Fond du Lac School District elections (2016)
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Three of the seven seats on the Fond du Lac School District school board were up for at-large general election on April 5, 2016. Incumbents Mark Jurgella and Elizabeth Hayes were joined on the ballot by candidate Peggy Breister. Incumbent Kathleen Nagle chose not to file for re-election and all three candidates were elected to the board.
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The Fond du Lac School District Board of Education consists of seven at-large members elected to three-year terms. A primary election would have been held on February 16, 2016, if the number of candidate filings was more than double the number of seats up for election. Because only three candidates filed for the three seats, they all advanced to the general election on April 5, 2016.
To be elected to the board, candidates must reside in the boundaries of the school district for 28 days prior to the filing of a "Declaration of Candidacy" form.[1] Candidates must also be 18 years old and citizens of the United States. Unless pardoned, those who have been convicted of a felony are not eligible for election to office in Wisconsin.[2]
Candidates had until January 5, 2016, to collect between 20 and 100 signatures for their nomination papers. The signatures had to come from residents of the district where the candidate sought election, but the petition circulators were not required to reside in the district or municipality. Circulators were required to be U.S. citizens and 18 years or older.[3]
Candidates and results
At-large
Results
| Fond du Lac School District, At-Large General and Special Elections, 3-year terms, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Peggy Breister |
35.00% | 9,354 |
| Elizabeth Hayes Incumbent |
32.65% | 8,726 |
| Mark Jurgella Incumbent |
32.35% | 8,644 |
| Total Votes (100) | 26,724 | |
| Source: Fond du Lac County, "Election Summary Report," April 5, 2016 | ||
Candidates
Mark Jurgella 
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Elizabeth Hayes
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Peggy Breister
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Wisconsin elections, 2016
The Fond du Lac Area School District election ballot also included the state's presidential primary, and races for state and county courts.[4]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for Wisconsin school board elections in 2016:[5]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| January 5, 2016 | Candidate filing deadline |
| January 26, 2016 | Referendum submission deadline |
| March 28, 2016 | Pre-general election campaign finance deadline |
| April 5, 2016 | Election Day |
| April 25, 2016 | Board members take office |
| July 15, 2016 | Post-election campaign finance deadline |
Endorsements
There were no official endorsements reported in the election.
Campaign finance
No contributions or expenditures were reported during the election, according to the Fond du Lac School District.[6]
Candidates were only required to file campaign finance reports if they did one of the following:[7][8]
- accepted contributions, made disbursements or incurred obligations in an aggregate amount of more than $2,000 in a calendar year
- accepted more than $100 from a single source in the calendar year, except contributions made by candidates to their own campaigns
Past elections
Information about earlier elections can be found by clicking [show] at the right. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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2015Two of the seven Board of Education seats were up for election and incumbents Eric Everson and Susan Jones were joined in the race by Linda Uselmann. Jones and Ulman won. 2014
2013
2012
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What was at stake?
2016
Three of the seven seats were up for general election in April of 2016. Two incumbents were joined on the ballot by a single newcomer. Due to the lack of opposition, the election was canceled and all three candidates were elected to the school board. This is the second low-stakes race in the district, with only three candidates filing in the 2015 election.
Candidate survey
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Ballotpedia invites school board candidates to participate in its annual survey. |
Issues in the district
School safety app Roomsponder launched
The Fond du Lac School District began the 2015–2016 school year with a school safety drill after hiring local company BrownBoots Interactive to develop an emergency app called Roomsponder. The app—accessible through smartphones, tablets and laptops—was designed to improve accounting for students and staff during an emergency situation and connects to police departments, fire departments and EMTs.[9][10]
During the drill, Roomsponder accounted for 100 percent of elementary students in under four minutes. “Before you can strategically react to a crisis situation, you need a clear picture of what is happening in real time. We needed a tool that could tell us who is safe and who faces potential danger,” said Marian Sheridan, the district's health, safety, attendance and traffic coordinator. This custom app marked a new approach to safety by the school district.[9][10]
Vouchers lead to increased taxes
Changes to the Wisconsin Parental Choice Program (WPCP) led Fond du Lac School District to increase its tax levy by 11 cents per $1,000 of property value during the 2015-2016 school year. Prior to 2015, the state budget funded vouchers differently, with districts paying for student vouchers through a separate state fund. However, beginning in 2015, students receiving vouchers were counted in their home district’s total enrollment and the cost of students receiving WPCP vouchers was paid directly out of the district’s state aid funding.[11][12]
The increase in enrollment numbers allowed the district to increase its property taxes and levy an additional $379,407 to cover the expansion of the WPCP. "Private schools will be paid for our 41 students who attend their schools. According to district administrators, this increase is directly related to the expansion of the voucher program. "If we don't levy the funds, our aid payment would still be reduced and we would have to make other cuts," said Wendy Brockert, Fond du Lac School District's business manager.[11][12]
A 2015 memo released by the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau stated that, statewide, the school voucher program will lead to school districts to increase property taxes by approximately $23.5 million in 2016-17.[11][12]
About the district
- See also: Fond du Lac School District, Wisconsin
Fond du Lac School District is located in Fond du Lac County in southeastern Wisconsin. The county seat is Fond du Lac. Fond du Lac County was home to approximately 101,759 residents in 2014, according to estimates by the United States Census Bureau.[13] The district was the 15th-largest school district in the state in the 2013–2014 school year and served 7,460 students.[14]
Demographics
Fond du Lac County residents underperformed in terms of higher education achievement compared to Wisconsin as a whole in 2013. The United States Census Bureau found that 20.0 percent of county residents aged 25 years or older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 26.8 percent of all state residents. The median household income for Fond du Lac County between 2008 and 2013 was $53,820, compared to $52,413 statewide. During that same time period, the median household income for the United States was $53,046. From 2008 to 2013, the poverty rates in the county and state were 9.8 percent and 13.0 percent, respectively, while it was 15.4 percent nationally.[13][15]
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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 'Fond du Lac School District' 'Wisconsin'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Fond du Lac School District | Wisconsin | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Wisconsin Candidate Eligibility," accessed September 22, 2014
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Candidates: Getting on the Ballot," accessed September 22, 2014
- ↑ Wisconsin State Legislature, "State Statutes: CHAPTER 8," accessed September 22, 2014
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "2016 Spring Election and Presidential Preference Vote," accessed January 12, 2016
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Campaign Finance Report Dates 2016, 2017 and 2018," accessed January 25, 2016
- ↑ Mandy Gillip, "Phone conversation with district secretary to the superintendent, March 31, 2016
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Campaign Finance Overview: State Candidates," May 2010
- ↑ Wisconsin State Legislature, "11.0104 Reporting exemptions: limited activity," accessed January 26, 2016
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 FDL Reporter, "New school safety approach kicked off," December 18, 2015
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 FDL Reporter, "FDL schools invest in safety app", December 10, 2015
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 FDL Reporter, "Taxpayers pay for area voucher students", November 20, 2015
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 The Northwestern, “School vouchers could boost property taxes”, July 30, 2015
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 United States Census Bureau, "Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin," accessed January 15, 2016
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed November 16, 2015
- ↑ United States Census Bureau,"State&County QuickFacts:USA," accessed January 15, 2016
- ↑ Fond du Lac County Clerk, "Election Results," accessed September 23, 2014
| 2016 Fond du Lac School District Elections | |
| Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin | |
| Election date: | April 5, 2016 |
| Candidates: | At-large: Incumbent, Mark Jurgella • Incumbent, Elizabeth Hayes • Peggy Breister |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
