Indianapolis Public Schools elections (2014)

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2014 Indianapolis Public Schools Elections
General Election date:
November 4, 2014
Table of Contents
About the district
Method of election
Elections
What was at stake?
Key deadlines
Additional elections
External links
See also
Indiana
Indianapolis Public Schools
Marion County, Indiana ballot measures
Local ballot measures, Indiana
Flag of Indiana.png

Three seats on the Indianapolis School Board were up for general election on November 4, 2014.

At-large incumbent Andrea J. Roof ran against challengers Ramon Batts, David Hampton, Josh Owens and Mary Ann Sullivan. Kelly Bentley and James Turner competed with board member Samantha Adair-White for the District 3 seat, and District 5 incumbent Michael D. Brown faced a challenge from LaNier L. Echols.[1][2] Challengers Mary Ann Sullivan, Kelly Bentley and LaNier L. Echols won the three seats.

The election had the potential to shift the governing majority on the board on education policy issues such as school autonomy and charter schools. Incumbents Adair-White and Brown constituted the governing minority on the board and generally oppose those reforms, while fellow board member Roof often allied with the governing majority on those issues.

See also: What was at stake in Indianapolis Public Schools?

About the district

See also: Indianapolis Public Schools, Indiana
Indianapolis Public Schools is located in Marion County, Indiana.

Indianapolis Public Schools is located in Marion County, Indiana. The county seat is Indianapolis. Marion County is home to 928,281 residents, according to the United States Census Bureau.[3] In the 2011-2012 school year, Indianapolis Public Schools was the largest school district in Indiana and served 31,999 students.[4]

Demographics

Marion County overperformed compared to the rest of Indiana in terms of higher education achievement in 2012. The United States Census Bureau found that 27.6 percent of Marion County residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree compared to 23.0 percent for Indiana as a whole. The median household income for Marion County was $42,603 compared to $48,374 for the state of Indiana. The percentage of people below poverty level for Marion County was 19.4 percent while it was 14.7 percent for the state of Indiana.[3]

Racial Demographics, 2013[3]
Race Marion County (%) Indiana (%)
White 66.7 86.3
Black or African American 27.6 9.5
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.5 0.4
Asian 2.4 1.9
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 0.1 0.1
Two or more races 2.6 1.8
Hispanic or Latino 9.7 6.4

Presidential Voting Pattern, Marion County[5]
Year Democratic Vote Republican Vote
2012 216,336 136,509
2008 241,987 134,313
2004 162,249 156,072

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.

Voter and candidate information

The Indianapolis School Board consists of seven members elected at-large or by specific geographic districts to four-year terms. There was no primary election, and the general election was held on November 4, 2014. Three seats were up for election in 2014.[1]

School board candidates had to file with their county elections department during the candidate filing period, which began on July 23, 2014, and ended on August 22, 2014. Write-in candidates also had to file by August 22, 2014. To vote in the 2014 general election, voters had to register by October 6, 2014.[6]

Elections

2014

Candidates

At-large

  • Ramon Batts
    • Graduate, Indiana Institute of Technology, Virginia Union University and United Theological Seminary
    • Pastor, Change & Restoration Community Baptist Church
  • David Hampton
    • Graduate, the University of Indianapolis and the Christian Theological Seminary
    • Pastor, Light of the World Christian Church
  • Josh Owens
    • Graduate, Wabash College and the London School of Economics and Political Science
    • Economics and statistics professor, Butler University

District 3

  • James Turner
    • Athletics director and dean, Fall Creek Academy charter school

District 5

  • LaNier L. Echols Green check mark transparent.png
    • Graduate, Florida State University, Marian University and Indiana State University
    • Dean of students, Carpe Diem Meridian charter school

