Brenda Wilson
Brenda Wilson was a candidate for the District 3 seat on the Peoria Public Schools District 150 Board of Education in Illinois. She ran for a four-year term in the general election on April 7, 2015.[1] She lost the election.[2]
Biography
Wilson works as a substitute teacher in the Peoria Public Schools District 150. She has previously worked as a sales manager, a catering director, an executive assistant and a project director. She also served in the Illinois Air National Guard from 1993 to 2001. She has been involved with the organizations District 150 Parents as Leaders and the Junior League of Peoria. She is also a volunteer Bible teacher and mentor at Redeemer Lutheran Church. Wilson earned her bachelor's degree in business communications and human relations from Western Illinois University. She and her husband have two children.[3]
Elections
2015
Two of the seven seats on the Peoria Public Schools District 150 Board of Education were up for general election on April 7, 2015. Both seats represented District 3. One was an unexpired four-year term, and the other was a full five-year term.
The seats of District 3 incumbents Jon Bateman and Chris Crawford were on the ballot. Bateman ran for re-election to a four-year term after getting appointed in August 2014. He faced three challengers, Ernestine Jackson, Daniel Walther and Brenda Wilson. Jackson defeated Bateman to win the four-year term. Crawford did not file to run for re-election, leaving five challengers, Dan Adler, Jeffrey R. Campbell, Josh Haywood, Phil Romanus and Terry Spayer, to run for the open five-year term. Adler was elected to the seat.
Results
| Peoria Public Schools District 150, District 3 Special Election, 4-year term, 2015 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Ernestine Jackson |
34.5% | 1,933 | |
| Nonpartisan | Brenda Wilson | 23.2% | 1,303 | |
| Nonpartisan | Daniel Walther | 28.2% | 1,582 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jon Bateman Incumbent | 14.1% | 788 | |
| Total Votes | 5,606 | |||
| Source: Peoria County Clerk, "Cumulative Report — Official," accessed April 28, 2015, Peoria Election Commission, "04/07/15 Official Cumulative," accessed April 28, 2015 | ||||
Funding
School board candidates in Illinois are only required to file campaign finance reports if they accept contributions or make expenditures in excess of $5,000 in a 12-month period.[4]
Wilson reported no contributions or expenditures to the Illinois State Board of Elections in this election.[5]
Endorsements
Wilson was endorsed by the Business Pac of Central Illinois.[6]
Campaign themes
2015
Wilson highlighted the following issues on her campaign website:
| “ | My top 3 priorities are:
Dysfunctional Culture. Under our current leadership, I have watched the dynamic of our school district go from bad to worse in the last 5 school years. As a substitute teacher, I get the honor of seeing things from a fresh & unique perspective. I teach Kindergarten through 12th grade in all of the schools in Peoria. Through the abrupt shuffling of Principals throughout Dr. Lathan’s time in Peoria, I can see a major difference in the dynamic of the buildings as it takes away the sense of community & support. Principals establish a bond with their staff as well as the families of the students. That sense of community is what makes a school successful. Honoring a system where we shuffle principals from school to school is a costly mistake. In our current conditions, I see teachers paralyzed by fear on a regular basis. They are afraid to speak their mind about the state of our school district because of repercussion from the Superintendent. Those who don’t stay quiet may not get fired, but the transfer for “Administrative reasons” is quite common. Teaching in fear directly affects the students. Parents who do not feel a sense of community are leaving the district. I personally know of 24 families that live within a 1-mile radius of my home who left District 150 in 2014. We truly need a change of Superintendent as well as turnover of our high-level central administration. This is not happening under the leadership of our current school board.
Inconsistent Discipline. This has been a huge problem in recent years with the turnover of Principals. I see buildings running smoothly one school year, that turn to chaos the following year after a change in leadership. The bonds I mentioned above are extremely important between the students and the Principal. When students know that they are going to be held accountable, they maintain better manners in the classroom, which directly affects the learning environment. It is impossible to teach or learn in chaos. I regret to tell you that discipline is handled differently all over the district. I have noticed in some schools that I am to “buddy” a child up with another teacher instead of sending the misbehaved child to the office. I can only guess that this will somehow make our suspension rates decrease. Another thing I see happening is children being bribed with candy. I have observed students misbehave because they know they will receive candy from their Principal if they are sent to the office. One of the things that upset me most is the repeat offenders getting away with the same behaviors month after month with zero repercussions. Kids who disrupt the learning environment need to be removed from the classroom so the other students can learn something. We should have an I.S.S. (In school suspension) room set up in every school. We also need to use the alternative schools more effectively. Kids need to know that when they enter a district 150 school they will be held to a high standard of behavior to better themselves and get an education.
Parent & Community Involvement. Schools are more successful when parents are volunteering. It does take a village. Principal, teachers, staff, students & parents are what make a school successful. The schools I work in with the worst behavior almost always have uninvolved parents. Some of our schools don’t even have a Parent/Teacher Committee. If we can get the parents to step up in every school, I think it is a step in a positive direction. I also believe that we need to build bridges with organizations and businesses in the community. District 150 is known for not being collaborative, and we need to change that. [7] |
” |
| —Brenda Wilson's campaign website (2015)[8] | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Brenda Wilson Peoria Public Schools District 150. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Peoria Public Schools District 150, Illinois
- Peoria Public Schools District 150 elections (2015)
- Hot tub Gatorade, turnout in Peoria and the Wisconsin state budget... (April 8, 2015)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Peoria County Clerk, "School Board and Regional Board of School Trustees Candidate Filings," accessed January 20, 2015
- ↑ Peoria County Clerk, "Cumulative Report — Official," accessed April 7, 2015
- ↑ Peoria Journal Star, "Nine candidates seeking two District 150 school board seats," March 26, 2015
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "A Guide to Campaign Disclosure," accessed March 31, 2015
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Candidate Disclosure Search," accessed April 3, 2015
- ↑ Business Pac of Central Illinois, "Promoting Those Who Promote Business," accessed March 26, 2015
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Brenda Wilson for Peoria School Board, "FAQ," accessed March 26, 2015
| 2015 Peoria Public Schools District 150 Elections | |
| Peoria County, Illinois | |
| Election date: | April 7, 2015 |
| Candidates: | District 3 four-year term: • Incumbent, Jon Bateman • Ernestine Jackson • Daniel Walther • Brenda Wilson District 3 five-year term: • Dan Adler • Jeffrey R. Campbell • Josh Haywood • Phil Romanus • Terry Spayer |
| Important information: | Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
