Des Moines Public Schools elections (2017)

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2019 → ← 2015
Des Moines Public Schools Elections
Candidate filing deadline
August 3, 2017
General election date
September 12, 2017
Enrollment (14-15)
34,355 students

Four of the seven seats on the Des Moines Public Schools school board in Iowa were up for nonpartisan general election on September 12, 2017. The race for the two at-large seats on the board included incumbent Rob Barron and challengers Louisa Dykstra and Kyrstin Delagardelle Shelley. Barron won another term on the board, and Shelley won the other at-large seat, which was left open by incumbent Connie Boesen, who instead ran for the Des Moines City Council. In their bids for re-election to the District 2 and District 4 seats, incumbents Dionna Langford and Teree Caldwell-Johnson ran unopposed and won additional terms on the board.

This page includes an overview of the election as well as issues in the district and the state. Click on the links in the highlights box below to read more about those issues. Ballotpedia also created a spotlight page for this election. Click here to check out that daily content.

HIGHLIGHTS

Issues in the election:
Candidates respond to Ballotpedia's 2017 Des Moines school board candidate survey
Candidates discuss education funding and community input at August 24 forum
At-large candidates discuss teacher diversity at August 8 forum
Education funding in Des Moines Public Schools
Three of five governing majority members guaranteed to keep seats

Issues in the district:
City votes to hire outside company to manage crossing guards
District first in state to adopt sanctuary district policies

Issues in the state:
Iowa school board elections dates to change in 2019

Elections

Voter and candidate information

The Des Moines school board consists of seven unpaid members elected to four-year terms. Elections are held on a staggered basis every September of odd-numbered years. Three board members are elected at large, and four board members are elected by district.

School board candidates had to be qualified voters and citizens of the school district and the board district they sought to represent. They also could not have a financial conflict of interest with the school district. To get on the ballot, candidates had to file candidacy paperwork, including a petition with 50 signatures from eligible voters in the school district, with the board secretary between July 10, 2017, and August 3, 2017.

To vote in this election, citizens of the school district had to register by September 1, 2017. Photo identification was not required to vote in this election.

At-large (two seats)

Results

Des Moines Public Schools, At-large General Election, 4-year terms, 2017
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Rob Barron Incumbent	37.71%	3,791
Kyrstin Delagardelle Shelley	31.30%	3,147
Louisa Dykstra	29.94%	3,010
Write-in votes	1.05%	106
Total Votes		10,054
Source: Polk County Auditor and Commissioner of Elections, "School Election Tuesday, September 12, 2017: Official Results," accessed September 18, 2017

Candidates

Rob Barron		Louisa Dykstra		Kyrstin Delagardelle Shelley
	Incumbent Member, 2013-2017

District 2

Results

Des Moines Public Schools, District 2 General Election, 4-year term, 2017
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Dionna Langford Incumbent (unopposed)	97.79%	840
Write-in votes	2.21%	19
Total Votes		859
Source: Polk County Auditor and Commissioner of Elections, "School Election Tuesday, September 12, 2017: Official Results," accessed September 18, 2017

Candidates

Dionna Langford
	Incumbent Member, 2015-2017

District 4

Results

Des Moines Public Schools, District 4 General Election, 4-year term, 2017
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Teree Caldwell-Johnson Incumbent (unopposed)	95.12%	663
Write-in votes	4.88%	34
Total Votes		697
Source: Polk County Auditor and Commissioner of Elections, "School Election Tuesday, September 12, 2017: Official Results," accessed September 18, 2017

Candidates

Teree Caldwell-Johnson
	Incumbent Member, 2006-2017

Additional elections on the ballot

See also: Iowa elections, 2017

The Des Moines school board election shared the ballot with elections for four seats on the Des Moines Area Community College board of directors.

Key deadlines

The following dates were key deadlines for the Des Moines Public Schools election:

Deadline	Event
July 10, 2017 - August 3, 2017	Candidate filing period
September 1, 2017	Voter registration deadline
September 7, 2017	Campaign finance deadline
September 12, 2017	General election
January 19, 2018	Campaign finance deadline

District map

The Des Moines school board voted on September 13, 2011, to change from an at-large election system to a partially at-large and partially by-district election system. The map below details the boundaries of the four by-district seats on the board. The District 2 and District 4 seats were up for election on September 12, 2017, along with two at-large seats.

Endorsements

The Des Moines Education Association endorsed incumbent Rob Barron and challenger Kyrstin Delagardelle Shelley for the two at-large seats, incumbent Dionna Langford for the District 2 seat, and incumbent Teree Caldwell-Johnson for the District 4 seat. Barron and Shelley were also endorsed by the South Central Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO.

Barron also received endorsements from Plumbers Local 33, Communication Workers of America Local 7102, and U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa). Shelley was additionally endorsed by the Iowa Women for Progressive Change Political Action Committee. At-large challenger Louisa Dykstra was endorsed by Windsor Heights Mayor Diana Willits.

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

Candidates received a total of $29,137.42 and spent a total of $26,851.85 in the election, according to the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board. For campaign finance information in past Des Moines Public Schools elections, click here.

Candidate	Balance prior to election	Contributions	Expenditures	Cash on hand
At-large
Rob Barron	$0.00	$9,892.42	$8,568.72	$1,323.70
Louisa Dykstra	$0.00	$9,157.00	$8,653.32	$503.68
Kyrstin Delagardelle Shelley	$0.00	$9,688.00	$9,529.81	$158.19
District 2
Dionna Langford	$287.47	$400.00	$100.00	$587.47
District 4
Teree Caldwell-Johnson	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00

Reporting requirements

See also: List of school board campaign finance deadlines in 2017

School board candidates in Iowa were required to file two campaign finance reports. For 2017, campaign finance reports were due on September 7, 2017, and January 19, 2018.

