Incumbent & opt-out defeated; Rapid City school district's funding uncertain
June 3, 2015
While both challenged incumbents and opt-out supporters outraised and outspent their opposition in the Rapid City Area School District election, only one was successful. Area 1 incumbent Matthew Stephens won his second three-year term on the board, while Area 7 incumbent Laura Schad and a question to approve a tax levy limit opt-out were both defeated. Challenger Katharine Thomas will replace Schad in the Area 7 seat.[1]
Also up for election, but not appearing on the ballot, was Area 2 incumbent Sheryl Kirkeby. Due to a lack of opposition in her race, Kirkeby won re-election automatically.
Stephens garnered over 1.6 times the campaign contributions of his opponent and former board member Richard Kriebel. Schad similarly dominated Thomas in campaign contributions and spending, gathering over 1.7 times Thomas' campaign contributions; still, Schad's financial success did not translate into a win. Both incumbents spent almost twice as much as their opponents. A total of $5,221.00 in contributions and $4,261.35 in expenditures were made in the races for those two board seats.[2]
The campaign contributions were even more imbalanced on the opt-out measure. Supporting organization Support Our Schools RC raised three times as much as opposing organization Smarter Solutions for Students. The two groups were more similar in their spending habits, with Support Our Schools RC spending only 1.15 times as much as Smarter Solutions for Students.[2] Despite their monetary advantage, opt-out supporters were decisively defeated, with 58.15 percent of votes cast on the matter being against it.[1]
The full ramifications of the opt-out's failure remain unknown, but the district's funding problems have already led to a standoff over teacher salaries and growing tension with the state government and Gov. Dennis Daugaard (R), in particular. Rapid City Area School District and South Dakota as a whole have struggled to compete in terms of education funding and teacher salaries.[3][4]
The measure would have allowed the district to levy an additional $6 million in property taxes every year for five years. It received unanimous approval from the board of education in March 2015, but district residents gathered sufficient signatures to refer the matter to a district-wide vote.[5] Supporters saw the measure as a way for the district to improve educational offerings and to offer more competitive teacher salaries, as some district employees have already left their positions for higher wages in neighboring Wyoming.[6] Opponents called the tax "burdensome," accused the district of mismanaging its existing funds, and argued the state should be held responsible for the district's funding problems.[7][8][9]
Candidates
Note: An (i) next to a candidate's name indicates incumbent status.
Area 1
☑ Matthew Stephens (i)
☐ Richard Kriebel
Area 2
☑ Sheryl Kirkeby (i)
Area 7
☐ Laura Schad (i)
☑ Katharine Thomas
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Pennington County Election and Voting Information, "June 2, 2015 Combined City/School Election (Rapid City/Hill City): Unofficial Final Results," June 2, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Margaret Koenig, "Email correspondence with Kathy Lewis, Rapid City Area Schools Business Office," June 2, 2015
- ↑ South Dakota War College, "Press Release: State Legislatures Oppose Opt-Out," June 1, 2015
- ↑ Rapid City Journal, "Path to opt-out started state's cut in education spending," May 31, 2015
- ↑ KOTA Territory News, "Group forms to promote school district's opt out plan," April 27, 2015
- ↑ Support Our Schools RC, "Homepage," accessed May 21, 2015
- ↑ KOTA, "Mums the word when talking about the opt-out impasse," May 14, 2015
- ↑ Facebook, "SD Citizens For Liberty: Wall Post," April 9, 2015
- ↑ KEVN Black Hills FOX, "An Education on the Opt-Out: Opponents make their case," May 15, 2015
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