Christine Larsen
Christine Larsen was the Position 3 representative on the David Douglas School District in Oregon. First elected in 2013, Larsen won a new term in the by-district general election on May 16, 2017. She left office on June 30, 2021.
Click here to read this candidate's responses to a 2017 voter's guide questionnaire.
Elections
2017
Four of the seven seats on the David Douglas School District school board in Oregon were up for by-district general election on May 16, 2017. In the race for Position 1, newcomer Ana del Rocio defeated incumbent Cheryl Scarcelli Ancheta and candidate Timothy Crawley. Stephanie Stephens defeated Joshua Gray to win the open Position 2 seat. In her bid for re-election, Position 3 incumbent Christine Larsen defeated challengers Mike Ewald and Dennis Secrest. Position 6 incumbent Andrea Valderrama filed for re-election and won another term after running unopposed.[1]
Results
| David Douglas School District, Position 3 General Election, 4-year term, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Christine Larsen Incumbent |
57.58% | 3,255 |
| Mike Ewald | 21.42% | 1,211 |
| Dennis Secrest | 20.29% | 1,147 |
| Write-in votes | 0.71% | 40 |
| Total Votes | 5,653 | |
| Source: Multnomah County, "Multnomah County Election Results May 16, 2017 Special District Election," accessed June 12, 2017 | ||
Funding
The filing deadline in Oregon for a campaign transaction is typically no later than 30 calendar days. However, beginning on the 42nd day before an election day and through the date of the election, a transaction is due no later than seven calendar days after the date it occurred. The dates for the beginning and ending of the seven-day reporting period for the 2017 Oregon school board elections were:[2]
- April 4, 2017 (Seven day campaign finance reporting begins)
- May 16, 2017 (Seven day campaign finance reporting ends)
A school board candidate in Oregon must form a candidate committee unless he or she meets all of the following conditions:[3][4]
- The candidate elects to serve as his or her own treasurer.
- The candidate does not have an existing candidate committee.
- The candidate does not expect to receive or spend more than $750 during a calendar year (including personal funds).
A candidate committee must file a Statement of Organization with the Elections Division of the Oregon Secretary of State within three business days of first receiving or spending money. A form including campaign account information must accompany the Statement of Organization.[3][5]
Candidate committees that expect to receive or spend $3,500 or more in a calendar year are required to report all transactions. A committee that does not expect to receive or spend this much is still required to file a Statement of Organization and designate a campaign bank account, but does not have to file transactions. Instead, they must file a Certificate of Limited Contributions and Expenditures.[3][6]
Campaign themes
2017
Larsen participated in a candidate questionnaire conducted by VOTE411 Voter Guide. The tables below detail her responses and compare them to those of one of her opponents in this race.[7] Note: No responses by Mike Ewald had been published on the website as of May 3, 2017.
| Significant policy changes in public education are being considered at the federal and state level. Describe a change that you agree or disagree with and explain your position. | |
|---|---|
| Christine Larsen | Dennis Secrest |
| "One of the policy changes being considered at the federal level is the school voucher program. I do not agree that a voucher program is the way to go when trying to provide students the best education possible for Oregon or the country. This kind of system will create inequities where public schools are even more underfunded than they are now. There are so many other things we could focus on to make public education better."[7] | "School choice. I don't agree with taking money from our much needed public schools for charter schools or whatever Mrs. DeVos has in mind. I would support charter schools if they were working hand in hand with an affiliated public school but our schools--public--must come first. The idea of a public school loosing [sic] funding in favor of a private or charter school sends shivers up my spine."[7] |
| What do you think are the top three equity issues in the district and how will you address them? | |
|---|---|
| Christine Larsen | Dennis Secrest |
| "I think the top three are financial inequity, racial discrimination and gender issues. To address inequity issues I believe that students need to be treated as individuals who are welcome, respected and safe at school. Students need to be academically supported at all levels including struggling students and students who excel. Services to eliminate barriers such as stable housing, food insecurity and healthcare are also important in keeping all children coming to school ready to learn."[7] | "1st, preschool should be offered at all our elementary schools. Every child deserves free preschool, no matter their social or economic background. To solve this problem, I'd like to see more money allocated through grants or bond measures. 2nd, the teacher to student ratio is bad. More IA's or student teachers would be immensely helpful. Expanding our partnerships with our universities could solve this problem. 3rd, 1 middle school offers a health class whereas all MS's should offer it."[7] |
| What principles will you apply to evaluating recommendations from the superintendent with regard to which programs to reduce in a time of constrained funding? | |
|---|---|
| Christine Larsen | Dennis Secrest |
| "It is unfortunate that we are back in a place of having constrained funding be a topic, since the previous reductions from the economic crash are still fresh in the memory. If we have to reduce again we would need to discuss the cuts that were made last time and then evaluate if those were the best places to reduce or if other types of reductions should be considered based on what was learned from last time."[7] | "I would begin by asking the superintendent these questions before approving any cuts: 1. How does it hurt our community? 2. How does it help our community? 3. How many kids will be negatively affected? Then, taking in to account the voices of the community, I'd make my decision factoring in these answers and feedback."[7] |
See also
External links
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Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Multnomah County, "Multnomah County Election Results May 16, 2017 Special District Election," accessed May 17, 2017
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "Oregon Elections Calendar," accessed April 17, 2017
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Oregon Secretary of State, "Campaign Finance Manual - 2014," accessed January 13, 2014
- ↑ Oregon Revised Statutes, "Chapter 260, Section 043," accessed January 13, 2014
- ↑ Oregon Revised Statutes, "Chapter 260, Section 039," accessed January 13, 2014
- ↑ Oregon Revised Statutes, "Chapter 260, Section 057," accessed January 13, 2014
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 VOTE411 Voter Guide, "All Races," accessed May 3, 2017