School board candidates had to file reports if they raised or spent more than $1,000. They also had to file reports if they incurred more than $1,000 of debt. Candidates had to file a statement of organization with the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board within 10 days of meeting the $1,000 threshold.

Past elections

See also: Past elections in Des Moines Public Schools

To see results from past elections in Des Moines Public Schools, click here.

What was at stake?

Candidate survey

Ballotpedia, USATalk, and the Interactivity Foundation organized the Des Moines Schools Community Discussion Project for the 2017 election. This involved online discussions of Des Moines voters and residents to discuss their ideas for the school district. The results of these discussions were used to create a survey for school board candidates in order to help them state their positions on important issues in the district. Click here to read more about the project.

Four candidates—incumbents Rob Barron and Teree Caldwell-Johnson and challengers Louisa Dykstra and Kyrstin Delagardelle Shelley—participated in the survey. The candidates were asked to answer three to five of the 45 questions included in the survey. Click [show] to see their responses.

District 4 candidate

Caldwell-Johnson's responses
Do you believe it is important to intentionally recruit with the aim of diversifying our faculty, staff, administration? If so, what would be your policy to achieve this?
“ With the increasing diversity of the Des Moines Schools the level of diversity in our staff ranks becomes even more important. I believe that having a racially, culturally, and linguistically diverse faculty, staff and administration provides students with multiple perspectives that allows them to gain a greater understanding of the world around them. I have, for many years, been an advocate for diversifying our faculty, staff and administration to better reflect the diversity of our student body. Improving the diversity of the district’s staff can help all students. Staff of color are positive role models, break down negative stereotypes and prepare students to live and work in a diverse and multicultural society. A more diverse workforce can also inform and support the culturally sensitive practices most effective with today’s diverse student populations. I believe that intentionally recruiting a diverse workforce that reflects the students being served in the district must be actively pursued and become a component of our board goals and the district’s operational and instructional strategies. With the support of a majority of the board policy can be developed. The board’s policy governance framework can be utilized to create a policy on diversity in staffing while establishing an annual monitoring schedule and regular monitoring report to track progress. Over the years individual board members have expressed a desire for greater diversity in our staff but we have not actualized that desire by gaining board consensus followed by the creation of board policy and monitoring. In my opinion, this should be a goal of the Board in the coming year and I am committed to working towards this. ” —Teree Caldwell-Johnson (2017)
Teachers have lost their bargaining rights. Will you support the teacher’s union even as the budget tightens?
“ Chapter 20 was a bipartisan piece of legislation enacted in 1974, signed into law by Republican Governor Robert Ray. Fast forward to 2017 when Iowa’s Republican Governor and Legislature turned back the clock on collective bargaining in the state of Iowa. With the erosion of Chapter 20 collective bargaining in the state, the scope of negotiations is limited and public employees will have very few mandatory subjects of bargaining. Chapter 20 will impact all bargaining units of DMPS including DMEA and AFSCME that represent the vast majority of our represented employees. I have and will always been a supporter of individuals covered under our collective bargaining contracts. and while in tough times it may require some 'give and take' on both sides, I will do my best to balance the interests of the district while supporting the needs of all employees. ” —Teree Caldwell-Johnson (2017)
Would you support more local control over (or creative use of) the budget? If so, how might you achieve this?
“ The ability of Des Moines Public Schools to effectively execute on its mission and its promise to our students and graduates is inextricable tied to our ability to fund our operations. I have been and will always be an advocate for a sustainable funding approach that at some point may require the State to rethink its school funding formula. Until that happens we will be challenged to develop a balanced budget that meets the many and varied needs of our district while at the same time holding the line on taxes. Reviewing solvency ratios and evaluating other budget strategies that maximize all levies and funds within the limits of the law will be key to our ability to meet the demands of the largest school district in the state of Iowa. As school districts throughout the state work to keep pace with the growing costs of doing business it is clear that the state’s School Aid Funding Formula, developed in the 1970s, is not working and needs to be overhauled. Unlike municipalities that are governed by Home Rule, school boards operate under Dillon’s Rule. Under the rule, school boards are allowed to use only those powers and abilities that are specifically allowed by law. The use of categorical funds are subject to strict interpretations based on Iowa Code and administrative rule, and school districts are bound by the narrowest interpretation of law. With nearly 80% of the district’s budgeted allocated to personnel and modest to low/no increases in state aid, the district’s cost of doing business is outpacing the funds available. I have long been a proponent of greater flexibility over categorical funding and the opportunity for local elected official to make decisions about how funds can be allocated in an effort to better support all of the district’s needs. I believe that there are three paths to increased flexibility for local school districts. An aggressive legislative agenda that targets the funding formula for an overhaul and has bi-partisan support. Advancing legislation that provides greater flexibility in administering and using the various categorical funds available to school districts. Overturning Dillon’s Rule and allowing school districts to operate in much the same way city’s do under Home Role Approval of any and/or all of the aforementioned options would provide more local control and or increased creativity in use of existing budgeted resources. ” —Teree Caldwell-Johnson (2017)
Data suggests harsher disciplinary actions are being taken against nonwhite students. How do you make sense of this data? What sort of policies would you implement to improve racial equality and fair treatment of all students? What sort of professional development programs would you implement in support of this effort?
“ While we have made strides in the disproportionate treatment of minorities, the board has be vigilant in not only monitoring the trends to determine progress on this front, we have also adopted policy focused on equity and one specifically focused on males of color. The board has established its policy and expectations on both fronts and now it will be our job to monitor the Superintendents progress in addressing the issues of disproportionality and increased academic achievement of males of color. We receive student achievement monitoring reports throughout the year with disaggregated data to include a breakout by race/ethnicity, gender, FRL, ELL and SPED. The Males of Color monitoring report is provided twice annually and again, provides disaggregated data to help us track trends and progress towards closing the gap in achievement and addressing the disproportionate treatment of students. ” —Teree Caldwell-Johnson (2017)

