Community Unit School District 200 elections (2017)
2019 →
← 2015 |
|---|
 |
|
|
| Enrollment (14-15) |
|
|
Four seats on the Community Unit School District 200 school board were up for general election on April 4, 2017. Incumbents Brad Paulsen and James Mathieson were successful in their re-election bids. Newcomers Rob Hanlon and Ginna Ericksen also won seats on the board. Candidates Harold Lonks, Thomas Hudock, Neil Harnen, and Marcus Hamilton were defeated in the election.[1] In addition to choosing four school board members in this election, citizens of the school district voted against a $132.5 million referendum.[2]
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The Community Unit School District 200 Board of Education consists of seven members elected at large to four-year terms on a staggered basis every odd-numbered year. A general election was held on April 4, 2017. There were four seats up for election.[3]
To get on the ballot, school board candidates had to file a notarized statement of candidacy and notarized nominating petitions with the DuPage County Clerk's Office during the filing period. The filing period began December 12, 2016, and ended December 19, 2016. Candidates could also file an optional loyalty oath at that time. A statement of economic interests also had to be filed by December 19, 2016. The nominating petitions had to include the signatures of 50 voters residing in the school district and could not be circulated until September 20, 2016.[4]
Candidates and results
At-large
Results
| Community Unit School District 200, At-Large General Election, 4-year terms, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Ginna Ericksen |
15.41% | 7,792 |
| Brad Paulsen Incumbent |
14.80% | 7,485 |
| James Mathieson Incumbent |
14.02% | 7,091 |
| Rob Hanlon |
12.51% | 6,325 |
| Marcus Hamilton | 11.26% | 5,696 |
| Harold Lonks | 10.80% | 5,463 |
| Neil Harnen | 10.75% | 5,435 |
| Thomas Hudock | 10.46% | 5,289 |
| Total Votes | 50,576 | |
| Source: DuPage County, Illinois, "Election Summary Report," accessed May 1, 2017 | ||
Candidates
James Mathieson 
|
Brad Paulsen
|
Rob Hanlon
|
Harold Lonks | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
| Thomas Hudock | Neil Harnen | Marcus Hamilton | Ginna Ericksen
| ||||
|
|
|
|
|
||||
Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Illinois elections, 2017
The Community Unit School District 200 Board of Education election shared the ballot with a $132.5 million referendum for the school district as well as races for the regional school board.[2][5]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for Illinois school board elections in 2017:[6]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| December 19, 2016 | Candidate filing deadline |
| February 27, 2017 | Initial campaign finance deadline |
| March 7, 2017 | Last day to register to vote by paper application |
| March 19, 2017 | Last day to register to vote by online application |
| April 3, 2017 | Final election campaign finance deadline |
| April 4, 2017 | Election Day |
Endorsements
The Daily Herald and the local teachers' union endorsed incumbents Brad Paulsen and James Mathieson and challengers Ginna Ericksen and Rob Hanlon.[7][8]
Do you know of an official or organization that endorsed a candidate in this race? Let Ballotpedia know by email at editor@ballotpedia.org.
Campaign finance
School board candidates in Illinois were required to file campaign finance reports if they did one or both of the following:[9]
- Accepted contributions or made disbursements in an aggregate amount of more than $5,000 during the calendar year
- Accepted contributions or made disbursements in an aggregate amount of more than $5,000 during the calendar year for communication via television, radio, or internet in support of or in opposition to a candidate, political party, or public policy
The first campaign finance deadline was February 27, 2017, and the second campaign finance deadline was April 3, 2017.[10]
Reports
Candidates received a total of $4,000.00 and spent a total of $0.00 in the election, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections.[11]
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Mathieson | $4,000.00 | $0.00 | $4,000.00 |
| Brad Paulsen | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Ginna Ericksen | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Marcus Hamilton | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Rob Hanlon | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Neil Harnen | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Thomas Hudock | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Harold Lonks | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Past elections
Information about earlier elections can be found by clicking [show] at the right. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2015
2013
2011
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
What was at stake?
