Beloit School District elections (2016)
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Four of the seven seats on the Beloit School District school board were up for general election on April 5, 2016. The seats of incumbents John Acomb, Shannon Scharmer, John Winkelmann and Laurie Endres were up for election. Scharmer and Endres filed for re-election and four other candidates joined them in the race to fill the seats: Kris Klobucar, Jennifer Long, Shelly Cronin and Pam Charles.[1] Scharmer was successful in her bid for re-election, while Endres was not. Klobucar, Charles, and Cronin won the remaining seats on the board. Because Cronin was the fourth-highest vote recipient, she filled a one-year term to serve out a vacancy on the board.[2]
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The Beloit School Board consists of seven at-large members elected to three-year terms. The board members elect a president, vice president, clerk and treasurer annually.[3]
To be eligible to join the board, candidates must reside in the boundaries of the school district for 28 days prior to the filing of a "Declaration of Candidacy" form. Furthermore, at the time of taking office, each candidate must be a resident of the apportioned area he or she is elected to represent.[4] Candidates must also be 18 years old and citizens of the United States. Unless pardoned, those who have been convicted of a felony are not eligible for election to office in Wisconsin.[5]
Candidates had until January 5, 2016, to collect between 20 and 100 signatures for their nomination papers. The signatures had to come from residents of the district where the candidate sought election, but the petition circulators were not required to reside in the district or municipality. Circulators were required to be U.S. citizens and 18 years or older.[6] There was no primary election, and the general election for four seats was held April 5, 2016.
Candidates and results
At-large
Results
| Beloit School District, At-Large General and Special Elections, 3- and 1-year terms, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Kris Klobucar |
22.10% | 4,475 |
| Pam Charles |
19.84% | 4,017 |
| Shannon Scharmer Incumbent |
15.71% | 3,180 |
| Shelly Cronin |
15.46% | 3,131 |
| Laurie Endres Incumbent | 14.13% | 2,860 |
| Jennifer Long | 12.57% | 2,546 |
| Write-in votes | 0.28% | 57 |
| Total Votes (100) | 20,266 | |
| Source: Rock County Board of Elections, "Election Results - April 5, 2016 Final Results," accessed June 15, 2016 | ||
Candidates
| Laurie Endres | Shannon Scharmer 
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Pam Charles
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| Shelly Cronin
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Kris Klobucar
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Jennifer Long | |||
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Additional elections
- See also: Wisconsin elections, 2016
The Beloit School District election shared the ballot with the state's presidential preference vote.[7] County residents also elected municipal offices, county board supervisors and judicial offices including Rock County Circuit Court Branch 2, Wisconsin judicial elections, 2016 Court of Appeals District IV and Justice of the Supreme Court.[8]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for Wisconsin school board elections in 2016:[9]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| January 5, 2016 | Candidate filing deadline |
| January 26, 2016 | Referendum submission deadline |
| March 28, 2016 | Pre-general election campaign finance deadline |
| April 5, 2016 | Election Day |
| April 25, 2016 | Board members take office |
| July 15, 2016 | Post-election campaign finance deadline |
Endorsements
Shelly Cronin, Laurie Endres, Kris Klobucar, and Shannon Scharmer were endorsed by the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO and Local 95.[10][11]
Campaign finance
School board candidates
Candidates were only required to file campaign finance reports if they accepted contributions, made disbursements or incurred obligations in an aggregate amount of more than $2,000 in a calendar year. [12] The pre-general election campaign finance deadline was on March 28, 2016.
Past elections
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2015
At-large
2014
2013
2012
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What was at stake?
2016
Issues in the election
Responding to the racial gap
With Wisconsin ranking worst in the country for black-white racial gaps in testing, graduation rates and other criteria, Beloit looked for ways to reduce these differences.[13] According to test results released in October 2015 by the National Assessment of Educational Progress, the state had the worst achievement gap in the nation in fourth and eighth grade reading between black and white students. The difference between white and black graduation rates was also large; according to early data from the U.S. Department of Education, the rate for white students in 2013-2014 was just under 93 percent, while for black students it was 66 percent.[13]
Among ways in which the district responded was the implementation of student performance data in order to set specific gap-closing goals in the areas of math and reading.[14] Beloit also trained teachers, principals, and support staff in "culturally responsive teaching practices" and actively recruited staff from historically black colleges and universities. Additionally, the district hoped to launch the Grow Your Own Program which would establish a scholarship fund for minorities.[13][14]
Candidate survey
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About the district
- See also: Beloit School District, Wisconsin
The Beloit School District is located in Rock County in southern Wisconsin. The county seat is Janesville. Rock County was home to 161,188 residents in 2014, according to the United States Census Bureau.[15] The district was the 18th-largest school district in the state in the 2013–2014 school year and served 7,116 students.[16]
Demographics
Higher education achievement
Rock County underperformed in comparison to the rest of Wisconsin in terms of higher education achievement from 2009 to 2013. The United States Census Bureau found that 19.4 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 26.8 percent for the state as a whole.[15]
Median household income
Between 2009 and 2013, the median household income in Rock County was $49,435. At the same time, the median household income for Wisconsin as a whole was $52,413, and for the entire United States it was $53,046.[15][17]
Poverty rate
The poverty rate in Rock County was 14.3 percent from 2009 to 2013, while it was 13.0 percent statewide.[15] During that same time period, the poverty rate for the country as a whole was 15.4 percent.[17]
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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.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Beloit School District' 'Wisconsin'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Beloit School District | Wisconsin | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Beloit Daily News Connection, "Field of six will contest four Beloit school seats," January 6, 2016
- ↑ School District of Beloit, "Board of Education," accessed February 5, 2016
- ↑ Beloit School District, "141.1 Board Officer Elections," accessed January 11, 2016
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Wisconsin Candidate Eligibility," accessed September 22, 2014
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Candidates: Getting on the Ballot," accessed September 22, 2014
- ↑ Wisconsin State Legislature, "State Statutes: CHAPTER 8," accessed September 22, 2014
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "2016 Spring Election and Presidential Preference Vote," accessed January 12, 2016
- ↑ Rock County, Wisconsin, "Election Information," accessed January 26, 2016
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Campaign Finance Report Dates 2016, 2017 and 2018," accessed January 25, 2016
- ↑ Wisconsin State AFL-CIO, "2016 Spring Election Candidate Endorsements," accessed March 23, 2016
- ↑ Local 95, "Spring 2016 endorsements," accessed March 23, 2016
- ↑ Wisconsin State Legislature, "11.0104 Reporting exemptions: limited activity," accessed January 26, 2016
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 LaCrosse Tribune, "Wisconsin’s black-white achievement gap worst in nation despite decades of efforts," accessed January 27, 2016
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Beloit Daily News Connection, "Wisconsin looks for ways to respond," accessed January 27, 2016
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 United States Census Bureau, "Rock County, Wisconsin," accessed November 16, 2015
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed November 16, 2015
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 United States Census Bureau, "State & County QuickFacts: USA," accessed July 6, 2015
- ↑ Government Accountability Board, "Wisconsin Election Results," accessed January 28, 2014
| 2016 Beloit School District Elections | |
| Election date: | April 5, 2016 |
| Candidates: | At-large: Incumbent, Shannon Scharmer • Incumbent, Laurie Endres • Kris Klobucar • Jennifer Long • Shelly Cronin • Pam Charles |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines |
