Cedar Rapids Community School District elections (2013)
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Cedar Rapids Community School District |
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Three seats on the Board of Education for the Cedar Rapids Community School District were up for election on September 10, 2013. Seats up for election covered Districts 2 and 3 as well as one at-large seat.
Issues that faced the Cedar Rapids Community School District included reduced state funding and a pattern of decreased enrollment over the previous five years.
About the district
Cedar Rapids is the county seat of Linn County, which is located in eastern Iowa. The city’s population is 126,326, according to the United States Census Bureau.[1]
Demographics
Cedar Rapids outperformed the rest of Iowa based on median income and higher education achievement while underperforming the state poverty rate. The 2010 United States Census found that the median household income in Cedar Rapids was $51,108 compared to $50,451 for Iowa. The percentage of residents over 25 years old with undergraduate degrees was higher in Cedar Rapids (29.6%) than Iowa (24.9%). Cedar Rapids had a higher poverty rate at 12.6% than the 11.9% rate for the entire state.[1]
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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.
Method of board member selection
The Cedar Rapids Board of Education consists of seven members elected to four-year terms. Three members of the board are at-large members while four members represent specific geographic districts. There was no primary election and the general election was held on September 10, 2013. One at-large seat and seats for Districts 2 and 3 were on the ballot in 2013. Two at-large seats and seats in Districts 1 and 4 were on the ballot on September 8, 2015.
Individuals interested in running for the board began circulating nominating petitions on July 8, 2013. The filing deadline for the 2013 general election was August 1, 2013 and candidates had until August 6, 2013 to officially withdraw from the ballot. Each candidate had to file nomination petitions with at least 50 valid signatures to the board secretary.[3]
Elections
2013
Candidates
At-large
- Gary Anhalt
- Incumbent
- Graduate, Winona State University
- Retired teacher
District 2
- Nancy Humbles
- Incumbent
- Graduate, University of Northern Iowa and University of Iowa
- Director, University of Iowa Center for Diversity & Enrichment
District 3
- Keith Westercamp
- Graduate, Iowa State University and University of Iowa
- Owner, Appraisal Associates Company
- Lawrence Wenclawski
- Graduate, University of Illinois-Chicago
- Software developer
Election results
| Cedar Rapids Community School District, At-Large General Election, 4-year term, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Gary Anhalt Incumbent |
95.9% | 2,747 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 4.1% | 117 | |
| Total Votes | 2,864 | |||
| Source: Linn County Election Services, "Official Summary Report," September 13, 2013 | ||||
| Cedar Rapids Community School District, District 2 General Election, 4-year term, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Nancy Humbles Incumbent |
96.3% | 2,632 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 3.7% | 100 | |
| Total Votes | 2,732 | |||
| Source: Linn County Election Services, "Official Summary Report," September 13, 2013 | ||||
| Cedar Rapids Community School District, District 3 General Election, 4-year term, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Keith Westercamp Incumbent |
64.7% | 2,178 | |
| Nonpartisan | Lawrence Wenclawski | 33.9% | 1,142 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 1.3% | 44 | |
| Total Votes | 3,364 | |||
| Source: Linn County Election Services, "Official Summary Report," September 13, 2013 | ||||
Endorsements
On September 7, 2013, The Gazette endorsed incumbent Keith Westercamp in the September 10, 2013 board election.[4]
2011
| Cedar Rapids Community School District, District 1 General Election, 4-year term, 2011 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Mary Meisterling |
66.2% | 2,750 | |
| Nonpartisan | Dustin Weiland | 33.8% | 1,407 | |
| Total Votes | 4,157 | |||
| Source: Linn County Election Services, "Election Results 2010-2014," accessed July 25, 2013 | ||||
| Cedar Rapids Community School District, District 4 General Election, 4-year term, 2011 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Allen Witt |
57.4% | 2,184 | |
| Nonpartisan | Sunny Story | 42.6% | 1,619 | |
| Total Votes | 3,803 | |||
| Source: Linn County Election Services, "Election Results 2010-2014," accessed July 25, 2013 | ||||
| Cedar Rapids Community School District, At-Large General Election, 4-year term, 2011 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Ann Rosenthal |
29.7% | 2,258 | |
| Nonpartisan | John Laverty |
28.9% | 2,198 | |
| Nonpartisan | Kathy D. Ulrich | 19% | 1,446 | |
| Nonpartisan | Karen Hartlep | 14.5% | 1,100 | |
| Nonpartisan | Matt Ford | 7.9% | 601 | |
| Total Votes | 7,603 | |||
| Source: Linn County Election Services, "Election Results 2010-2014," accessed July 25, 2013 | ||||
What was at stake?
Incumbents Gary Anhalt, Nancy Humbles and Keith Westercamp sought re-election to the board. Anhalt and Humbles were first elected to the chamber in 2009 while Westercamp became a member of the board in 1997. Anhalt and Humbles ran unopposed while Westercamp was challenged by Lawrence Wenclawski.
Key issues facing the Cedar Rapids Community School District included decreased state funding and lowered enrollment levels. The district experienced an 8% decrease in enrollment from 2008 to 2012.[5] This drop in total enrollment was accompanied by lessstate funding, including a year without an allotment for budget growth in 2011.[6]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the Cedar Rapids Community School District election in 2013:[3]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| July 8, 2013 | First day for filing nominating petitions |
| August 1, 2013 | Last day to file nominating petitions |
| August 6, 2013 | Last day to withdraw from ballot |
| September 10, 2013 | Election day |
Additional elections on the ballot
The school board election in Cedar Rapids shared the ballot with a proposed increase to a tax levy dedicated to facilities improvements. The Physical Plant and Equipment Levy was $0.67 per $1,000 of assessed property value. The tax levy proposal would have increased the rate to $1.34 per $1,000 of assessed value starting in 2015. Voters rejected the ballot measure.[7][8]
See also
- Iowa school districts
- Cedar Rapids Community School District, Iowa
- Election preview: Iowa school board elections focus on overcoming challenges
- Post-election: Newcomers win majority of school board elections in Iowa
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 United States Census Bureau, "Quick Facts: Cedar Rapids," accessed July 25, 2013
- ↑ Linn County Election Services, "Election Results," accessed July 25, 2013
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Cedar Rapids Community School District, "2013 School Board Election Information," accessed July 25, 2013
- ↑ The Gazette, "Our Endorsements for School Board," September 7, 2013
- ↑ Iowa Department of Education, "Certified Enrollment," accessed July 25, 2013
- ↑ The Gazette, "To keep the doors open, Cedar Rapids school system learns to do more with less," October 28, 2012
- ↑ Linn County Election Services, "Election Calendar," accessed July 25, 2013
- ↑ The Gazette, "School board approves putting levy increase on ballot," June 24, 2013
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