Anne Levis
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Anne Levis is an at-large representative on the Eugene School District school board in Oregon. First elected in 2009, Levis won a new term in the at-large general election on May 16, 2017.
This candidate participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 school board candidate survey. Click here to view her responses.
Biography
Levis' professional experience includes working at Funk/Levis & Associates, a marketing and design firm, and serving on the School of Journalism and Communications Advisory Committee at the University of Oregon. She earned her M.B.A. from the University of Oregon.[1]
Elections
2017
- See also: Eugene School District elections (2017)
Three of the seven seats on the Eugene School District school board were up for at-large general election on May 16, 2017. Position 2 incumbent Anne Levis filed for re-election and defeated challenger Maya Rabasa. Three newcomers filed for the open Position 3 seat: Mary Leighton, Judy Newman, and Jerry Rosiek, with Newman winning the seat. A single newcomer filed for and won the open Position 6 seat: Evangelina Sundgrenz.[2][3]
The Eugene school board consists of seven members elected at large to four-year terms. While elected at large, each seat on the board has a position number associated with it, and candidates apply to run for a specific position number.
Results
| Eugene School District, Position 2 General Election, 4-year term, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Anne Levis Incumbent |
62.60% | 12,761 |
| Maya Rabasa | 36.53% | 7,446 |
| Write-in votes | 0.87% | 178 |
| Total Votes | 20,385 | |
| Source: Lane County Elections, "Official Final Results," accessed June 12, 2017 | ||
Funding
The filing deadline in Oregon for a campaign transaction is typically no later than 30 calendar days. However, beginning on the 42nd day before an election day and through the date of the election, a transaction is due no later than seven calendar days after the date it occurred. The dates for the beginning and ending of the seven-day reporting period for the 2017 Oregon school board elections were:[4]
- April 4, 2017 (Seven day campaign finance reporting begins)
- May 16, 2017 (Seven day campaign finance reporting ends)
A school board candidate in Oregon must form a candidate committee unless he or she meets all of the following conditions:[5][6]
- The candidate elects to serve as his or her own treasurer.
- The candidate does not have an existing candidate committee.
- The candidate does not expect to receive or spend more than $750 during a calendar year (including personal funds).
A candidate committee must file a Statement of Organization with the Elections Division of the Oregon Secretary of State within three business days of first receiving or spending money. A form including campaign account information must accompany the Statement of Organization.[5][7]
Candidate committees that expect to receive or spend $3,500 or more in a calendar year are required to report all transactions. A committee that does not expect to receive or spend this much is still required to file a Statement of Organization and designate a campaign bank account, but does not have to file transactions. Instead, they must file a Certificate of Limited Contributions and Expenditures.[5][8]
Endorsements
Levis received official endorsements from The Register-Guard and Stand for Children.[9][10]
Campaign themes
2017
Ballotpedia survey responses
Anne Marie Levis participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of school board candidates.[11] In response to the question "What do you hope to achieve if elected to the school board?" the candidate stated on May 11, 2017:
| “ | I have been a successful and dedicated school board member for 8 years (two terms). I would like to work on several key things in a third term: school funding; evaluation of a new bond; renewal of our local option levy (brings in $12M to the district each year); student achievement and equity in our district. I am a passionate advocate for public schools and have extensive experience and expertise that I would like to bring to the board in my third term. I hope the voters will re-elect me to the 4J District in Position #2.[12][13] | ” |
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues based on how they should be prioritized by the school board, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. Each ranking could only be used once.
| Education policy |
|---|
 |
Click here to learn more about education policy in Oregon. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Improving relations with teachers | |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| “ | I don't have further comments I would like to make.[13] | ” |
| —Anne Marie Levis (May 11, 2017) | ||
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer eight questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are highlighted in blue and followed by the candidate's responses. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions. The candidate was also provided space to elaborate on their answers to the multiple choice questions.
| Should new charter schools be approved in your district? (Not all school boards are empowered to approve charter schools. In those cases, the candidate was directed to answer the question as if the school board were able to do so.) |
|---|
| Yes. I think there is a balance between neighborhood schools, magnet programs (such as immersion programs) and charter schools. Our district has several innovative charter schools who work really well in our district. I have been very interested in some of the innovation that happens in our charter schools. One of our charter schools has done some innovative work regarding school food. I think we can learn from having charter schools as a part of our district. |
| Which statement best describes the ideal relationship between the state government and the school board? The state should always defer to school board decisions, defer to school board decisions in most cases, be involved in the district routinely or only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. |
| The state should defer to school board decisions in most cases. |
| Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement? |
| No. I think there is a role for testing in our schools. I do not know if the current standardized tests are reaching the mark on this. They are too time consuming and the data is given to our teachers at a time that isn't useful to them in helping with student achievement. |
| How should the district handle underperforming teachers? Terminate their contract before any damage is done to students, offer additional training options, put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve or set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district? |
| Offer additional training options. Offer additional training options. Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district. |
| Should teachers receive merit pay? |
| No. I don't know on this question so I am answering "no". I am not comfortable answering such a vague question. |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| No. I am not a fan of voucher system. I believe this will dismantle our public schools. |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| It should be used as a last resort to issues with students. We are working (and I support these efforts) to avoid expulsion and find other remedies to student problems. |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| Teachers I think the most important factor is the teacher/student relationship. Relationships cannot happen without our teachers. I would say a close second would be the student-teacher ratio because it is difficult, if not impossible, to have a good relationship with very large class sizes. Our district is suffering because of budget issues, but I believe that our teachers are the core to success in the classroom. |
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Anne Marie Levis for 4J School Board, "Biography," accessed May 3, 2017
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "Lane County, Oregon Unofficial Special Election," accessed May 17, 2017
- ↑ Lane County, "May 16, 2017 Special Election," accessed March 22, 2017
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "Oregon Elections Calendar," accessed April 17, 2017
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Oregon Secretary of State, "Campaign Finance Manual - 2014," accessed January 13, 2014
- ↑ Oregon Revised Statutes, "Chapter 260, Section 043," accessed January 13, 2014
- ↑ Oregon Revised Statutes, "Chapter 260, Section 039," accessed January 13, 2014
- ↑ Oregon Revised Statutes, "Chapter 260, Section 057," accessed January 13, 2014
- ↑ The Register-Guard, "Eugene School Board: Levis," April 27, 2017
- ↑ Stand for Children, "School Board Endorsements 2017," accessed May 15, 2017
- ↑ Note: The candidate's answers have been reproduced here verbatim without edits or corrections by Ballotpedia.
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2017, "Anne Marie Levis's responses," May 11, 2017
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
| Eugene School District elections in 2017 | |
| Lane County, Oregon | |
| Election date: | May 16, 2017 |
| Candidates: | Position 2: Incumbent, Anne Levis • Maya Rabasa Position 3: Mary Leighton • Judy Newman • Jerry Rosiek |
| Important information: | What was at stake? |