2017
Issues in the election
Referendum
In addition to choosing four school board members on April 4, 2017, citizens of the Community Unit School District 200 also voted on a $132.5 million referendum. Preliminary vote returns show that the measure was defeated, with 8,871 opposed (54.42 percent) and 7,427 (45.57 percent) in favor of the referendum.[12] The school district asked for the funds to pay for a new early learning center and for facility improvements.[2]
The referendum question appeared on the ballot as follows:
| “ | Shall the Board of Education of Wheaton Warrenville Community Unit School District Number 200, DuPage County, Illinois, alter, repair, equip and improve the sites of the District’s elementary and high school buildings, including, but not limited to, improving secure entrances, roofs, mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, library learning centers, and a technology lab; build additions to, alter, repair, equip and improve the sites of Edison, Franklin and Monroe Middle Schools; build and equip a new building to replace the District’s early learning center; and issue bonds of said School District to the amount of $132,500,000 for the purpose of paying the costs thereof?[13] | ” |
| —Community Unit School District 200 (2017)[14] | ||
If passed, the referendum would raise property taxes in the district by $180 per year for owners of median income homes, which were valued at $322,300 in 2017.[2] Candidates who ran in the school board election had differing opinions on the referendum. School board challengers Marcus Hamilton, Neil Harnen, Thomas Hudock, and Harold Lonks voiced opposition to the referendum, while incumbents James Mathieson and Brad Paulsen and challengers Rob Hanlon and Ginna Ericksen said they supported the referendum.[15]
The candidates who opposed the referendum said it was too expensive. They questioned whether some of the projects included in the referendum were necessary and whether they were tied to student achievement. Instead of building a new early learning center, Hamilton suggested the district reconfigure an existing building. "There's no reason why we can't do something different and still meet the needs of the district and not spend that kind of money," said Hamilton. "I think that's true of many of the schools."[15]
Those who supported the referendum said it would equalize learning opportunities across the district. Ericksen said students at one middle school had better facilities than students at a different school due to when the buildings were constructed. "It's truly not fair to have to be a science student at Franklin versus a science student at Hubble," she said.[15]
Supporters also said the referendum was based on two years of community input.[15] A community survey conducted before the school board voted in January 2017 to put the referendum on the ballot showed 51 percent of respondents either favored or strongly favored a referendum that would cost an additional $225 per year in property taxes for owners of $320,000 homes. When asked if they would support an increase of $200 per year, 54 percent of respondents were in favor, and 58 percent of respondents were in favor of an increase of $175 per year.[2]
Candidate survey
|
|
Ballotpedia invites school board candidates to participate in its annual survey. |
About the district
Community Unit School District 200 is located in DuPage County in northeastern Illinois. The county seat is Wheaton. DuPage County was home to 933,736 residents in 2015, according to the United States Census Bureau.[16] The district was the 17th-largest school district in the state in the 2014-2015 school year and served 13,112 students.[17]
Demographics
DuPage County outperformed the rest of Illinois in terms of higher education achievement in the years 2011 to 2015. The United States Census Bureau found that 46.7 percent of DuPage County residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 32.3 percent of all state residents. The median household income for the county was $79,658, while it was $57,574 for the entire state. The poverty rate in DuPage County was 7.1 percent, compared to 13.6 percent statewide.[16]
| Racial Demographics, 2015[16] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race | DuPage County (%) | Illinois (%) | |
| White | 80.7 | 77.3 | |
| Black or African American | 5.3 | 14.7 | |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.4 | 0.6 | |
| Asian | 11.6 | 5.5 | |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | 0.1 | 0.1 | |
| Two or more races | 1.9 | 1.9 | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 14.3 | 16.9 | |
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.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Community Unit School District 200 Illinois election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Community Unit School District 200 | Illinois | School Boards |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
|
|
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ DuPage County, Illinois, "Election Summary Report," accessed April 5, 2017
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 mySuburbanLife.com, "Wheaton-Warrenville District 200 approves putting $132.5M referendum on April ballot," January 11, 2017
- ↑ Community Unit School District 200, "Meet the Board," accessed December 19, 2016
- ↑ DuPage County, "Candidate Information," accessed December 19, 2016
- ↑ DuPage County, "Candidate List and Propositions," accessed December 20, 2016
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Election and Campaign Finance Calendar," accessed December 19, 2016
- ↑ Daily Herald, "Endorsements: Ericksen, Hanlon, Mathieson and Paulsen for Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200," March 9, 2017
- ↑ Northwest Suburban Education Coalition, "School Board Candidate Endorsements," accessed March 29, 2017
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "A Guide to Campaign Finance Disclosure," accessed January 5, 2017
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Election and Campaign Finance Calendar 2017," accessed January 5, 2017
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Candidate Disclosure Search," accessed April 4, 2017
- ↑ My Suburban Life, "Wheaton-Warrenville District 200 voters defeat $132.5M referendum," April 4, 2017
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Community Unit School District 200, "Investing in Our Future," accessed March 13, 2017
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 Daily Herald, "District 200 school board candidates split on $132.5 million referendum," March 7, 2017
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 United States Census Bureau, "DuPage County, Illinois," accessed December 26, 2016
- ↑ U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, "Common Core of Data, file ccd_lea_052_1414_w_0216161a, 2014-2015," accessed November 16, 2016
| Community Unit School District 200 elections in 2017 | |
| DuPage County, Illinois | |
| Election date: | April 4, 2017 |
| Candidates: | At-large: Incumbent, James Mathieson • Incumbent, Brad Paulsen • Rob Hanlon • Harold Lonks • Thomas Hudock • Neil Harnen • Marcus Hamilton • Ginna Ericksen |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
