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Columbia Public Schools elections (2015)
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Two seats on the Columbia Public Schools Board of Education were up for general election on April 7, 2015.
Incumbents Christine King and Darin Preis ran for re-election against challenger Derek Wade for the two at-large seats.[1][2] King and Preis defeated Wade to win re-election.
About the district
- See also: Columbia Public Schools, Missouri
Columbia Public Schools is located in central Missouri in Boone County. The county seat is Columbia. This county is home to 170,773 residents, according to the United States Census Bureau.[3] In the 2011-2012 school year, Columbia Public Schools was the ninth-largest school district in Missouri and served 17,709 students.[4]
Demographics
Boone County outperformed the rest of Missouri in terms of higher education achievement in 2013. The United States Census Bureau found that 47.3 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 26.2 percent for Missouri as a whole. The median household income in Boone County was $48,627, compared to $47,380 for the state of Missouri. The poverty rate was 20.0 percent, compared to 15.5 percent for the entire state.[3]
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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.
Voter and candidate information
The Columbia Board of Education consists of seven members elected at-large to three-year terms. There was no primary election, and the general election was held on April 7, 2015. Two seats were up for election in 2015.[2]
School board candidates had to file with their county elections department during the candidate filing period, which began on December 16, 2014, and ended on January 20, 2015. To vote in the 2015 general election, residents had to register by March 11, 2015. The absentee voting deadline was on April 1, 2015.[6]
Elections
2015
Candidates
At-large
- Christine King
- Incumbent
- Graduate, the University of Ohio at Miami
- Retired manager
- Darin Preis
- Incumbent
- Graduate, Missouri State University and the University of Missouri at Columbia
- Veteran, United States Army Reserve
- Executive director, Central Missouri Community Action
- Derek Wade
- Graduate, Pacific University
- Business owner
Election results
| Columbia Public Schools, At-Large General Election, 3-year term, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Christine King Incumbent |
42.4% | 8,593 | |
| Nonpartisan | Darin Preis Incumbent |
38% | 7,707 | |
| Nonpartisan | Derek Wade | 19.5% | 3,958 | |
| Total Votes | 20,258 | |||
| Source: Boone County Clerk, "Summary Report," April 16, 2015 | ||||
Endorsements
Darin Preis received an endorsement from the local affiliate of the Missouri National Education Association.[7]
Campaign finance
Candidates received a total of $6,206.00 and spent a total of $2,662.23 as of February 25, 2015, according to the Missouri Ethics Commission.[8]
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christine King | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Darin Preis | $6,206.00 | $2,662.23 | $3,222.77 |
| Derek Wade | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Past elections
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2014
2013Incumbents Jan Mees and Jim Whitt ran unopposed and won re-election to full three-year terms by default. Fellow board member Darin Preis, who was appointed to the board in 2012, also ran unopposed and won re-election to an unexpired two-year term vacated by former board member Paul Cushing.[9] 2012
2011
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What was at stake?
2015
Issues in the district
Teacher salary contract negotiations
In spring 2015, teacher contract negotiations between the Columbia school district and the Columbia Missouri National Education Association (CMNEA) stalled due to a disagreement regarding frozen salaries. From 2008 to 2010, teacher salaries were frozen in place due to financial difficulties experienced by the school district. In March 2015, the Columbia Board of Education offered a $1.2 million increase to the existing teacher contract as compensation for the salary freeze, which fell short of the $6.6 million requested by the CMNEA.[10]
Following this failure to come to terms, Deputy Superintendent Dana Clippard announced that the district's proposal would stand as its final offer and added, "CMNEA’s salary request cost approximately 90 teachers and that’s not something we want to do. We can’t do that when we are growing. [...] The challenges; our district is growing. It appears to be growing at a faster rate than our taxes are funding. The board can only afford to give so much and the taxpayers can only afford so much." CMNEA President Susan McClintic called for negotiations to continue, stating, "We just want to keep trying and keep that conversation going and keep talking about what is important, which is providing the best working conditions and compensation for our teachers, because then they get to provide what’s best for the kids. [...] We believe that if you prioritize your employees then things will improve all the way around."[11]
Although the school district increased its offer to $2.2 million, the sides have not come to an agreement. The school district and teacher union signed a three-year contract in 2014. If a compromise is made that increases teacher compensation, the change would be made as an amendment to that existing agreement.[12][13]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the Columbia Public Schools election in 2015:[6]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| December 16, 2014 | First day for candidates to file nomination documents |
| January 20, 2015 | Last day for candidates to file nomination documents |
| February 24, 2015 | First day for absentee voting |
| February 26, 2015 | Last day to file first campaign finance report |
| March 8, 2015 | Last day to organize a campaign finance committee |
| March 11, 2015 | Last day to register to vote in the general election |
| March 30, 2015 | Last day to file second campaign finance report |
| April 1, 2015 | Last day for absentee voting |
| April 7, 2015 | Election Day |
| May 7, 2015 | Last day to file final campaign finance report |
Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Missouri elections, 2015
This election shared the ballot with general elections for county and municipal offices, along with local bond measures.[14]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Columbia Public Schools Missouri. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Columbia Public Schools | Missouri | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Columbia Public Schools, "Board of Education Candidates for April 7, 2015, Election," accessed January 23, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Columbia Public Schools, "Board Members," accessed January 20, 2015
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 United States Census Bureau, "Boone County, Missouri," accessed February 3, 2014
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed April 22, 2014
- ↑ Missouri Secretary of State, "Missouri Election Results," accessed January 23, 2015
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Jackson County Election Board, "2015 Missouri Election Calendar," accessed January 19, 2015
- ↑ Missouri NEA, "Local affiliates recommend school board candidates," accessed April 2, 2015
- ↑ Missouri Ethics Commission, "Candidates By Election Search," accessed February 24, 2015
- ↑ Columbia Missourian, "No Columbia School Board election this April," January 23, 2013
- ↑ ABC 17, "Columbia teachers' union wants teacher contract negotiations to continue," March 31, 2015
- ↑ KBIA 91.3, "Teacher's union seeks further negotiation with Columbia Public Schools on salaries," March 12, 2015
- ↑ KOMU 8, "Columbia Public Schools update collective bargaining agreement," March 31, 2015
- ↑ KRCG 13, "Teacher contract negotiations ongoing," April 2, 2015
- ↑ Boone County Clerk, "State of Missouri - County of Boone," accessed February 24, 2015
| 2015 Columbia Public Schools Elections | |
| Boone County, Missouri | |
| Election date: | April 7, 2015 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Christine King • Incumbent, Darin Preis • Derek Wade |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