At-large candidates

Barron's responses
As a publicly elected leader, who would you emulate? Who do you look up to? Why? What characteristics/values are most important for a school board member?
“ My political heroes are Robert Kennedy and Tom Harkin. My parents named me for Robert Kennedy which gave me a head start on reading and understanding the politics of the 1960’s. I admire Senator Kennedy’s campaign for the Presidency in 1968 and his commitment to use his power and notoriety to benefit others, namely poor and starving children and families in Mississippi, Native Americans, and farm workers in California. In each case had clear empathy for those living in terrible situations and worked to make their lives better. ” —Rob Barron (2017)

Dykstra's responses
How do you measure quality education? Which metrics and modes of evaluation would you use to measure quality of education?
“ Measuring proficiency, the way we have always measured schools, gives us an idea of how kids compare to their peers, but does NOT give information about the quality of a school. Measuring growth from the beginning to the end of the year is what measures the effectiveness of a school. ” —Louisa Dykstra (2017)
As funding appears to be a growing concern for the future, what strategies or plans would you advance to ensure our schools are properly funded?
“ The generic 'schools need more money' argument has gotten us 8 years of squeezed budgets. It’s time to deepen the conversation. My strategy has been to be willing to discuss education policy with anyone, to listen to their concerns about public schools, and share accurate data (such as the difference between growth and proficiency). Honest, respectful conversations can turn this around, and make Iowa public schools the top priority in our state again. ” —Louisa Dykstra (2017)
What is your strategy for communication flow? How will you communicate about both the successes and challenges the school district is facing? How will the community be able to communicate with you?
“ I plan to keep my Facebook page, email list, and website going after the election, as means of communication. I've already started posting key items on the agenda in advance of each school board meeting, then sharing highlights from each meeting afterward, on my website and on social media (including Linked In, to encourage our businesses leaders to feel more ownership of our public schools). Social media allows for easy questions and answers that many people can learn from. ” —Louisa Dykstra (2017)
Data suggests harsher disciplinary actions are being taken against nonwhite students. How do you make sense of this data? What sort of policies would you implement to improve racial equality and fair treatment of all students? What sort of professional development programs would you implement in support of this effort?
“ Recent data shows that one way to make strides in this area is to make it possible for every student to access quality preschool. The data from those who are able to enroll in preschool shows very little disparity across ethnic groups. But when those students who aren't able to access preschool come to kindergarten, they're already at a disadvantage, both academically and in knowing simple classroom habits and culture. Kids very quickly internalize that they are "bad" kids or "troublemakers" and act accordingly as they get older. We need to use this as part of the argument for the importance of preschool. We need the funding and policies for kids from impoverished homes to truly be able to access preschool. And of course we need to continue implicit bias training for teachers, to move toward real equity. ” —Louisa Dykstra (2017)
Some suggest that equity is being achieved at the cost of higher achieving students, for example funding for gifted programs are being redirected for needs related to increased diversity. What is your opinion on this?
“ We have to serve all students well, from those who grew up in refugee camps and have never been to school, to those needing the highest math classes to prepare them for MIT. Showing specific examples where schools are making lose-lose budget decisions will help turn around the negative school funding trend. ” —Louisa Dykstra (2017)
What should the school board relationship with the legislature be? How will you contribute to building this relationship?
“ Since the legislature determines funding and regulations for public schools, school board members should have good relationships with all state legislators in the area, in both parties. ” —Louisa Dykstra (2017)
What should the relationship between city officials and school board look like? How will you achieve this type of relationship?
“ City officials and the school board represent the same constituents with the same needs. It is imperative that the city council and school board work closely together, in problem solving and in future planning. ” —Louisa Dykstra (2017)
What responsibility does the school hold for the overall health of students? For example, is the district responsible for feeding hungry students? Even in the summer? Should the district be responsible for providing stability to homeless students? What about physical and mental health needs? Who is responsible?
“ Ideally those needs would be taken care of by other agencies or programs, but since those resources have grown more and more scarce while the need has grown, schools have stepped in. I applaud our district for recognizing that students can't learn if they're hungry, dirty, in pain, or don't feel safe. We need to communicate clearly with legislators that schools are using their already scarce resources to fill in this gap. ” —Louisa Dykstra (2017)

