Des Moines Public Schools elections (2013)
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Four seats on the Board of Directors for Des Moines Public Schools were up for election on September 10, 2013. Seats up for election covered Districts 2 and 4 as well as two at-large seats.
About the district
- See also: Des Moines Public Schools, Iowa
Des Moines Public Schools is located in Polk County, Iowa. The county seat of Polk County is Des Moines. Polk County is home to 430,640 residents, according to the United States Census Bureau.[1]
Demographics
As of 2011, the median household income in Polk County was $57,473 compared to $50,451 for the state of Iowa. The poverty rate in Polk County was 10.6% compared to 11.9% for the entire state. The US Census also found that 33.8% of Polk County residents aged 25 years and older attained a bachelor's degree compared to 24.9% in Iowa.[2]
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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 Des Moines Board of Directors consists of seven members elected to four-year terms. Prior to the 2013 election, all seven members of the board were at-large members. After, the district transitioned to a mixture of at-large and geographic district seats. Two at-large seats became the District 2 and 4 seats in 2013, and two more at-large seats became District 1 and 3 seats in 2015. The general election was held on September 10, 2013. Two at-large seats and seats for Districts 2 and 4 were on the ballot in 2013. One at-large seat and seats in Districts 1 and 3 were on the ballot on September 8, 2015.[4]
The nominating period began on July 8, 2013. The filing deadline was August 1, 2013 and the withdrawal deadline was August 6, 2013. Each candidate had to file a notarized candidate affidavit and nomination petitions with at least 50 valid signatures to the board secretary.[4]
Elections
2013
Candidates
At-large
- Connie Boesen
- Incumbent
- Attended Grand View College
- Owner, Applishus, Inc.
- Joe Jongewaard
- Incumbent
- Graduate, Iowa State University
- Project Manager, Iowa Department of Economic Development
- Rob X. Barron
- Graduate, Grinnell College
- State Director, for U.S. Senator Tom Harkin
- Heather Ryan
- Graduate, Drake University
- Talent Mentor, Ryan Talent Group
- Shane Schulte
- Graduate, Drake University
- Senior Project Manager, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage
District 2
- Toussaint Cheatom
- Graduate, Wilberforce University
- Pastor, St. Paul AME Church
- Ed Linebach, III
- Graduate, Central College
District 4
- Teree Caldwell-Johnson
- Incumbent
- Graduate, University of Kansas
- CEO, Oakridge Neighborhood and Oakridge Neighborhood Services
- Darlene Blake
- Graduate, Minnesota State University, Mankato
- Chair, Greater Des Moines Sister Cities Commission
Election results
| Des Moines Public Schools, At-Large General Election, 4-year term, 2013 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Connie Boesen Incumbent |
24.4% | 2,838 | |
| Nonpartisan | Rob X. Barron |
23.2% | 2,699 | |
| Nonpartisan | Joe Jongewaard Incumbent | 22.9% | 2,671 | |
| Nonpartisan | Shane Schulte | 19.3% | 2,251 | |
| Nonpartisan | Heather Ryan | 9.2% | 1,076 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 1% | 120 | |
| Total Votes | 11,655 | |||
| Source: Polk County Auditor and Commissioner of Elections, "School Board Election," accessed September 14, 2013 | ||||
| Des Moines Public Schools, District 2 General Election, 4-year term, 2013 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Toussaint Cheatom |
52.9% | 607 | |
| Nonpartisan | Ed Linebach III | 46.5% | 534 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.6% | 7 | |
| Total Votes | 1,148 | |||
| Source: Polk County Auditor and Commissioner of Elections, "School Board Election," accessed September 14, 2013 | ||||
| Des Moines Public Schools, District 4 General Election, 4-year term, 2013 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Teree Caldwell-Johnson Incumbent |
41.7% | 522 | |
| Nonpartisan | Joel Doyle | 31.4% | 393 | |
| Nonpartisan | Darlene Blake | 26.1% | 327 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.7% | 9 | |
| Total Votes | 1,251 | |||
| Source: Polk County Auditor and Commissioner of Elections, "School Board Election," accessed September 14, 2013 | ||||
Endorsements
On August 7, the Des Moines Education Association endorsed incumbents Joe Jongewaard and Teree Caldwell-Johnson and challengers Shane Schulte and Toussaint Cheatom.[5] On August 19, the AFSCME Iowa Council 61 endorsed incumbents Joe Jongewaard and Teree Caldwell-Johnson and challengers Rob X. Barron and Toussaint Cheatom.[6] Barron has also received several endorsements from other local unions, politicians and former members of the Des Moines school board.[7]
Campaign finance
A total of $30,893.27 was contributed to all direct candidate campaign committees.