Election results

At-large
Indianapolis Public Schools, At-Large General Election, 4-year term, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Nonpartisan Green check mark transparent.pngMary Ann Sullivan 45.6% 14,000
     Nonpartisan Andrea J. Roof Incumbent 19.9% 6,115
     Nonpartisan David Hampton 17.7% 5,431
     Nonpartisan Ramon Batts 9.4% 2,879
     Nonpartisan Josh Owens 7.5% 2,295
Total Votes 30,720
Source: Marion County Election Board, "2014 General Election Results for Marion County," accessed December 29, 2014
District 3
Indianapolis Public Schools, District 3 General Election, 4-year term, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Nonpartisan Green check mark transparent.pngKelly Bentley 54.6% 5,109
     Nonpartisan Samantha Adair-White Incumbent 26.5% 2,476
     Nonpartisan James Turner 19% 1,774
Total Votes 9,359
Source: Marion County Election Board, "2014 General Election Results for Marion County," accessed December 29, 2014
District 5
Indianapolis Public Schools, District 5 General Election, 4-year term, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Nonpartisan Green check mark transparent.pngLaNier L. Echols 55.6% 3,493
     Nonpartisan Michael D. Brown Incumbent 44.4% 2,792
Total Votes 6,285
Source: Marion County Election Board, "2014 General Election Results for Marion County," accessed December 29, 2014

Endorsements

Both the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce and Stand for Children Indiana endorsed Mary Ann Sullivan in the at-large race, Kelly Bentley in the District 3 race and LaNier L. Echols in the District 5 race.[7][8]

The Indianapolis Education Association endorsed incumbent Andrea J. Roof in the at-large race, incumbent Samantha Adair-White in the District 3 race and incumbent Michael D. Brown in the District 5 race.[9]

Ramon Batts, David Hampton, Josh Owens and James Turner did not receive any official endorsements for their campaigns during the election.

Campaign finance

Candidates reported a total of $168,913.62 in contributions and $51,494.42 in expenditures during the election, according to the Marion County Election Board.[10]

The three candidates endorsed by the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce and Stand for Children Indiana, which were Mary Ann Sullivan, Kelly Bentley and LaNier L. Echols, reported $134,729.38 in contributions, which was 79.76 percent of all contributions. The three incumbents, Andrea J. Roof, Samantha Adair-White and Michael D. Brown, reported just $4,346.24 in contributions, which was only 2.57 percent of all contributions.

In the at-large race, candidates reported $86,751.24 in contributions and $33,211.62 in expenditures during the election.

Sullivan received contributions from several notable individuals, including LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, Hoffman's wife Michelle Yee and former Bain Capital managing director Mark Nunnelly. She also received contributions from the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce's PAC, Democrats for Education Reform and Education Reform Now.[11][12]

Candidate Contributions Expenditures Cash on hand
Andrea J. Roof $2,936.24 $1,194.00 $1,742.24
Ramon Batts $525.00 $129.28 $395.72
David Hampton $27,105.00 $0.00 $27,105.00
Josh Owens $2,208.00 $1,163.96 $1,044.04
Mary Ann Sullivan $53,977.00 $30,724.38 $23,252.62

In the District 3 race, candidates reported $43,823.65 in contributions and $15,115.91 in expenditures during the election.

Bentley received contributions from several notable individuals, including Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, Hoffman's wife Michelle Yee and former Bain Capital managing director Mark Nunnelly. She also received contributions from the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce's PAC, Democrats for Education Reform, Education Reform Now and Freedom PAC.[13][14]

Candidate Contributions Expenditures Cash on hand
Samantha Adair-White $1,100.00 $0.00 $1,100.00
Kelly Bentley $42,723.65 $15,115.91 $27,607.74
James Turner $0.00 $0.00 $0.00

In the District 5 race, candidates reported $38,338.73 in contributions and $3,166.89 in expenditures during the election.

Echols received contributions from several notable individuals, including Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, Hoffman's wife Michelle Yee, former Bain Capital managing director Mark Nunnelly and former CNN television host Campbell Brown. She also received contributions from the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce's PAC and Leadership for Educational Equity, which is based in Washington, D.C.[15][16]

Candidate Contributions Expenditures Cash on hand
Michael D. Brown $310.00 $0.00 $422.38
LaNier L. Echols $38,028.73 $3,166.89 $34,861.84

Past elections

What was at stake?