Shelley's responses
How will you retain and support good teachers as they are being recruited to other states?
“ Des Moines has dedicated, highly-qualified and trained teachers and staff at every level. We want to keep these staff in Des Moines working with our students. These teachers can be recruited by selling the great work happening in Des Moines and creating agency and buy-in from future prospective employees by describing the impact they can have on kids every day in the district. Further, Des Moines can continue to offer top salaries and benefits to all employees to ensure that staff can continue to do the work they are dedicated to with the dignity they need to take care of their families. Further, giving our teachers high quality professional development that gives them professional license to apply this work in their classroom and direct the work of their teams is important. We hired our teachers and staff to do a job, and need to give them the professional authority to do what’s best for kids. They are the most qualified to make these decisions as they are in the classrooms and schools with kids every day. As a board member, I will trust they are doing this work and support policy that allows them to make these professional decisions for the benefit of our students and community. ” —Kyrstin Delagardelle Shelley (2017)
Teachers have lost their bargaining rights. Will you support the teacher’s union even as the budget tightens?
“ Absolutely. Schools run because of the quality people that work with our students every day. Our schools are only as great as the staff that works within them. When we give out staff the dignity they need to take care of their families and the professional trust and license to do what’s best for the kids in their classrooms, we show that we value them. Respecting the collective bargaining process is one of the most American, democratic processes we have. Collective bargaining is about adults sitting across table from one another, discussing the issues at hand, and reaching a compromise. This is a great process to model for our students: all voices are valuable and should be respected. All work and persons are important, and in Des Moines, we take care of our neighbors. ” —Kyrstin Delagardelle Shelley (2017)

Any overlapping questions the at-large candidates answered can be found in the table below.

Ballotpedia's 2017 Des Moines school board candidate survey
What are the benefits or strengths of an increasingly diverse student body?
Barron's response	Candidate did not answer this question.
Dykstra's response	“ Des Moines is home to many large global businesses, and they need employees who can work with colleagues from around the world. DMPS students are well-prepared for that world, having been around people from different countries and backgrounds every day. ” —Louisa Dykstra (2017)
Shelley's response	“ As educators, we talk about preparing students for a global, twenty-first century economy. The students in Des Moines Public Schools live this every day in their classrooms. They have the opportunity to interact with students that come from different backgrounds, hold different beliefs, have different opinions, and come from differing family structures among others. Our students won’t be surprised by a workplace with diverse individuals and will know how to navigate and communicate in these future workplaces with ease. We know we are preparing students to join an ever diverse workplace, often in roles and positions that haven’t even been created yet. The diversity in Des Moines helps to prepare students to be competitive and successful in long after graduation. ” —Kyrstin Delagardelle Shelley (2017)
What type of skills should students be learning for success in the 21st century?
Barron's response	“ My full-time job is at Grand View University and we consider this question regularly so that we are preparing our students to succeed in the post-college job market. I’ve had many conversations with employers to learn about what skills and qualities they value in job applicants and in candidates for promotion. One model we have used to frame our discussions at Grand View is the “T-Shaped Professional” which separates skills for innovation from skills for collaboration. Skills for innovation are mastery of content, a specialized skill, or content knowledge. Skills for innovation are what is often measured by standardized testing. They are essential to future success and half of what DMPS must be successful with all of our children, but many skills for innovation are learned after someone finishes their formal education. We have all had job experiences where we have had to learn new skills to become better at our job or transition into a new job. ” —Rob Barron (2017)
Dykstra's response	“ The most important thing employers are saying they need is for kids to be adaptable to an ever-changing workplace. So schools need to be innovative and adapt to the changing world as well! Students need to think creatively, work collaboratively, and be problem solvers. ” —Louisa Dykstra (2017)
Shelley's response	Candidate did not answer this question.
What is the primary job of a school board member in your view?
Barron's response	“ I describe our job as translating public values into school policy. Board members are publicly elected, but don’t necessarily have expertise in education. So we are responsible for translating the will of the community into districtwide policy that the education professionals with DMPS are responsible for implementing. ” —Rob Barron (2017)
Dykstra's response	“ The school board member has two main roles - to be the voice of the community to the schools (the better known role), but also to be the voice of the schools to the community. Board members should be representing the schools at neighborhood meetings, chamber of commerce meetings, and in the media. They should be strong advocates for our public schools. ” —Louisa Dykstra (2017)
Shelley's response	Candidate did not answer this question.
How will you build relationships with members of the broader community? Which groups, organizations, stakeholders will you specifically target?
Barron's response	Candidate did not answer this question.
Dykstra's response	“ I have already started this part of the board role. I spent many days at the State Capitol advocating on behalf of DMPS. I'm also on the Education Workgroup for the Greater Des Moines Partnership's Government Policy Council. I've been meeting with neighborhood associations, connecting with people who don't currently have kids in school to tell about our schools' strengths and challenges. ” —Louisa Dykstra (2017)
Shelley's response	“ As a potential at-large representative, I have been working on creating relationships with community groups and listening to their stories and experiences. I also have been reaching out to local unions and their associated businesses, community non-profits, neighborhood groups, local legislators, and community leaders. It is through conversation with these leaders that truth about the groups and communities they represent can be brought to the board. Ongoing relationship building and coalition is a key priority. Meeting parents and community members where they are, from National Night out in the King neighborhood to community dinners in River Bend to meeting with and talking with parents in neighborhoods across the city, these are the important relationships I am dedicated to building. I want to truly be a representative for all, and this is why I’m dedicated to running At-Large for the Des Moines School Board. ” —Kyrstin Delagardelle Shelley (2017)
What is your 20-year vision for the Des Moines public schools? How might we distinguish our school district in education over the next 20 years?
Barron's response	“ The Board and the District have adopted the same vision for DMPS: To be the model for urban education. Des Moines is different in many ways from every other school district in the State of Iowa. We are twice as large as the second largest district. Though we educate 6% of all Iowa students in DMPS, we educate 16% of all Latino students and 21% of all African-American students and 75% of DMPS students qualify for free and reduced price lunch because of their parents' incomes. Demographically we are more alike large, urban school districts in other states. ” —Rob Barron (2017)
Dykstra's response	“ Part of the reason public education has fallen out of favor politically is that many people believe our schools are outdated and are resistant to change. Everyone involved in schools needs to have a futuristic mindset. We need to always be seeking the new best practices, be very connected with how workplaces are evolving, and provide a culture of innovation. Our classrooms in 20 years should look very different than they did even 5 years ago. Students should be active, working on real-world projects, generating ideas and solving problems. ” —Louisa Dykstra (2017)
Shelley's response	Candidate did not answer this question.