In the at-large race, a total of $29,196.27 was contributed to all direct candidate campaign committees.[8]
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connie Boesen | $5,445.00 | $3,709.16 | $1,735.84 |
| Joe Jongewaard | $13,015.00 | $5,294.82 | $7,720.18 |
| Rob X. Barron | $8,570.27 | $5,445.72 | $3,124.55 |
| Heather Ryan | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Shane Schulte | $2,166.00 | $4,321.09 | -$2,155.09 |
In the District 2 race, a total of $1,697 was contributed to all direct candidate campaign committees.[8]
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toussaint Cheatom | $1,697.00 | $1,344.38 | $352.62 |
| Ed Linebach, III | $0 | $0 | $0 |
In the District 4 race, no candidates reported contributions to their direct campaign committees.[8]
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teree Caldwell-Johnson | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Darlene Blake | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Joel Doyle | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Past elections
To see results from past elections in Des Moines Public Schools, click here.
What was at stake?
There were four seats on the school board up for election on September 10, 2013. Incumbents Connie Boesen, Teree Caldwell-Johnson and Joe Jongewaard sought re-election to the board while fellow incumbent and current Chair Dick Murphy did not file for re-election, thereby ensuring that the election would result in a change of board leadership. Boesen and Jongewaard faced three challengers for two at-large seats. Rob X. Barron, Heather Ryan and Shane Schulte filed for the at-large race, while Ed Linebach and Toussaint Cheatom filed for the new District 2 seat. Caldwell-Johnson, Darlene Blake and Joel Doyle filed for the new District 4 seat.[9]
Issues
A central issue in the election revolved around former Superintendent Nancy Sebring's resignation in May, 2012. At the time, the Des Moines Register reported that Sebring had "inappropriately used the district’s technology to send and receive sexually explicit messages."[10] On May 10, 2012, the Board of Directors held a closed session with the stated purpose "to evaluate the professional competency of an individual whose appointment, hiring, performance or discharge is being considered when necessary to prevent needless and irreparable injury to that individual’s reputation.”[11]
On June 27, 2013, Sebring filed a lawsuit against Des Moines Public Schools Board Director Teree Caldwell-Johnson, Community Relations Director Phil Roeder, and General Counsel Patricia Lantz alleging that they had "either individually or working in concert, wrongfully undertook steps to ensure the purely personal and private emails would come to the attention of the Des Moines Register and to the public."[12] The American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa, on behalf of former board member Graham Gillette, filed a separate lawsuit against the board to force the district to release the recording of the May 10, 2013 closed session to the public.[11] At-large candidate Heather Ryan began a "Bounce the Board" campaign with the goal of replacing Des Moines Public Schools board chair Dick Murphy and members Connie Boesen and Teree Caldwell-Johnson, partially in response to these lawsuits and the surrounding controversy.[13]
Candidates also discussed class size and the number of counselors available to district students with mental illnesses during a candidate forum.[14][15]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the Des Moines Public Schools election in 2013:[4]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| July 8, 2013 | First day for filing nominating petitions |
| August 1, 2013 | Last day to file nominating petitions |
| August 2, 2013 | District submits petitions to Polk County Auditor’s Office |
| August 6, 2013 | Last day to withdraw from ballot |
| September 10, 2013 | Election day |
| September 13, 2013 | Official canvass of the votes |
| September 17, 2013 | Organizational meeting of the School Board |
Additional elections on the ballot
This election only shared the ballot with other local school board elections. No additional measures appeared on the ballot.
See also
- Iowa
- Des Moines Public Schools, Iowa
- List of school board elections in 2013
- Polk County, Iowa ballot measures
- Local ballot measures, 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
- ↑ United States Census Bureau, "Guide to 2010 Census State and Local Geography - Iowa," accessed July 29, 2013
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 United States Census Bureau, "Polk County Quick Facts," accessed July 29, 2013
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, “Voter Registration Totals by County,” accessed July 29, 2013
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Des Moines Public Schools, "School Board Elections," accessed July 30, 2013
- ↑ Mary Stegmeir, Des Moines Register, "Teachers union endorses candidates in Des Moines school board race," August 8, 2013
- ↑ Mary Stegmeir, Des Moines Register, "AFSCME endorses four candidates in Des Moines school board race," August 20, 2013
- ↑ Rob X. Barron - Des Moines School Board, "Endorsements," accessed September 9, 2013
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 IECDB Web Reporting System, "IECDB State/Local Campaign Disclosure Reports," accessed September 9, 2013
- ↑ Des Moines Register, "10 vie for seats on Des Moines school board," August 2, 2013
- ↑ Jens Manuel Krogstad, Des Moines Register, "Boesen to seek re-election," July 18, 2013
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Mary Stegmeir, Des Moines Register, "ACLU wants judge to review recording from Nancy Sebring resignation meeting," April 26, 2013
- ↑ Kevin Cooney, KCCI News 8, "Sebring names 3 people in lawsuit against DM Schools," June 28, 2013
- ↑ Bounce the Board, "About," accessed July 30, 2013
- ↑ Mary Stegmeir, Des Moines Register, "Des Moines forum addresses schools' class size," September 4, 2013
- ↑ Mary Stegmeir, Des Moines Register, "School board candidates call for more counselors," August 28, 2013
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