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Bismarck Public Schools elections (2016)
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Two of the five seats on the Bismarck Public Schools school board were up for at-large general election on June 14, 2016.[1] In their bids for re-election, incumbents Heide Delorme and Lawrence King ran against challenger Rick Geloff.[2][3] Delorme won re-election, but Geloff defeated King for a seat on the board.[4]
Though this race attracted fewer candidates per seat than school board elections across the state attracted in 2014, it had the opportunity to elect the same percentage of newcomers to the board. To see other ways this election compared to past elections in the district and the state, see the "Election trends" section below.
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The Bismarck School Board consists of five members elected at large to four-year terms. Elections are held on a staggered basis every even-numbered year in June. Three seats were up for election on June 10, 2014, and two seats were up for election on June 14, 2016. There was no primary election.[1][3][5]
To get on the ballot, school board candidates had to live in the school district and be qualified electors in the state.[6] They also had to file their candidacy documents with the school district business manager by April 11, 2016.[1]
Residents of the district did not have to register to vote in this election as North Dakota did not have a formal voter registration process.[7] Photo identification was not required to vote in this election.[8]
Candidates and results
At-large
Results
| Bismarck Public Schools, At-Large General Election, 4-Year Term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Heide Delorme Incumbent |
35.07% | 8,096 |
| Rick Geloff |
32.88% | 7,591 |
| Lawrence King Incumbent | 31.71% | 7,321 |
| Write-in votes | 0.34% | 78 |
| Total Votes | 23,086 | |
| Source: North Dakota Secretary of State, "Official Results Primary Election - June 14, 2016: Bismarck Public School Dist. 1 Election Results," accessed June 28, 2016 | ||
Candidates
Heide Delorme 
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Lawrence King | Rick Geloff
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: North Dakota elections, 2016
The Bismarck Public Schools election shared the ballot with primary elections for a seat on the U.S. Senate, the District 8, 28, 30, and 32 seats on the North Dakota State Senate, the District 8, 28, 30, and 32 seats on the North Dakota House of Representatives, and the state offices of governor, treasurer, and auditor. It also shared the ballot with elections for county and city offices.[2]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the Bismarck Public Schools election in 2016:[1]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| April 11, 2016 | Candidate filing deadline |
| June 14, 2016 | Election day |
| June 30, 2016 | Board members take office |
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
School board candidates were not required to file campaign finance reports under the North Dakota Century Code.[9]
Past elections
Information about earlier elections can be found by clicking [show] at the right. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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2014
2012Lawrence King and Heide Delorme won board seats without opposition in the general election on June 12, 2012.[10] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
What was at stake?
2016
Issues in the state
State to write new standards, move away from Common Core
- See also: Common Core State Standards Initiative
On May 3, 2016, North Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction Kirsten Baesler announced the state would be writing its own standards in order to replace Common Core standards, which the state implemented in 2010. The new standards were written over the 2016-2017 school year in order to implement them for the 2017-2018 school year.
“We will create a set of standards by North Dakotans for North Dakotans,” Baesler said a press conference. “These standards will set clear and high expectations for all students.”
The Common Core standards were used through the 2016-2017 school year, and the Smarter Balanced standardized tests were used to assess students in the spring of 2017. After that, the state switched to a test more in line with the new standards.
In 2015, the North Dakota State Legislature unsuccessfully tried to break ties with the Smarter Balanced Testing Consortium, and the state's use of Common Core standards received backlash from lawmakers and parents. With a number of state officials up for election in 2016, the backlash from Common Core fired up again. Baesler said it had become apparent that it was time to start writing new standards. She also said that the introduction of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which replaced the No Child Left Behind Act in December 2015, made it an opportune time to write new standards.[11]
Baesler announced that she had approved the state's new standards in April 2017. They took effect for the 2017-2018 school year.[12]
Election trends
- See also: School board elections, 2014
Fewer candidates ran per seat on the ballot in the Bismarck Public Schools 2016 school board election compared to the district's 2014 election. In 2016, three candidates ran for two seats (1.5 candidates per seat), and in 2014, six candidates ran for three seats (two candidates per seat). The average number of candidates running in the district's 2014 race was lower than the statewide average that year. Overall in 2014, North Dakota's largest school districts saw an average of 2.13 candidates run per seat up for election.
One new member was elected to the board in the district's 2016 election. One new member also joined the board in 2014, which accounted for 33.33 percent of the seats. Statewide in 2014, newcomers won 50 percent of the seats up for election.
There were no unopposed seats in the district's 2014 or 2016 elections. This matched the state's 2014 trend in which no school board seats were unopposed.
Candidate survey
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Ballotpedia invites school board candidates to participate in its annual survey. |
About the district
- See also: Bismarck Public Schools, North Dakota
The Bismarck Public school district is located in Bismarck, the county seat of Burleigh County, which is located in central North Dakota. Bismarck was home to 68,896 residents in 2014, according to the United States Census Bureau.[13] The district was the largest school district in the state in the 2013–2014 school year and served 12,012 students.[14]
Demographics
Bismarck outperformed North Dakota as a whole in terms of higher education achievement from 2010 to 2014. The United States Census Bureau found that 34.0 percent of city residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 27.3 percent of state residents. The median household income in Bismarck was $57,660, compared to $55,579 for the entire state. The poverty rate was 9.2 percent, compared to 11.5 percent statewide.[13]
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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 'Bismarck Public Schools' 'North Dakota'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Bismarck Public Schools | North Dakota | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Bismarck Public Schools, "2016 School Board Election Deadlines," accessed April 11, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 North Dakota Secretary of State, "2016 Primary Election Contest/Candidate List," accessed April 12, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Bismarck Public Schools, "BPS School Board," accessed April 11, 2016
- ↑ North Dakota Secretary of State, "Unofficial Results Primary Election - June 14, 2016: Bismarck Public School Dist. 1 Election Results," accessed June 14, 2016
- ↑ Bismarck Public Schools, "School Board Policy: Board Member Method of Election," accessed April 11, 2016
- ↑ North Dakota Secretary of State, "Qualifications and Terms of Office for all Elected Positions in North Dakota," accessed April 11, 2016
- ↑ North Dakota Secretary of State, "North Dakota ... The Only State Without Voter Registration," accessed June 10, 2014
- ↑ North Dakota Secretary of State, "ID Required for Voting in North Dakota," accessed April 11, 2016
- ↑ North Dakota Secretary of State, "Running for School District Office," accessed April 26, 2016
- ↑ Bismarck Public Schools, "June 25, 2012 School Board Meeting," June 25, 2012
- ↑ Bismarck Tribune, "North Dakota to write standards replacing Common Core," May 3, 2016
- ↑ Bowman County Pioneer, "Baesler Approves New North Dakota Math, English Standards," April 21, 2017
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 United States Census Bureau, "Bismarck, North Dakota," accessed April 12, 2016
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed November 16, 2015
- ↑ Burleigh County Elections, "Elections," accessed April 11, 2014
| 2016 Bismarck Public Schools Elections | |
| Burleigh County, North Dakota | |
| Election date: | June 14, 2016 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Heide Delorme • Incumbent, Lawrence King • Rick Geloff |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