Report for the Des Moines Schools Community Discussion Project

The final report for the Des Moines Schools Community Discussion Project can be found below.

Below is the final report for the Des Moines Schools Community Discussion Project. Scroll in the box to read the entire document.

Issues in the election

See also: Spotlight on Des Moines Public Schools: 2017 election

Ballotpedia highlighted daily elements of the candidates, campaigns, and district from August 10, 2017, through the election day. Click here to check out our spotlight on the Des Moines school board election.

Candidates discuss education funding and community input at forum

All four candidates who attended a forum on August 24 agreed that state education funding had to increase, and they also agreed that the community could help advocate for more funds. All three at-large candidates—incumbent Rob Barron and challengers Louisa Dykstra and Kyrstin Delagardelle Shelley—joined unopposed District 2 incumbent Dionna Langford at a candidate forum hosted by the NAACP of Des Moines in partnership with the Des Moines Chapter of the Links, Inc., the Metro Des Moines League of Women Voters, and seven sorority and fraternity chapters.

Education funding

From left: Dionna Langford, Kyrstin Delagardelle Shelley, Louisa Dykstra, and Rob Barron

When asked what had been done and what could be done to expand school funding, every candidate told the 70-plus member audience that the community had to be involved.

Barron said the district's hands were somewhat tied by state laws on how much they could expand funding, but he said the district and the community of Des Moines could "be a loud, forceful advocate." He also said that the district had to convince people outside of urban areas—where he already saw a lot of support—that education funding was important.

Dykstra said that after the presidential election, advocating to expand education funding "practically became [her] full-time job." She joined advocacy groups to discuss the idea of public education as the foundation of the economy with state legislators. She said that businesses were asking for tax breaks at the same time they were saying there were not enough educated workers for their needs. She said she wanted to help bridge the gap between education leaders and business leaders.

Shelley said that society did not value education as it used to. She said teachers were not seen as the experts they were and that state legislators did not speak to them when creating education policy. She said the district needed to give teachers opportunities to give input at the state level.

Langford said that education funding was the number one issue facing public schools both in Des Moines and across Iowa. She said she was impressed with how Superintendent Thomas Ahart and his team of administrators had used the money available to them, but she also said there was not much more they could do. She said expanding education funding had to be a community effort and suggested that all of the groups in the audience come together into a legislative action team or share the same message.

For details on the Des Moines school district's budget and to see comparisons of budgets from school districts with similar enrollment sizes, click here.

Minority teachers

When asked how they planned to attract, recruit, and hire minority teachers, the candidates again looked to the community. Langford said the district had made strides on this issue by recruiting at colleges and supporting non-teaching staff in becoming certified teachers, but she said these initiatives needed community support to continue as well as expand. She encouraged attendance at school board meetings.

Barron said the community needed to see the value of teaching as a profession. He said the district could not rely on out-of-state recruitment if it wanted to keep teachers for 20- or 30-year careers.

Shelley also spoke of recruiting from the area and starting as early as middle school. She also said the district could target college students in their first or second year of school who were not yet sure which career they wanted to pursue.

Dykstra praised efforts the district had started toward attracting minority teachers. She also looked to the audience, saying the best answer was most likely in the room. She said she looked forward to discussing the issue further and listening to the community.

Academic offerings

When asked what changes needed to be made with the district's academic offerings, Dykstra said the district needed to expand preschool access. She said students who went to preschool were less likely to fall behind their peers in later grades.

Barron said, "It all comes down to access." He agreed with Dykstra about preschool access, but he also spoke of advanced placement courses. He was proud to say the district had expanded its course offerings in its high schools.

Shelley said that students needed role models that they could "share common experience with," particularly in middle school. She said it was important to recruit and retain diverse teachers.

Langford said the district's special education students needed more attention. She said she was specifically concerned with chronic absent rates among special education students. A district report showed that 50 percent of special education students had been chronically absent in recent school years, according to Langford. She said she wanted the board to investigate what was causing that rate.

Teacher support

When asked what the candidates would do to ensure teachers had the support and materials they needed, Dykstra said that the question of how much money schools had drove her to run for office. She said the community was disconnected to the state on this issue. She said she wanted to bring understanding to the community of what exactly was going on in schools and what specific materials were needed.

Barron said that after the state pulled back collective bargaining rights, the board unanimously voted to extend teacher contracts by one year. He said that showed the value the board placed on educators. He also said that all staff deserved to be challenged in their professions in order to grow and to have the ability to be individuals.

Langford also spoke of the board extending teacher contracts after collective bargaining rights were pulled back and said she was proud of that decision. She also said there was space for the board to listen directly to teachers and said she wanted to hear more from them.

Shelley said that district staff had increasing responsibilities. She said the district needed to ensure it had the best staff available, ensure they were well-trained, and then trust them and give them the "professional license to do what's best for kids." She said that school systems went nowhere without strong staff.

