Become part of the movement for unbiased, accessible election information. Donate today.
Helen Bassett
Ballotpedia provides comprehensive election coverage of the 100 largest cities in America by population as well as mayoral, city council, and district attorney election coverage in state capitals outside of the 100 largest cities. This board member is outside of that coverage scope and does not receive scheduled updates.
Helen Bassett is an at-large representative on the Robbinsdale Area School Board in Minnesota. She was first elected to the board in November 2003.[1] Bassett won re-election in the general election on November 8, 2016.[2]
Bassett participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 school board candidate survey. Click here to read her responses.
Elections
2016
Three of the seven seats on the Robbinsdale Area Schools School Board were up for at-large general election on November 8, 2016. In their bids for re-election, incumbents Helen Bassett, Sherry Tyrrell, and John Vento defeated challengers Andrea Bejarano-Robinson and Aaron James Carlson.[2][3][4]
Results
| Robbinsdale Area Schools, At-large General Election, 4-year terms, 2016 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Sherry Tyrrell Incumbent |
23.32% | 19,906 |
| Helen Bassett Incumbent |
23.20% | 19,804 |
| John Vento Incumbent |
22.64% | 19,322 |
| Andrea Bejarano-Robinson | 16.03% | 13,685 |
| Aaron James Carlson | 14.09% | 12,031 |
| Write-in votes | 0.72% | 613 |
| Total Votes | 85,361 | |
| Source: Robbinsdale Area Schools, "School Board incumbents retain seats in general election," accessed January 12, 2017 | ||
Funding
Bassett reported $3,452.53 in contributions and $2,928.27 in expenditures to the Robbinsdale Area Schools, which left her campaign with $524.26 on hand in the election.[5]
Endorsements
Bassett was endorsed in the election by the Robbinsdale Federation of Teachers, the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees, the Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation, Service Employees International Union Local 284, and the African American DFL Caucus.[6][7]
2012
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Sherry Tyrrell Incumbent |
25.5% | 20,671 | |
| Nonpartisan | Helen Bassett Incumbent |
24.8% | 20,115 | |
| Nonpartisan | John Vento |
22.8% | 18,444 | |
| Nonpartisan | Ron Stoffel | 13.7% | 11,068 | |
| Nonpartisan | Peter Vasseur | 12.5% | 10,118 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.8% | 634 | |
| Total Votes | 81,050 | |||
| Source: Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State, "Results for Selected Contests in School District No. 281 - Robbinsdale," accessed August 1, 2014 | ||||
Campaign themes
2016
Ballotpedia survey responses
Helen J. McMickle-Bassett participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 survey of school board candidates. In response to the question "What do you hope to achieve if elected to the school board?" the candidate stated on October 7, 2016:
| “ | We are engaged in re-opening two facilities that were closed due to fiscal constrains. I want to monitor the fiscal implications of bringing those schools back on line, and insure that the District is able to support the total number of facilities over time. I also want to reach out further and deeper to our community senior citizens. 70 - 80 % of the seniors in communities across the country and in our own District do not have students in school, yet they make up a significant portion of the source of funding for the school. Not only do we need to mine the knowledge and wisdom of their years, they add value in mentoring students.[8][9] | ” |
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues based on how they should be prioritized by the school board, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. Each ranking could only be used once.
| Education policy |
|---|
 |
Click here to learn more about education policy in Minnesota. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Improving relations with teachers | |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| “ | Demographic data shows us that the majority of students in public schools are ethnically and culturally diverse. That trend is growing. If we do not close the achievement gap between students and Black, Brown, Asian and American Indian students we will miss an opportunity to advance innovation, creativity and growth in the future civic and business world.[9] | ” |
| —Helen J. McMickle-Bassett (October 7, 2016) | ||
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer nine questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are highlighted in blue and followed by the candidate's responses. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions. The candidate was also provided space to elaborate on their answers to the multiple choice questions.
| Should new charter schools be approved in your district? (Not all school boards are empowered to approve charter schools. In those cases, the candidate was directed to answer the question as if the school board were able to do so.) |
|---|
| No. I believe that investment in public schools is the best option and has the greatest opportunity to impact the highest number of students. If a District can authorize a charter, and carefully set parameters for performance, governance, programming and curriculum, this (charter schools) could work. |
| Which statement best describes the ideal relationship between the state government and the school board? The state should always defer to school board decisions, defer to school board decisions in most cases, be involved in the district routinely or only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. |
| The state should defer to school board decisions in most cases. Reasonable regulation for building size, standards etc. are good examples of why a certain amount of guidance and oversight is advisable. |
| Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement? |
| No. Often they are not. The tests have been normed over time to student populations who are no longer the norm or average student in schools today. In addition, the benefits of arts education and other enrichment activities have been shown to make a marked difference in students ability to learn and excel. A broader skill base provides the student with more opportunities to master varied subjects and thus to build confidence in themselves. Not every student responds to every type of instructional stimuli. |
| What is your stance on the Common Core State Standards Initiative? |
| I am ambivalent. I want to learn more about how such practices match up against the great range of students who must be taught, and the realities and variations among Districts, from size to curriculum. |
| How should the district handle underperforming teachers? Terminate their contract before any damage is done to students, offer additional training options, put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve or set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district? |
| Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district. Provide clear guidance on the expectations for improvement and monitor progress. Set timelines for check in and do not retain teachers who are unable to rise to the occasion at the natural junctures where releasing them from service occur. This would be similar to many other professions. |
| Should teachers receive merit pay? |
| Yes. Creativity and effectiveness should be incented where possible. |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| No. Only if the full needs of the public schools in the geographic vicinity have been met. |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| As a last resort for seriously egregious behavior, danger or violence. |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| Teachers A competent and effective teacher in the classroom can mitigate against many other deficits. Data tells us that a caring adult, who can make a difference in students' lives. When that caring adult is also skilled at delivering high-quality instruction, children can achieve. |
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Helen Bassett' 'Robbinsdale Area Schools'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Golden Valley Patch, "Helen Bassett, Candidate for Robbinsdale School Board," November 8, 2012
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Minnesota Secretary of State, "Candidate Filings: 2016 State General Election, accessed August 17, 2016
- ↑ Robbinsdale Area Schools, "School Board," accessed June 9, 2016
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "Results for Selected Contests in School District No. 281 - ROBBINSDALE," accessed November 8, 2016
- ↑ Robbinsdale Area Schools, "Campaign Financial Reports," accessed December 8, 2016
- ↑ Robbinsdale Federation of Teachers, "Election 2016," accessed October 19, 2016
- ↑ Ballotpedia, "Email communication with Helen Bassett," November 7, 2016
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2016, "Helen J. McMickle-Bassett's responses," October 7, 2016
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
| 2016 Robbinsdale Area Schools Elections | |
| Hennepin County, Minnesota | |
| Election date: | November 8, 2016 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Helen Bassett • Incumbent, Sherry Tyrrell • Incumbent, John Vento • Andrea Bejarano-Robinson • Aaron James Carlson |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
