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Elk Rapids Schools, Michigan, elections

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Elk Rapids Schools
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District details
School board members: 7
Students: 1,239 (2023-2024)
Schools: 5 (2023-2024)
Website: Link

Elk Rapids Schools is a school district in Michigan (Antrim and Grand Traverse counties). During the 2024 school year, 1,239 students attended one of the district's five schools.

This page provides information regarding school board members, election rules, finances, academics, policies, and more details about the district.

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Elections School board Location Budget Academic performance Students Staff Schools

Elections

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Elk Rapids Schools, At-large

General election

General election for Elk Rapids Schools, At-large (2 seats)

Jennifer Brown and Tara Kribs ran in the general election for Elk Rapids Schools, At-large on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
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Jennifer Brown (Nonpartisan)
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Tara Kribs (Nonpartisan)

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Election rules

 

Election dates and frequency

See also: Rules governing school board election dates and timing

School board general elections in Michigan are held on the first Tuesday after the First Monday in November every two years in even-numbered years.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Michigan Statute Section 380.384

Recent or upcoming election dates for all local school districts in the state

Below are the recent/upcoming dates for all local school districts in the state. There may be exceptions to these dates for specific districts because of local charters and district-specific exceptions and carve-outs.

  • Filing deadline date: July 21, 2026
  • General election date: November 3, 2026

Election system

School board members in Michigan are elected through nonpartisan general elections without primaries.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Michigan Statute Section 380.384

Party labels on the ballot

See also: Rules governing party labels in school board elections

School board elections in Michigan are nonpartisan, which means party labels do not appear on the ballot for school board candidates. Michigan Election Law on school board candidate nominating petitions states, "(2)The nominating petition must be substantially in the form prescribed in section 544c, except that the petition must be nonpartisan." It also states, "At any regular election, the names of the several nonpartisan offices to be voted for shall be placed on a separate portion of the ballot containing no party designation in the following order: [...], and in a year in which an election for the office is held, local school district board member, metropolitan district officer, and district library board member."

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Michigan Statute Section 168.303 and Section 168.699

Winning an election

The candidate or candidates that receive the most votes in the nonpartisan general election are elected to office.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Michigan Statute Section 168.307

Term length and staggering

All school districts other community school districts in Michigan have board member terms of either four or six years depending on the board by-laws. As of 2022, 60% of school districts in Michigan had six-year board member terms, and 40% -- including community school districts -- had four-year board member terms.

Community school districts in Michigan have four-year board member terms. Initial terms for the first board members of newly organized community school districts are two, four, or six years to stagger elections.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Michigan Statute Section 380.11a and Michigan Statute Section 380.384

For community school districts in Michigan, as close to half of school board members as possible for each district are elected every two years, which means either three or four seats are up for election at each even-year election. At the first board member election after community school districts are first organized, all seven board member seats are elected. Two members are elected to two-year terms, three members are elected to four-year terms, and two members are elected to six-year terms, with higher vote totals dictating longer initial terms. After initial terms, all board members have four-year terms, which results in staggered elections: four seats up in one election and three seats up in the next election.

Michigan statute requires that at least one board member must be elected every two years at each regular even-year election. Specific seat staggering details for school districts other than community school districts are determined at the local level by the district board's bylaws. Most districts with four-year board member terms elect as close to half of board members as possible every two years. Most districts with six-year board member terms elect as close to one-third of board members as possible every two years.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Michigan Statute Section 380.384 and Michigan Statute Section 168.301

Representation: at large vs. by sub-district

School board members in Michigan are elected at large by all voters in the district.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Michigan Statute Section 168.303, Section 168.307, and Section 380.384 (3)

Filing deadlines and swearing-in dates

School board candidates must file affidavits and nomination petitions or candidate filing fees by 4 p.m. on the 15th Tuesday before the November election. This means that the school board candidate filing deadline is in late July every even-numbered year.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Michigan Statute Section 168.303


Newly elected school board members in Michigan officially take office on January 1 of the year following the election.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Michigan Statute Section 380.384 and Section 168.302

 


About the district

School board

Elk Rapids Schools consists of seven members serving six-year terms. To find information about school board meetings, click here.

List of school board members
NameYear assumed officeYear term ends
Jeff Hill2024
Shana Wojtowicz2024
Tara Kribs2023
Scott Moore2021
Jennifer Brown2017
Darryl Antcliff2013
Sherry Steffen1991

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District map

School district map

Overlapping state house districts

Elk Rapids Schools
Office NameCurrent OfficeholderParty% School District Covered% Other District Covered
Michigan House of Representatives District 104John RothRepublican Party 94% 5%
Michigan House of Representatives District 103Betsy CoffiaDemocratic Party 6% < 1%

The table was limited to the lower chamber because it provides the most granularity. State house districts tend to be more numerous and therefore smaller than state senate or U.S. House districts. This provides an impression of the partisan affiliations in the area.