Minority student suspensions

When asked about minority student suspension rates, Langford said the board set a goal to decrease those rates. She said the board had to revisit that goal in order to see if it had been met. She also said the district had not expelled any students since 2015.

Barron also mentioned that the district had not expelled any students since 2015. He said that had been a well-communicated board priority. He also said there was "no one answer to this type of question." He said cultural proficiency training, early education, and providing free breakfast could help with classroom behavior.

Shelley said that kids had to see relevance in what they were told to do in class. She also said, "Kids don't learn from people they don't like." She suggested allowing students to have choices when it was possible and to give teachers time to have conversations with their students one-on-one. She also suggested having smaller class sizes, but she acknowledged that the district would need additional funding to pursue that.

Dykstra spoke about the importance of preschool and how it taught students what to expect in a classroom. She also said the district could expand its free breakfast program and give students opportunities to interact with police in a positive way.

Later start times for middle and high schools

When asked if the district's middle and high schools should have later start times, Shelley said that research supported it, but she acknowledged that it would be a huge community change. She said that factors such as families relying on their older students in order to get younger students to school had to be considered before a change was made. She also suggested the district look into the possibility of a yearlong school calendar.

Langford said she was willing to support later start times if the district found viable options for any issues that came up. She also said that only 50 percent of students were in favor of later start times when they were surveyed, which surprised her. She said she could not ignore that student input.

Dykstra said this was another issue that drove her to run for school board. She said she had seen the need for later start times after her son turned 13 and was more tired than he used to be. She said she would support later start times if the district could make sure it would work.

Barron said he was pleased at the effort that had gone into supporting this issue, but he said he had also been surprised by the findings. He said a later start time would affect therapy schedules for schools serving severely disabled students. He said the district could not yet make sure those therapy schedules would not be interrupted.

Voter registration as part of the curriculum

When asked if voter registration should be part of the district's curriculum for students who were 17 or older, every candidate answered by saying yes or absolutely. In her closing remarks, Langford mentioned the low voter turnout in school board races. "If we don't show up, we don't show our political power," said Langford.

At-large candidates discuss teacher diversity at August 8 forum

At a candidate forum on August 8, 2017, the three candidates running for two at-large seats on the Des Moines school board discussed teacher diversity. Incumbent Rob Barron and challengers Kyrstin Delagardelle Shelley and Louisa Dykstra agreed that the school board should strive to have the teaching staff match student demographics. A total of 27 percent of students in the district were from minority groups, while less than 6 percent of teachers were from minority groups, according to Joe Enriquez Henry, national vice president for the midwest region of the League of United Latin American Citizens Council 307, which was a co-sponsor of the forum.

Kyrstin Delagardelle Shelley

"I think that across the state we have other communities that are becoming more diverse, places like Clinton, places like Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, and I think going to those places and finding people who are natives of Iowa, who already know our winters, and asking them, recruiting them to come Des Moines," said Shelley.

Rob Barron

Barron said the district had to continue its efforts to recruit teachers from outside of Iowa. "The teacher pool that comes out of our colleges...is more than 90 percent Caucasian, and it is a board commitment to see how the board should become more diverse, so we're swimming in rough waters."

Louisa Dykstra

"The pool of kids who go to college in Iowa tend to have grown up in Iowa and are overwhelmingly white," said Dykstra. She said she liked the ideas that both Shelley and Barron suggested and added, "I think the district has done a good job of trying to make that an emphasis for recruiting administrators possibly from out of state."

Three of the seven sitting school board members are from minority groups. The board voted for two minority representatives to leadership positions for the first time in 2015. Barron was elected chair, and Teree Caldwell-Johnson was elected vice chair.

The forum was hosted by AFSCME Local 2048, the Anti-Racist Collaborative of Des Moines (ARC), the Asian & Latino Coalition, the Community of Racial Equality (CORE), the Des Moines Education Association (DMEA), Energy & Justice for All, Iowans for Public Education, the League of United Latin American Citizens Council 307 (LULAC), the Sierra Club, and the South Central Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO (SCIFL).

Des Moines education funding

In this section you can find details on the Des Moines school district's expenditures, revenue, debt and budget history, and a comparison to districts of similar enrollment sizes. Four of the candidates in this election discussed education funding in a candidate forum on August 24, 2017. Click here to see how they responded.

Revenues

Each year, Des Moines Public Schools releases a comprehensive financial report that reviews the district's finances from the previous fiscal year. According to the 2015-2016 report, the district totaled $496.6 million in revenues between June 2015 and June 2016. That amount represented a 4.4 percent increase from the preceding year. Revenue consisted mainly of state foundation aid, property taxes, federal grants, and local option sales taxes. You can see the revenue categories broken down in the chart below.

Expenditures

Des Moines Public Schools' expenses totaled $485.9 million between June 2015 and June 2016, according to a financial report released by the district. This was a 5.6 percent increase from the preceding year. The major categories of expenses were instruction, support services, and Iowa's Area Education Agencies (AEA) flow-through. You can view the district's expenditures broken down in the chart below.

With seven school board members and $485.9 million in district expenditures, each board member's spending power was $69.4 million between June 2015 and June 2016.

Debt and budget history

According to its financial report for the 2015-2016 school year, Des Moines Public Schools had $175.8 million of debt as of June 30, 2016, with $10.7 million due within one year of that date. At the end of June 2015, the district's debt was $186.1 million. According to state law, a district may only issue debt up to 5 percent of its total assessed value. The debt limitation of Des Moines Public Schools was $567.3 million as of June 2016.

