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Elk River Area School District elections (2016)
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Three of the seven seats on the Elk River Area School District school board were up for election on November 8, 2016. A fourth seat was up for special election on August 9, 2016, which was held in conjunction with the school district's primary election. In her bid for re-election, incumbent Holly Thompson faced six challengers in the primary: Andrew Kennedy, Gary Kowalkowski, Kristian Mortenson, Joel Nelson, John Parker, and Christi Tullbane. Every candidate but Kennedy—who received the lowest number of votes in the primary—advanced to the general election. Thompson, Tullbane, and Nelson won the general election. The special election to fill the unfinished term in District 2 left by Jane Bunting’s resignation featured three candidates: Jerry Jaker, Gregg Peppin, and Anthony Martin Pietrzak Jr. Peppin won election to the seat.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Incumbents Dan Hunt and Sue Farber did not file to run for re-election, leaving two full-term seats open for newcomers.[4]
Newcomers were guaranteed to take 75 percent of the seats on the ballot in the district's 2016 election. In 2014, newcomers took 25 percent of the seats up for election. Click here to see how else this race compared to past elections in both the district and the state.
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The Elk River Area School Board consists of seven members elected to four-year terms. Elections are held on a staggered basis every November of even-numbered years. Two seats are elected by district, and five seats are elected at-large. Four seats—two at large and two by district—were up for election on November 4, 2014, and, due to a vacancy on the board, the District 2 seat was up for special election to a two-year term on August 9, 2016. Three at-large seats were up for election on November 8, 2016. A primary election for those three seats was held on August 9, 2016.[2][4]
To run in this election, school board candidates had to be at least 21 years old, residents of the school district for at least 30 days before the date of the election, and able to vote in Minnesota. They also had to register with the school district by May 31, 2016. Any candidate wishing to withdraw their candidacy had to do so by June 2, 2016.[3]
To vote in this election, residents of the district had to register by October 18, 2016. In the case of a primary, voters had to register by July 19, 2016.[7] Photo identification was not required to vote in Minnesota.[8]
Candidates and results
At-large
General election
Results
| Elk River Area School District, At-large General Election, 4-year terms, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Holly Thompson Incumbent |
22.36% | 13,708 |
| Christi Tullbane |
16.64% | 10,203 |
| Joel Nelson |
16.15% | 9,902 |
| Kristian Mortenson | 15.47% | 9,487 |
| John Parker | 15.37% | 9,426 |
| Gary Kowalkowski | 14.01% | 8,589 |
| Total Votes | 61,315 | |
| Source: Elk River Area School District, "Resolution Canvassing Returns Of Votes Of School District General Election," accessed December 22, 2016 | ||
Candidates
Holly Thompson 
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Gary Kowalkowski | Kristian Mortenson | |||
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| Joel Nelson
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John Parker | Christi Tullbane
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Primary election
Results
| Elk River Area School District, At-large Primary Election, 4-year term, 2016 |
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|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Holly Thompson Incumbent |
21.36% | 1,203 |
| Christi Tullbane |
16.00% | 901 |
| Joel Nelson |
14.88% | 838 |
| Kristian Mortenson |
14.77% | 832 |
| Gary Kowalkowski |
12.18% | 686 |
| John Parker |
11.93% | 672 |
| Andrew Kennedy | 8.81% | 496 |
| Write-in votes | 0.07% | 4 |
| Total Votes | 5,632 | |
| Source: Elk River Area School District, "2016-2017 Agendas/Minutes: 8/12/2016 Special Meeting Minutes," accessed October 21, 2016 | ||
Candidates defeated in the primary
| Andrew Kennedy | |
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District 2 special election
Results
| Elk River Area School District, District 2 Special Election, 2-year term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Gregg Peppin |
49.72% | 536 |
| Jerry Jaker | 34.60% | 373 |
| Anthony Martin Pietrzak Jr. | 15.31% | 165 |
| Write-in votes | 0.37% | 4 |
| Total Votes | 1,078 | |
| Source: Elk River Area School District, "2016-2017 Agendas/Minutes: 8/12/2016 Special Meeting Minutes," accessed October 21, 2016 | ||
Candidates
| Jerry Jaker | Gregg Peppin
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Anthony Martin Pietrzak Jr. | |||
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Minnesota elections, 2016
