Schools
• Gaston County Supervisor of Elections

Footnotes[edit]

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