Billings Public Schools elections (2017)
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Three of nine seats on the Billings Public Schools board of trustees in Montana were up for by-district general election on May 2, 2017. The candidates in all three races were unopposed. Due to the lack of opposition the election was canceled, and the three candides were automatically elected. Incumbent Tanya Ludwig filed for re-election in District 1, and incumbent Janna Hafer filed for re-election in District 2. The High School District B incumbent chose not to file for re-election, and newcomer Russell Hall ran for the open seat.[1]
In addition to voting in the school board election, voters also decided on $2.56 million in tax levies. The $1.36 million elementary school levy passed with 15,152 votes for (50.87 percent) and 14,635 (49.13 percent) against the proposal. The $1.2 million high school tax levy was rejected by a margin of 354 votes—17,610 votes in favor of the levy and 17,964 votes against it.[2] To read more about the levies, please click here.
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The Billings board of trustees consists of nine members elected to three-year terms by district. Three seats were up for general election in May 2016, and three seats were up for general election on May 6, 2017.
School board candidates had to file with their county elections department during the candidate filing period, which began on December 8, 2016, and ended on March 23, 2017. In order to run for a position on the board, candidates had to be registered voters. Candidates also must have resided in the district for which they are running for at least one year prior to their declaration of candidacy. To vote in the 2017 general election, residents had to register by April 3, 2017.[3] For information on voter identification laws in Montana, please click here.
Candidates and results
District 1
Results
Due to lack of opposition the election was canceled, and incumbent Tanya Ludwig was automatically re-elected.
Candidates
Tanya Ludwig 
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District 2
Results
Due to lack of opposition the election was canceled, and incumbent Janna Hafer was automatically re-elected.
Candidates
| Janna Hafer
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High School District B
Results
Due to lack of opposition the election was canceled, and newcomer Russell Hall was automatically elected.
Candidates
| Russell Hall
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Montana elections, 2017
The Billings board of trustees election shared the ballot with a request for $2.56 million in tax levies.
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for this Montana school board election in 2017:[4]
| Deadline | Event |
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| March 23, 2017 | Candidate filing deadline |
| April 3, 2017 | Close of voter registration |
| April 9, 2017 | Deadline for write-in candidates to file Declaration of Intent |
| April 12, 2017 | Absentee ballots available (walk-in only) |
| April 14, 2017 | Absentee ballots mailed |
| May 2, 2017 | General election day |
Endorsements
Do you know of an official or organization that endorsed a candidate in this race? Let Ballotpedia know by email at editor@ballotpedia.org.
Campaign finance
There were four campaign finance deadlines for this Montana school board election in 2017:[5]
- The Pre-Primary/Date of first contribution report was due on March 28, 2017,
- The Pre-General Election report was due on April 20, 2017,
- A 48-hour report was due on April 30, 2017, for any candidate that received a contribution of $100 or more from a single source between April 15, 2017, and May 2, 2017, and
- The Post-Election report was due on May 22, 2017.
Past elections
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2016
District 3Due to lack of opposition this election was canceled, and incumbent Greta Besch Moen was automatically re-elected. District 5Due to lack of opposition this election was canceled, and incumbent Rob Rogers was automatically re-elected. District 7Due to lack of opposition this election was canceled, and newcomer Joseph Oravecz was automatically elected. 2015
District 4Incumbent Joseph Raffiani ran unopposed and won the District 4 seat by default. District 5Incumbent Rob Rogers ran unopposed and won the District 5 seat with an unexpired one-year term by default. District 6Newcomer Mike Leo ran unopposed and won the District 6 seat by default. High School District A
2014
District 1Due to lack of opposition this election was canceled, and Tanya Ludwig was automatically elected.
District 2
High School District B
2013District 3
District 5
District 7
2012District 4
District 6
High School District A
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What was at stake?
Issues in the election
District sought $2.56 million in tax levies
The Billings board of trustees election shared the ballot with two tax levy requests in 2017. The district sought $1.36 million in tax levies at the elementary school level and $1.2 million in tax levies at the high school level.
The elementary school levy passed with 15,152 votes for (50.87 percent) and 14,635 (49.13 percent) against the proposal. The high school tax levy was rejected by a margin of 354 votes—17,610 votes in favor of the levy and 17,964 votes against it.[2] The last elementary school levy passed by Billings voters was on the ballot in 2013, and the last time a high school levy passed in Billings was in 2007.[6][7]
Since only the elementary tax levy passed, the tax impact per $100,000 of property value was $9.32 per year. If the high school tax levy had passed, the tax impact per $100,000 of property value would have been $6.08 per year.[7]
The school district listed the following initiatives as targets of funding from one, or both, tax levies:[6]
- Replace worn or out-of-date textbooks
- Expand the district's career center to offer vocational education to freshman and sophomore students
- Expand the district's dual credit and Advanced Placement offerings
- Hire additional counselors and social workers
- Provide support for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs in all district elementary schools
Report a story for this election
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Candidate survey
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About the district
- See also: Billings Public Schools, Montana
Billings Public Schools is located in south-central Montana in Yellowstone County. The county seat is Billings. Billings was home to an estimated 110,263 residents between 2010 and 2015, according to the United States Census Bureau.[8] The district was the largest school district in the state in the 2014-2015 school year and served 11,348 students.[9]
Demographics
Billings outperformed compared to Montana as a whole in terms of higher education attainment between 2011 and 2015. The Census Bureau found that 30.7 percent of city residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 29.5 percent for all state residents. The median household income in Billings was $51,012, compared to $47,169 for Montana as a whole. The city's poverty rate was 12.8 percent, while it was 14.6 percent statewide.[8]
| Racial Demographics, 2010[8] | ||
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| Race | Billings (%) | Montana (%) |
| White | 89.6 | 89.4 |
| Black or African American | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 4.4 | 6.3 |
| Asian | 0.7 | 0.6 |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Two or More Races | 2.9 | 2.5 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 5.2 | 2.9 |
As of April 14, 2017, the United States Census Bureau had not reported demographic data for the city of Billings past 2010.
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 Billings Public Schools Montana election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Billings Public Schools | Montana | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Yellowstone County, MT, "Election Candidates: School District #2," accessed March 24, 2017
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Billings Public Schools, "Regular Board Meeting," May 15, 2017
- ↑ Yellowstone County, Montana, "Election Candidates & Filing Information," accessed April 14, 2017
- ↑ Yellowstone County, Montana "2017 Election Dates & Filing Information," accessed April 14, 2017
- ↑ Commissioner of Political Practices, "Candidate Finance Report Calendar 2017," accessed April 14, 2017
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Billings Public Schools, "Levy Elections: May 2, 2017," accessed April 24, 2017
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 KTVQ, "Billings School District 2 makes final levy pitch as mail ballots arrive to voters," April 19, 2017
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 United States Census Bureau, "QuickFacts: Billings city, Montana," accessed April 14, 2017
- ↑ U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, "Common Core of Data, file ccd_lea_052_1414_w_0216161a, 2014-2015," accessed November 16, 2016
| Billings Public Schools elections in 2017 | |
| Yellowstone County, Montana | |
| Election date: | May 2, 2017 |
| Candidates: | District 1: Incumbent, Tanya Ludwig District 2: Incumbent, Janna Hafer |
| Important information: | What was at stake? |