The Elk River Area School District general election shared the ballot with the presidential election as well as elections for seats in the Minnesota State Senate and the Minnesota House of Representatives. The election also shared the ballot with Sherburne County elections for county commissioners and soil and water supervisors.[9]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for Minnesota school board elections in 2016:[3][10]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| May 31, 2016 | Candidate filing deadline |
| June 2, 2016 | Candidate withdrawal deadline |
| July 19, 2016 | Voter registration deadline for primary election |
| July 31, 2016 | Pre-primary campaign finance report due |
| August 9, 2016 | Primary election date |
| October 18, 2016 | Voter registration deadline for general election |
| October 29, 2016 | Pre-election campaign finance report due |
| November 8, 2016 | General election date |
| December 7, 2016 | Post-election campaign finance report due |
| January 2, 2017 | Board members take office |
Endorsements
No candidates received official endorsements in the election.
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
At-large election
Candidates received a total of $780.00 and spent a total of $967.09 in the election, according to the Elk River Area School District.[11]
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holly Thompson | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Andrew Kennedy | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Gary Kowalkowski | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Kristian Mortenson | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Joel Nelson | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| John Parker | $780.00 | $967.09 | ($187.09) |
| Christi Tullbane | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
District 2 special election
No contributions or expenditures were reported during the election, according to the Elk River Area School District Manager of Administrative Services.[12]
Past elections
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What was at stake?
2016
Election trends
The 2016 elections for the Elk River Area School Board had the potential to add four new members to the board. A special election was held for one vacant seat on the board, and two incumbents decided not to run for re-election, leaving three of the four seats on the ballot open for newcomers. Newcomers won the three open seats, and the one incumbent who ran for re-election won another term on the board.
In the district's 2014 election, newcomers took one of the four seats up for election, and in 2012, newcomers won one of three seats. In 2014, three incumbents ran to retain their seats, and all three won re-election. The 2012 election also had three incumbents run to keep their seats. Two won that year for a 66.67 percent success rate.
| School board election trends | |||||
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| Year | Candidates per seat | Unopposed seats | Incumbent success rate | Seats won by newcomers | |
| Elk River Area School District | |||||
| 2016 | 2.5 | 0.00% | 100.00% | 66.67% | |
| 2014 | 1.25 | 75.00% | 100.00% | 25.00% | |
| 2012 | 2.00 | 0.00% | 66.67% | 33.33% | |
| Minnesota | |||||
| 2014 | 2.00 | 21.21% | 86.96% | 39.39% | |
| United States | |||||
| 2014 | 1.89 | 32.57% | 81.31% | 38.24% | |
Issues in the district
Superintendent resigns
Elk River Superintendent Mark Bezek announced he was resigning from his position on June 22, 2016, after serving the district for 10 years. His last day was July 31, 2016. After that, he moved to a new position with the Somerset School District in Wisconsin.[13][14]
On July 11, 2016, the board voted to hire a search firm to help them find both an interim superintendent to lead the district in the short term and a permanent superintendent to fully replace Bezek.[14] They offered the interim position to Bruce Watkins, a former superintendent for the St. Cloud Area School District, and he took on the role in August 2016.[15]
Candidate survey
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About the district
The Elk River Area School District is located in central Minnesota. The majority of it lies in Sherburne County, but parts of the district are also located in Hennepin and Wright counties.[16] The county seat of Sherburne County is Elk River. Minneapolis is the county seat of Hennepin County, and Buffalo is the county seat of Wright County. In 2015, Sherburne County was home to 91,705 residents, Hennepin County was home to 1,223,149 residents, and Wright County was home to 131,311 residents, according to the United States Census Bureau.[17] The district was the eighth-largest school district in the state in the 2013–2014 school year and served 13,139 students.[18]
Demographics
Higher education achievement
Sherburne and Wright counties underperformed compared to Minnesota as a whole in terms of higher education achievement from 2010 to 2014. Hennepin County, however, outperformed the state. The United States Census Bureau found that 26.2 percent of Sherburne County residents and 27.4 percent of Wright County residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 33.2 percent of state residents. In Hennepin County, 46.4 percent of residents of the same age attained a bachelor's degree.