From 1993 to 2013, the Des Moines school district had an annual average of $311,454,190 in revenue and $307,027,190 in expenditures, according to the United States Census Bureau's survey of school system finances. The district had a yearly average of $26,165,714 in outstanding debt. The district retired $2,530,048 of its debt and issued $8,466,143 in new debt each year on average.

Comparison: Districts with similar enrollment sizes

When compared with districts of similar enrollment sizes (within 500 students), Des Moines Public Schools had the second-highest total revenue for fiscal year 2013.

Revenue for school districts with 34,000 students
District	State	Enrollment (2014-2015)	Local Revenue (FY 2013)	State Revenue (FY 2013)	Federal Revenue (FY 2013)	Total Revenue (FY 2013)
Newark Public Schools	New Jersey	34,861	$119,235,905	$654,067,905	$70,435,286	$843,739,095
Des Moines Public Schools	Iowa	34,355	$131,118,905	$150,142,952	$30,192,333	$311,454,190
Canyons School District	Utah	34,142	$135,251,250	$120,632,250	$20,485,750	$276,369,250
Durham Public Schools	North Carolina	34,172	$111,311,000	$136,088,190	$23,354,762	$270,753,952
Moreno Valley Unified School District	California	34,170	$39,886,429	$182,996,190	$24,240,476	$247,123,095
Fremont Unified School District	California	34,208	$97,490,381	$134,820,857	$13,093,619	$245,404,857
Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District	Texas	34,285	$49,355,143	$127,608,333	$33,296,095	$210,259,571
Johnston County Schools	North Carolina	34,551	$69,064,810	$114,024,667	$15,253,952	$198,343,429

Report a story for this election

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Election trends

See also: School boards in session: 2015 in brief

With 50 percent of the seats uncontested, the 2017 Des Moines school board election had the highest unopposed rate that the district saw in over a decade. The district's 2000 school board election was the last time half of the seats on the ballot were unopposed.

Prior to 2017, Des Moines school board elections had a history of attracting large numbers of candidates. Between 2007 and 2015, the average number of candidates who ran per seat on the ballot was 2.25 or higher with one exception. In 2011, five candidates ran for four seats for an average of 1.25 per seat, which was the same average as the 2017 election.

One trend the 2017 election maintained was electing both incumbents and new members to the board. Between 2007 and 2015, at least one incumbent was re-elected each year, with the exception of 2007 when newcomers took every seat. At least one newcomer was also elected each year in that time span, with the exception of 2008 when incumbents swept the ballot. With two incumbents running unopposed, and one open seat, the 2017 election was guaranteed to continue this trend.

The table below details election statistics in Des Moines Public Schools, in the largest school districts with similar enrollment sizes (30,001 - 40,000), in Iowa as a whole, and in the United States as a whole.

School board election trends
Year	Candidates per seat	Unopposed seats	Incumbents running for re-election	Incumbent success rate	Seats won by newcomers
Des Moines Public Schools
2017	1.25	50.00%	75.00%	100.00%	25.00%
2015	2.25	0.00%	25.00%	100.00%	75.00%
2013	2.50	0.00%	75.00%	66.67%	50.00%
2011	1.25	25.00%	25.00%	100.00%	75.00%
2009	2.25	0.00%	75.00%	100.00%	25.00%
2008	2.67	0.00%	100.00%	100.00%	0.00%
2007	2.50	0.00%	50.00%	0.00%	100.00%
Districts with similar enrollment (30,001 - 40,000)
2015	1.91	24.64%	62.32%	74.42%	53.62%
Iowa
2015	1.79	19.51%	60.98%	84.00%	46.34%
United States
2015	1.72	35.95%	70.37%	82.66%	40.81%

Issues in the district

City votes to hire outside company to manage crossing guards

The Des Moines City Council voted 6-1 on June 26, 2017, to hire an outside company to manage a crossing guard program for the 22 elementary schools in Des Moines Public Schools. Prior to the vote, the crossing guard program was managed by the Des Moines Police Department in partnership with the school district.

That partnership was first established in 1964. The police department said it no longer wanted to be in charge of the crossing guard program, however, due to a lack of interest from district residents to work for the program and an increase in crossing guards not showing up to their posts. In 2016, officers covered crossing guard duties between 40 and 60 hours a month on average, according to The Des Moines Register. "It's time-consuming. We bear all the responsibility and liability," said Des Moines Police Chief Dana Wingert. "There's too much at stake and too many other things to do."

Sgt. Chip Beardsley, who managed the crossing guard program in 2016, said that low unemployment in Des Moines made it hard to find people to employ in the program. The program paid up to $16 an hour for two one-hour periods per day.

In 2016, the crossing guard program cost $360,000, and the city split that cost with school district. The city estimated that hiring an outside company to manage the program would cost $438,000 for the 2017-2018 school year, as the police department would be involved to help with the transition. After that school year, the city expected the cost to decrease as the police department's involvement decreased.

Prior to the vote, some city council members questioned why the city helped pay for the program. "This should have been changed a long time ago," said Councilman Skip Moore. "They're called school crossing guards, not city of Des Moines crossing guards."

Councilwoman Linda Westergaard said, "We have a wonderful police department and they’re very busy protecting our citizens. I think there’s a better use of their time than to be crossing guards."