Budget

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[1]

Revenue, 2021-2022
SOURCE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Federal: $1,881,000 $1,560 10%
Local: $12,922,000 $10,715 72%
State: $3,157,000 $2,618 18%
Total: $17,960,000 $14,892
Expenditures, 2021-2022
TYPE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Total Expenditures: $18,333,000 $15,201
Total Current Expenditures: $14,468,000 $11,996
Instructional Expenditures: $9,244,000 $7,665 50%
Student and Staff Support: $659,000 $546 4%
Administration: $1,935,000 $1,604 11%
Operations, Food Service, Other: $2,630,000 $2,180 14%
Total Capital Outlay: $2,691,000 $2,231
Construction: $2,490,000 $2,064
Total Non El-Sec Education & Other: $313,000 $259
Interest on Debt: $855,000 $708

Academic performance

Each year, state and local education agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency. Although the data below was published by the U.S. Department of Education, proficiency measurements are established by the states. As a result, proficiency levels are not comparable between different states and year-over-year proficiency levels within a district may not be comparable because states may change their proficiency measurements. To protect student privacy, percentages are reported as ranges for groups of 300 students or fewer. If five or fewer students were included in a data set, the data will display as "PS."[2]

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 47 >=50 PS <50 21-39 PS 48
2018-2019 53 PS <50 40-59 40-59 <50 53
2017-2018 42 PS <50 21-39 <50 <50 43
2016-2017 51 >=50 PS 21-39 21-39 <50 51
2015-2016 46 PS PS 21-39 21-39 <50 48
2014-2015 50 PS PS 21-39 40-59 <50 51
2013-2014 47 >=50 <50 20-29 40-59 <50 49
2012-2013 47 <50 PS 30-39 21-39 <50 49
2011-2012 46 >=50 PS 30-39 21-39 <50 48
2010-2011 88 PS PS >=80 >=80 >=50 89

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 65 >=50 PS <50 40-59 PS 67
2018-2019 64 PS <50 60-79 40-59 <50 65
2017-2018 56 PS >=50 40-59 >=50 >=50 56
2016-2017 65 >=50 PS 60-79 40-59 <50 66
2015-2016 62 PS PS 40-59 40-59 <50 63
2014-2015 64 PS PS 40-59 40-59 >=50 66
2013-2014 79 >=50 <50 60-69 60-79 >=50 80
2012-2013 75 >=50 PS 60-69 60-79 >=50 77
2011-2012 77 >=50 PS 60-69 40-59 >=50 79
2010-2011 89 PS PS 70-79 60-79 >=50 90

The following table shows the graduation rate of district students each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2019-2020 85-89 PS PS PS 85-89
2018-2019 85-89 PS PS 90-94
2017-2018 90-94 PS PS PS 90-94
2016-2017 85-89 PS PS PS PS 85-89
2015-2016 90-94 PS PS PS PS 90-94
2014-2015 85-89 PS PS PS PS 90-94
2013-2014 85-89 PS PS PS PS PS 90-94
2012-2013 80-84 PS PS 85-89
2011-2012 85-89 PS PS PS 85-89
2010-2011 90-94 PS PS PS 90-94

Students

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[3]

Year Enrollment Year-to-year change (%)
2023-2024 1,239 0.6
2022-2023 1,231 2.0
2021-2022 1,206 -3.5
2020-2021 1,248 -1.4
2019-2020 1,265 0.1
2018-2019 1,264 -3.7
2017-2018 1,311 -1.2
2016-2017 1,327 1.9
2015-2016 1,302 -2.1
2014-2015 1,329 -2.4
2013-2014 1,361 -4.3
2012-2013 1,420 -0.1
2011-2012 1,422 -1.3
2010-2011 1,441 -8.6
2009-2010 1,565 0.7
2008-2009 1,554 -2.6
2007-2008 1,594 2.0
2006-2007 1,562 1.7
2005-2006 1,535 -0.3
2004-2005 1,540 -0.5
2003-2004 1,548 1.8
2002-2003 1,520 -0.4
2001-2002 1,526 -1.0
2000-2001 1,542 -0.3
1999-2000 1,547 0.0
Racial Demographics, 2023-2024
RACE Elk Rapids Schools (%) Michigan K-12 STUDENTS (%)
American Indian/Alaska Native 2.4 0.6
Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander 0.3 3.7
Black 0.3 18.2
Hispanic 4.6 9.2
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0.4 0.1
Two or More Races 1.7 5.3
White 90.2 63.0

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.

Staff

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[4]

As of the 2023-2024 school year, Elk Rapids Schools had 70.72 full-time classroom teachers. The student-teacher ratio was 17.52.

Teachers, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF TEACHERS
Prekindergarten: 0.50
Kindergarten: 5.00
Elementary: 24.00
Secondary: 33.72
Total: 70.72

Elk Rapids Schools employed 2.05 district administrators and 12.10 school administrators as of the 2023-2024 school year.

Administrators, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATORS
District Administrators: 2.05
District Administrative Support: 0.90
School Administrators: 12.10
School Administrative Support: 13.31
Other staff, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF
Instructional Aides: 7.02
Instruc. Coordinators & Supervisors: 1.50
Total Guidance Counselors: 2.01
Elementary Guidance Counselors: 0.00
Secondary Guidance Counselors: 2.01
Librarians/Media Specialists: 0.00
Library/Media Support: 2.35
Student Support Services: 12.18
Other Support Services: 38.94

Schools

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[5]

Elk Rapids Schools operates five schools. They are listed below in alphabetical order.
List of schools
SCHOOL NAMENUMBER OF STUDENTSGRADES
Cherryland Middle School2856-8
Elk Rapids High School3599-12
Lakeland Elementary School311PK-5
Mill Creek Elementary School248PK-5
Sunrise Academy279-12


About school boards

Education legislation in Michigan

Bills are monitored by BillTrack50 and sorted by action history.

See also

School Boards Education Policy Local Politics Michigan
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External links

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    • Footnotes

    1. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
    2. ↑ U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC: EDFacts, "State Assessments in Reading/Language Arts and Mathematics- School Year 2018-19 EDFacts Data Documentation," accessed February 25, 2021
    3. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
    4. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
    5. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
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