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Brianna Wills
Brianna Wills was a candidate for an at-large seat on the Iowa City Community School District Board of Education in Iowa. The seat was up for general election on September 8, 2015. She was defeated by LaTasha DeLoach, Phil Hemingway, Lori Roetlin and Tom Yates.[1][2]
The controversial closing of an elementary school caused district residents to question the board's 10-year facilities master plan.[3] Wills explained her opposition to amending the plan to keep the elementary school in question open.[4]
Biography
Wills has experience in fundraising and event planning. She has served as the president of the district parent's organization and president of the PTA at Hoover Elementary. Wills obtained her bachelor's degree in communications and political science from the University of Alabama.[5]
Elections
2015
Five of the seven seats on the Iowa City Community School District Board of Education were up for election on September 8, 2015. Four seats have a four-year term, and one seat has a two-year term. All seats on the board of education represent the district at-large.
The candidates for the four-year term seats were LaTasha DeLoach, Shawn Eyestone, Todd Fanning, Phil Hemingway, Jason Lewis, Brian Richman, Lori Roetlin, Lucas Van Orden, Brianna Wills and Tom Yates. Incumbents Patti Fields, Jeff McGinness, Marla Swesey and Orville Townsend did not run for re-election. DeLoach, Hemingway, Roetlin and Yates defeated Eyestone, Fanning, Lewis, Richman Van Orden and Wills for the four seats.[1]
Board member Tuyet Baruah resigned from the board leaving an open seat with a two-year term. The candidates for the vacant seat were Christopher Liebig, Paul Roesler and Megan Schwalm. Liebig defeated Roesler and Schwalm for the seat.[1][6][7]
Results
This election was held September 8, 2015.
| Iowa City Community School District, At-Large, 4-Year Term, General Election, 2015 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 LaTasha DeLoach |
17.5% | 4,316 |
| Phil Hemingway |
14.1% | 3,469 |
| Tom Yates |
13.8% | 3,403 |
| Lori Roetlin |
12.5% | 3,065 |
| Brian Richman | 10.6% | 2,598 |
| Jason Lewis | 10.3% | 2,538 |
| Todd Fanning | 7.5% | 1,833 |
| Brianna Wills | 6.4% | 1,574 |
| Shawn Eyestone | 5.4% | 1,337 |
| Lucas Van Orden | 1.9% | 469 |
| Total Votes | 24,602 | |
| Source: Johnson County Auditor's Office, "School Election Results," accessed November 12, 2015 | ||
Funding
Wills reported $3,310.00 in contributions and $1,543.56 in expenditures to the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board, which left her campaign with $1,766.44 on hand in the election.[8]
Endorsements
Wills received no official endorsements during the election.
Campaign themes
2015
Position on school closing
The advocacy group Save Hoover asked each candidate, "If you are elected, will you support amending the long-term facilities plan to keep Hoover Elementary School open?" Wills gave the following response:
| “ | My husband and I have been actively involved in the community as PTA President, District Wide Parents’ Organization Representative, Box Top Coordinator, Presenters at Family Enrichments Night, Talent Show, T-Shirt coordinator, etc. and we care deeply for the children and families at Hoover. As a Hoover parent for the last four years, and with four kids at Hoover this year, I have been immersed in the Hoover closure question from the very beginning. I have questioned, discussed and agonized over this decision. In fact, two of my children will be attending during the closure so the closure directly impacts my family. Regardless, I still believe the closure is the right thing to do. I fully support the Master Facility Plan as it currently stands and would not support over-turning the Hoover closure.[9] | ” |
| —Briana Wills, [10] | ||
Campaign website
Wills' campaign website highlighted the following campaign themes for 2015:
Accountability and Transparency
| “ | With careful financial management and constructive oversight, the board can build trust within the district through financial stewardship as we complete new buildings, renovations, employ scrupulous budgeting practices, and deliver on-time projects.[9] | ” |
| —Brianna Wills' campaign website, (2015), [11] | ||
Collaboration
| “ | Improve the efficacy of board meetings. Increase participation to engage a broader number of district patrons. Collaborate with municipalities in visible ways to achieve goals related to facilities, city planning for future growth, transportation issues, and student safety.[9] | ” |
| —Brianna Wills' campaign website, (2015), [11] | ||
Student/Staff/Teacher Growth and Achievement
| “ | Using the Teacher Leadership Grant and Leadership for Student Learning programs, the board can help create high expectations for all children with a focus on results. Professional development for teachers must be relevant and must include technical training. The board must empower the superintendent and building administrators to effectively work with teachers -- our education experts! The board must be willing to make tough decisions to ensure any reform programs to increase this achievement are fully funded and implemented. The board must advocate for district goals in a data-driven capacity, and should work to unite parents, teachers, staff and the community on the goal of high achievement for all students.[9] | ” |
| —Brianna Wills' campaign website, (2015), [11] | ||
General Obligation Bond Plan, 2017
| “ | We’re all in this together. It is essential to support plans to update our existing structures and build new space for our growing district. It will be important to convey the GO bond's impact to all constituents and all municipalities.[9] | ” |
| —Brianna Wills' campaign website, (2015), [11] | ||
The 10 Year Master Facilities Plan: The Next 5 Years (2023-2028)
| “ | Using a data-driven methodology, it will be critical to observe and update our Facilities Master Plan on an ongoing basis, and to continue to add planning years into the plan.[9] | ” |
| —Brianna Wills' campaign website, (2015), [11] | ||
Eye on the Iowa Legislature
| “ | Board members are unique stakeholders and voices in the political system. The board should continue to voice education policy and advocate in the legislature for adequate funding, allowing our district to set high expectations. We must keep an eye on closing the education/wealth gaps, retain teachers, improve programming, and ultimately elevate all students in the state of Iowa.[9] | ” |
| —Brianna Wills' campaign website, (2015), [11] | ||
What was at stake?
