Brad Stratton
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Brad Stratton is the at-large Position 7 representative on the Shawnee Mission School District Board of Education in Kansas. He won election to the board in the general election on April 7, 2015. Stratton participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 survey of school board candidates.
Stratton was a candidate for Ward 3 representative on the Overland Park City Council, but lost to Donna M. Owens in the general election on April 5, 2005.
Biography
Stratton is the president and CEO of Overland Park Wealth Management. He has worked in financial services since 1987. He earned his B.S. in business administration from Emporia State University after attending St. Olaf College for two years. He graduated from Wausau East High School.[1][2]
Stratton moved to the district in 1987. He is married, and his children attended district schools. He has served on the SMSD Advisory Board, the Brookwood Education Fund, the Shawnee Mission Education Fund Board, SMSD Committee for Excellence and The East Fund.[1]
Elections
2015
Four seats were up for election on April 7, 2015. Position 1 incumbent Sara Goodburn defeated challenger Mark Ellis.[3] Position 7 incumbent Joan Leavens was the only incumbent not to file for the election. Elizabeth Rulo and Brad Stratton ran for the open at-large seat which Stratton won.[3] Position 3 incumbent Deb Zila and Position 5 incumbent Patty Mach won re-election unopposed.[3]
Results
| Shawnee Mission School District, At-Large Position 7 General Election, 4-year term, 2015 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Brad Stratton |
65.5% | 9,604 | |
| Nonpartisan | Elizabeth Rulo | 33% | 4,830 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 1.5% | 218 | |
| Total Votes | 14,652 | |||
| Source: Johnson County Election Office, "Election Summary Report 2015 Spring General," April 13, 2015 | ||||
Funding
Stratton reported $5,070.00 in contributions and $3,107.67 in expenditures to the Johnson County Election Office, which left his campaign with $1,962.33 in cash on hand in this election.[4]
Endorsements
Stratton was endorsed by MainPAC, NEA-Shawnee Mission and The Kansas City Star.[5][6][7]
Campaign themes
2015
Ballotpedia survey responses
Stratton participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 survey of school board candidates. The following sections display his responses to the survey questions. When asked what his top priority would be if elected, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | The Shawnee Mission School District has delivered excellent learning and education to students for many decades. My priority is to see that the district is moving forward, staying ahead of the curve and not resting on past successes. Additionally, I will work toward fostering a culture of effective and efficient delivery of top quality education through a combination of high quality educators and state of the art technology.[8] | ” |
| —Brad Stratton (2015)[9] | ||
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues by importance in the school district, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. This table displays this candidate's rankings from most to least important:
| Education policy |
|---|
 |
Click here to learn more about education policy in Kansas. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Improving college readiness | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Expanding career-technical education | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer 10 questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are in the left column and the candidate's responses are in the right column of the following table:
| Question | Response |
|---|---|
| "Already in place - review regularly for modifications and improvements" | |
| "No." | |
| "No." | |
| "Consistent achievement standards are important across districts and states." | |
| "To continue to maintain and improve the standard and specialized curriculum from special education to accelerated and gifted programs, all student needs should be addressed." | |
| "Expulsion should be used for serious offenses to ensure the safety of other students as well as the integrity of education at district schools." | |
| "Supportive services are currently available for all students in need with academic counseling. Resources from the district can be directed to the students at all schools that need assistance. The "schools" are not what will be considered as failing but the achievement of the students in the school is what is to be the focus." | |
| "I support pay programs that reward overall achievement by the students in a school and in the district but not for singling out teachers in a building." | |
| "Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district." | |
| "Community and patron involvement is what makes Shawnee Mission School District a top district in the state and the country. I will look to develop ways to further involve parents such as a district-wide committee system." |
Campaign website
Stratton listed the following priorities on his campaign website:
| “ |
|
” |
| —Brad Stratton's campaign website (2015)[1] | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Brad Stratton Shawnee Mission School District. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Shawnee Mission School District, Kansas
- Shawnee Mission School District elections (2015)
- Hot tub Gatorade, turnout in Peoria and the Wisconsin state budget... (April 8, 2015)
External links
- Shawnee Mission School District
- Office website
- Campaign website
- Facebook campaign page
- LinkedIn profile
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Brad Stratton for SMSD School Board, "About," accessed February 12, 2015
- ↑ LinkedIn, "Brad Stratton," accessed February 12, 2015
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Johnson County Election Office, "Candidates - Spring 2015 Unofficial Listing," accessed January 28, 2015
- ↑ Johnson County Elections Office, "Campaign & Committee Reports," accessed June 1, 2015
- ↑ MainePAC, "MainPAC Endorsements," accessed March 25, 2015
- ↑ NEA-Shawnee Mission, "Network," March 6, 2015
- ↑ The Kansas City Star, "Editorial: Strong school leaders needed in stormy times," March 24, 2015
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2015, "Brad Stratton's responses," February 16, 2015
| 2015 Shawnee Mission School District Elections | |
| Johnson County, Kansas | |
| Election date: | April 7, 2015 |
| Candidates: | Position 1: • Incumbent, Sara Goodburn • Mark Ellis
Position 3: • Incumbent, Deb Zila
|
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