Des Moines Public Schools chief operations officer Bill Good disagreed with Moore and Westergaard. "The actions of adults and vehicles are not in our control," said Good. "We feel strongly that it best lies with the police department, who can immediately respond and ticket or correct the actions of what happens on city streets."

The arguments over who should be responsible for the crossing guard program were similar to those expressed when the program was started in 1964, according to The Des Moines Register. At that time, the school district agreed to pay half of the cost of the program as long as the city managed it.

District first in state to adopt sanctuary district policies

See also: Sanctuary policy preemption conflicts between the federal and local governments

Sanctuary policy conflicts

Des Moines Public Schools was one of 15 districts tracked by Ballotpedia that debated sanctuary policies as of October 16, 2017. Learn more about these debates on Ballopedia's coverage of sanctuary jurisdictions  »

The Des Moines school board became the first school board in the state to approve sanctuary district policies when it unanimously approved two resolutions on February 7, 2017. The first resolution affirmed that the district would educate all students regardless of their immigration status, prevented staff from asking about student immigration status, and formalized the district's protocol for dealing with requests from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The second resolution called on state and federal officials to exempt participants in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program from future immigration restrictions. In the 2016-2017 school year, approximately 4,000 Des Moines students—13 percent of enrollment—were born outside of the United States. While some had legal immigration status, others resided in the country without legal permission.

“This action tonight is about good ethical governance that puts the needs of the whole first by acting to improve outcomes for those with a pronounced disadvantage,” said board member Rob Barron. “That is equity and that is the job of anyone in elected service.”

Iowa Congressman Steve King (R-4) said the two resolutions were unconstitutional and violated two federal laws.

“	I am incredulous that the school board would come to this kind of motivation or conclusion given that the Trump administration has previously stated they will withhold any federal funds that would go to any sanctuary jurisdiction in America.	”
—Congressman Steve King (2017)

President Donald Trump (R) signed an executive order on January 25, 2017, that introduced penalties against sanctuary districts. A memo produced by Attorney General Jeff Sessions on May 22, 2017, stated that a sanctuary district was any jurisdiction that did not comply with 8 U.S. Code § 1373, which required all levels of government to communicate information about immigration status to ICE. A federal ruling on April 25, 2017, halted the executive order.

Des Moines Public Schools spokesman Phil Roeder said the resolutions were not expected to jeopardize the district's funding as they did not direct staff to refuse ICE agents. Instead, the resolutions outlined a process involving the superintendent and legal counsel should ICE agents request access to district schools. Roeder said that the district had never been contacted by ICE agents, according to his recollection.

ICE policy designates schools as sensitive locations. Because of that designation, they are avoided, according to ICE.

The Iowa State Senate passed SF 481, a bill that prohibited cities and counties from adopting sanctuary policies, on April 12, 2017, but the 2017 legislative session ended before the Iowa House of Representatives considered it. If it had been signed into law, the bill would have required law enforcement agencies to comply with federal immigration requests, and it would have withheld state funds from any city or county that adopted sanctuary policies.

After the Trump administration announced plans to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, Barron said it was safe for students residing in the United States without legal permission to attend school in the district. "Nothing will change," said Barron. "If we have to do more to support them and their families, then we will do more."

Issues in the state

Iowa school board elections dates to change in 2019

School board elections in Iowa were not held in September after 2017. A bill signed into law by Gov. Terry E. Branstad (R) on May 11, 2017, switched school board elections to November of odd-numbered years starting in 2019. The change combined school board elections with city elections.

Sen. Mark Chelgren (R-41), a supporter of the bill, said it would help increase voter turnout. "This says that we have one less date to remember and we have more participation in the process," said Chelgren. An average of 6.5 percent of voters turned up for school board elections between 2009 and 2015, while an average of 21.3 percent of voters turned up for city elections during that same time period, according to the Iowa Secretary of State.

Sen. Thomas Greene (R-44) also supported the bill and said it would help with the cost of administering elections, but it was not expected to decrease costs for every jurisdiction, according to the Legislative Services Agency. The agency said that larger elections would see varied costs.

The Iowa Association of School Boards and the Iowa State Education Association came out against the bill before it was signed into law. The Iowa State Association of Counties, however, supported the bill.

The bill passed the Iowa House of Representatives with a vote of 68-31, and it passed the Iowa State Senate with a vote of 36-13. Both Democrats and Republicans voted in favor of the bill in both houses, though only one Republican voted against it in the House and no Republicans voted against it in the Senate.

About the district

See also: Des Moines Public Schools, Iowa

Des Moines Public Schools is located in Polk County, Iowa.

Des Moines Public Schools is located in the city of Des Moines in central Iowa. Des Moines is the seat of Polk County and was home to an estimated 474,045 residents in 2016, according to the United States Census Bureau. The district was the largest school district in the state in the 2014-2015 school year and served 34,355 students.

Click on the three headings below to view general, fiscal, and academic information for the school district:

General information Revenue and expenditures Academic performance

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Des Moines Public Schools Iowa election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Des Moines Public Schools elections (2017) - Google News

See also

Des Moines Public Schools	Iowa	School Boards
Des Moines Public Schools elections (2015) Des Moines Public Schools elections (2013) List of school districts in Iowa	Iowa school board elections, 2017 Public education in Iowa Local ballot measures, Iowa	School board elections, 2017 School board elections, 2016 School board election data analysis, 2017 School board election data analysis, 2016

External links

• Des Moines Public Schools
• Polk County Auditor's Office

Additional reading

• Candidate’s Guide to the School Election: September 12, 2017
• School Board Elections Frequently Asked Questions