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Cindy Kerr
Cindy Kerr was a candidate for at-large representative on the Saint Paul Board of Education in Minnesota. The general election was held on November 8, 2016.[1] She lost the election.[2]
Kerr participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 school board candidate survey. Click here to read her responses.
Elections
2016
One of the seven seats on the Saint Paul Public Schools Board of Education was up for at-large special election to a one-year term on November 8, 2016.[3] Five candidates filed to run for the seat—Eduardo Barrera, Greg Copeland, Jeanelle Foster, Cindy Kerr, and Tony Klehr. Foster won the seat.[1][2]
Results
| Saint Paul Public Schools At-large Special Election, 1-year term, 2016 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Jeanelle Foster |
37.91% | 35,221 |
| Eduardo Barrera | 20.86% | 19,381 |
| Cindy Kerr | 17.89% | 16,621 |
| Greg Copeland | 16.13% | 14,983 |
| Tony Klehr | 5.50% | 5,108 |
| Write-in votes | 1.71% | 1,592 |
| Total Votes | 92,906 | |
| Source: Saint Paul Public Schools, "Board Meeting Minutes: 11/15/16 - BOE," accessed December 22, 2016 | ||
Funding
Kerr reported $557.02 in contributions and $453.32 in expenditures to the Ramsey County Elections, which left her campaign with $103.70 on hand in the election.[4]
Campaign themes
2016
Ballotpedia survey responses
Cindy Kerr participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 survey of school board candidates. In response to the question "What do you hope to achieve if elected to the school board?" the candidate stated on October 28, 2016:
| “ | I would like all teachers and staff trained on both trauma and fetal alcohol syndrome as I think there are a lot of kids in our district that have these, but have been either misdiagnosed with something else or it has been missed all together. Their behavior issues are a symptom, not intentional defiance. This would be another tool in the teacher and staff's tool box to assist our kids to be the best they can possible be.[5][6] | ” |
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues based on how they should be prioritized by the school board, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. Each ranking could only be used once.
| Education policy |
|---|
 |
Click here to learn more about education policy in Minnesota. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |
| Improving relations with teachers | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| “ | I think all of these are important except we have enough school choices.[6] | ” |
| —Cindy Kerr (October 28, 2016) | ||
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer nine questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are highlighted in blue and followed by the candidate's responses. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions. The candidate was also provided space to elaborate on their answers to the multiple choice questions.
| Should new charter schools be approved in your district? (Not all school boards are empowered to approve charter schools. In those cases, the candidate was directed to answer the question as if the school board were able to do so.) |
|---|
| No. SPPS doesn't approve charter schools |
| Which statement best describes the ideal relationship between the state government and the school board? The state should always defer to school board decisions, defer to school board decisions in most cases, be involved in the district routinely or only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. |
| The state should only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. |
| Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement? |
| No. I was a terrible test taker in school because my nerves got the best of me. I do think standardized tests are necessary though. |
| What is your stance on the Common Core State Standards Initiative? |
| MN has only adopted the ESL portion, which I think is fine. |
| How should the district handle underperforming teachers? Terminate their contract before any damage is done to students, offer additional training options, put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve or set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district? |
| Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district. I think you first try to assist them to improve as they got into this field for a reason. |
| Should teachers receive merit pay? |
| Yes. I think every job should receive raises based on performance so the best of any given job are rewarded instead of encouraging just doing the minimal requirements to do your job. |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| No. Although I do think it is fair to have a voucher system, I think it would deteriorate our public schools and would increase the achievement gap. |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| Very limited. I think first you try to help the student be successful. |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| Teachers I think all of these are VERY important, but it starts with the teacher. |
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Cindy Kerr' 'Saint Paul Public Schools'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Minnesota Secretary of State, "Candidate Filings: 2016 State General Election," accessed August 17, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Minnesota Secretary of State, "Results for Selected Contests in School District No. 625 - ST PAUL," accessed November 9, 2016
- ↑ Saint Paul Public Schools, "Applications to Fill Board of Education Vacancy on Interim Basis are Now Open," accessed July 21, 2016
- ↑ Ramsey County Elections, "2016 Campaign Finance Reports," accessed December 8, 2016
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2016, "Cindy Kerr's responses," October 28, 2016
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
| 2016 Saint Paul Public Schools Special Election | |
| Ramsey County, Minnesota | |
| Election date: | November 8, 2016 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Eduardo Barrera • Greg Copeland • Jeanelle Foster • Cindy Kerr • Tony Klehr |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