Median household income
All three counties had a higher median household income compared to the state from 2010 to 2014. Sherburne County's median household income was $73,621, Hennepin County's was $65,033, and Wright County's was $73,085. The median household income for the entire state was $60,828.
Poverty rate
Out of the three counties, Wright County had the lowest percentage of people in poverty between 2010 and 2014. A total of 6 percent of residents in Wright County were in poverty, compared to 7.2 percent in Sherburne County and 13 percent in Hennepin County. A total of 11.5 percent of people were in poverty statewide.[17]
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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.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Elk River Area School District' 'Minnesota'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Elk River Area School District | Minnesota | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "Candidate Filings 2016 State General Election: ELK RIVER SD # 728," accessed June 1, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Elk River Area School District, "The ISD 728 School Board," accessed June 1, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Minnesota Secretary of State, "2016 School District Elections Guide," accessed June 1, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Elk River Area School District, "ISD 728 School Board Hosting ‘Meet and Greet’ Sessions with Residents Interested in Running for Office," accessed June 1, 2016
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "Results for Selected Contests in School District No. 728 - ELK RIVER," accessed August 9, 2016
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "Results for Selected Contests in School District No. 728 - ELK RIVER," accessed November 9, 2016
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "Elections Calendar: 2016 Election Dates," accessed May 27, 2016
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "Do I Need To Bring ID?" accessed May 27, 2016
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "Candidate Filings 2016 State General Election: Sherburne County," accessed July 8, 2016
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "2016 Minnesota School Districts with a Primary Elections Calendar," accessed July 21, 2016
- ↑ Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Londa Chambers," October 31, 2016
- ↑ Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Londa Chambers," September 22, 2016
- ↑ Star News, "Bezek headed to Somerset post," June 24, 2016
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Star News, "Firm chosen to help search for superintendent," July 16, 2016
- ↑ Elk River Area School District, "ISD 728 School Board Selects Bruce Watkins for Interim Superintendent Spot," July 29, 2016
- ↑ Minnesota Geospatial Information Office, "Public School District Attendance Areas and Educational Facility Locations: Elk River 728," accessed August 1, 2016
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 United States Census Bureau, "Sherburne County, Minnesota," accessed August 1, 2016
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed November 16, 2015
- ↑ Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State, "Election Results and Statistics," accessed August 1, 2014
- ↑ Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State, "Election Results and Statistics," accessed October 14, 2013
- ↑ Politico, "2012 Minnesota Presidential Results," November 19, 2012
- ↑ U.S. Election Atlas, "2008 Presidential General Election Results - Wright County, MN," accessed August 1, 2016
- ↑ U.S. Election Atlas, "2004 Presidential General Election Results - Wright County, MN," accessed August 1, 2016
- ↑ U.S. Election Atlas, "2000 Presidential General Election Results - Wright County, MN," accessed August 1, 2016
| 2016 Elk River Area School District Elections | |
| Sherburne County, Minnesota | |
| Election date: | Primary and special election: August 9, 2016 General election: November 8, 2016 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Holly Thompson • Andrew Kennedy • Gary Kowalkowski • Kristian Mortenson • Joel Nelson • John Parker • Christi Tullbane District 2 special election: • Jerry Jaker • Gregg Peppin • Anthony Martin Pietrzak Jr. |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