2015
Five seats were up for election in 2015. Four of the seats came with a four-year term, while one seat had a two-year term. Thirteen candidates ran for the five seats, and no incumbents ran for re-election. Five new members joined the seven-member board.
The 10-year facilities master plan was an ongoing topic for candidates. The closing of a local elementary school was the most controversial aspect of the master plan, and many citizens are calling for alterations to the plan to keep the school open.[3]
Issues in the district
| Position on amending facilities plan to keep Hoover Elementary open[4] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Click on the candidates' answer to see their full statement regarding the issue. | ||
| Candidate | Position | |
| Four-year term candidates | ||
| LaTasha DeLoach | Oppose | |
| Shawn Eyestone | Oppose | |
| Todd Fanning | Oppose | |
| Phil Hemingway | Support | |
| Brian Richman | Support | |
| Lori Roetlin | Oppose | |
| Lucas Van Orden | Oppose | |
| Brianna Wills | Oppose | |
| Tom Yates | Support | |
| Two-year term candidates | ||
| Christopher Liebig | Support | |
| Paul Roesler | Oppose | |
| Megan Schwalm | Oppose | |
Controversial closing of elementary school
In 2013, the Iowa City Board of Education decided on a 10-year facilities master plan that included the closing of Hoover Elementary School. The school was located in the middle of a mixed-income, residential area. Hoover is set to close after the 2018-2019 school year.
The 2013 facilities master plan called for a new Hoover Elementary School to be finished in 2017. At that time, the new school building will be used as a transition school and house students from other areas while other new elementary schools are being built. In 2019, it would open as a traditional school for the students that previously occupied Hoover Elementary. The plan called for the building to be located further away from the current location at the center of the community.
The advocacy group Save Hoover, spearheaded by candidate Christopher Liebig, raised over $4,000 and collected 800 names on a petition opposing the school closing as of July 2015. Opponents of the school closing felt that the school is essential to the community, and the district did not fully explained the reason for closing it. Residents became more aware of the issue as the closing date of the school drew nearer.[12]
| “ | I think the top concern is retaining the current quality of the Hoover teachers. Giving teachers the incentive to stay, as long as Hoover is open.[9] | ” |
| —Melanie Sigafoose, past president, Hoover PTA, [3] | ||
School board president Chris Lynch responded to concerns that moving schools like Hoover Elementary away from the center of Iowa City would discourage growth in the inner city. He stated that the idea of schools encouraging sprawl on the outskirts of the city is not necessarily true. He reiterated the district's commitment to the core of Iowa City.[3]
| “ | You’ve never seen an investment like right now. You’ve never seen a school board commit to more investment in inner Iowa City than this school board right now. There’s no reason that the schools on the outside of town need to take away from the schools on the inside of town, if we can drive growth across the district.[9] | ” |
| —Chris Lynch, school board president (2015), [3] | ||
Yates, Hemingway, Richman and Liebig are in favor of altering the current facilities plan to keep Hoover Elementary open. DeLoach, Fanning, Lewis, Roetlin, Van Orden, Wills, Roesler and Schwalm support the facilities master plan as it is.[4]
The new school construction, as well as other renovations in the facilities master plan, could be part of a possible bond package that is expected to be presented in 2017.[3][13]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Brianna Wills Iowa City Community School District. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Iowa City Community School District, Iowa
- Iowa City Community School District elections (2015)
- Newcomers and incumbents share the victories in Iowa's largest school district elections (September 9, 2015)
- Analysis of incumbency advantage in the 2014 school board elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Johnson County Auditor's Office, "School Election Results," accessed September 8, 2015
- ↑ Johnson County, Iowa, "September 8, 2015 School Election," accessed August 3, 2015
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 KCRG, "Hoover Elementary parents seek more information on reasons for closing school," June 17, 2015
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Save Hoover, "Compilation: The School Board Candidates Respond to the Hoover Question," August 16, 2015
- ↑ Brianna Wills School Board 2015, "About Me," accessed August 20, 2015
- ↑ Johnson County, Iowa, "September 8, 2015 School Election," accessed August 3, 2015
- ↑ Iowa City Community School District, "School Board Members," accessed June 23, 2015
- ↑ Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board, "IECDB State/Local Campaign Disclosure Reports," accessed February 2, 2016
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 9.8 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Save Hoover, "Compilation: The School Board Candidates Respond to the Hoover Question," August 16, 2015
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 Brianna Wills for ICCSD, "2015 Platform," accessed August 20, 2015
- ↑ Save Hoover, "Mid-summer campaign update," July 13, 2015
- ↑ The Gazette, "Iowa City school district changes Hoover plan, updates facilities timeline," March 28 ,2015
| 2015 Iowa City Community School District Elections | |
| Johnson County, Iowa | |
| Election date: | September 8, 2015 |
| Candidates: | At-large (four-year term): • LaTasha DeLoach • Shawn Eyestone • Todd Fanning • Phil Hemingway • Jason Lewis • Brian Richman • Lori Roetlin • Lucas Van Orden • Brianna Wills • Tom Yates At-large (two-year term): • Christopher Liebig • Paul Roesler • Megan Schwalm |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