Issues in the election

Candidate survey answers

All 10 candidates who ran for school board answered a Chalkbeat survey regarding their positions on a range of issues in the district. These tables aggregate their responses to the five questions with "yes" or "no" answers. Click on a candidate's name in order to see that candidate's answers to all 11 questions, along with the candidate's full explanation for each answer.[17]

At-large candidate positions
Issue Andrea J. Roof Ramon L. Batts David Hampton Josh Owens Mary Ann Sullivan
Do you support stronger partnerships with school reform organizations? No opinion No No opinion Yes Yes
Do you support the state’s voucher program? No No Yes Yes No
Should the school district partner with charter schools, and to what degree? No opinion No No opinion Yes Yes
Do you believe the operation of IPS’ central office is efficient? No opinion No opinion No opinion No No
Do you support the direction of the school district under Superintendent Lewis Ferebee? Yes No opinion Yes Yes No opinion
District 3 candidate positions
Issue Samantha Adair-White Kelly Bentley James Turner
Do you support stronger partnerships with school reform organizations? No opinion Yes No
Do you support the state’s voucher program? No opinion No Yes
Should the school district partner with charter schools, and to what degree? No opinion Yes No
Do you believe the operation of IPS’ central office is efficient? No opinion No No opinion
Do you support the direction of the school district under Superintendent Lewis Ferebee? Yes Yes No
District 5 candidate positions
Issue Michael D. Brown LaNier L. Echols
Do you support stronger partnerships with school reform organizations? No opinion Yes
Do you support the state’s voucher program? No opinion Yes
Should the school district partner with charter schools, and to what degree? Yes Yes
Do you believe the operation of IPS’ central office is efficient? No Yes
Do you support the direction of the school district under Superintendent Lewis Ferebee? Yes Yes

New majority on the board

In 2012, three new members were elected to the seven-member Indianapolis School Board who each supported education policy shifts, such as school autonomy and charter school partnerships. The 2012 election featured the highest candidate fundraising totals of any school board election in Indianapolis history. The most raised was approximately $65,000, and some candidates received contributions from major national figures such as former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

These new members were Gayle Cosby, Caitlin Hannon, and Sam Odle, and they joined the board incumbents, Andrea J. Roof, Samantha Adair-White and Diane Arnold, to create a new governing majority in favor of policy changes. Shortly after joining the board, the new majority ousted former superintendent Eugene White through a contract buyout and appointed Superintendent Lewis Ferebee as his replacement.[18] Ferebee received praise following his appointment for discovering significant errors in the district budget. Auditors employed with the Indiana State Board of Accounts and the Council on the Great City Schools confirmed Ferebee's assessment that the district had an $8.4 million operating surplus in 2013 instead of a $30 million deficit, which was his predecessor's belief.[19]

According to a report by Chalkbeat, the board majority shifted since 2012. Arnold, Roof, Hannon and Odle constituted the majority, while Adair-White frequently joined the minority along with Michael D. Brown, who supported Eugene White as superintendent and who first joined the board in 1999. Cosby was often the swing vote on the board, although the governing majority was large enough to approve motions and resolutions without her support.[20]

The 2014 election featured challengers to all three incumbents who supported larger changes to policies in the district. The Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce endorsed former state Representative Mary Ann Sullivan (D) in the at-large race, former board member Kelly Bentley in the District 3 race and charter school dean LaNier L. Echols in the District 5 race.[21]

October 10 candidate forum

At a candidate forum hosted by the Greater Indianapolis chapter of the NAACP along with the Concerned Clergy of Indianapolis on October 10, 2014, nine of the 10 candidates who ran for three seats on the board voiced their opinions on issues such as charter schools and graduation rates. LaNier L. Echols, a District 5 challenger, did not attend the forum.

A state law passed earlier in 2014 allowing the school district to partner with private-sector charter school operators to either operate or take over district schools sparked the former conversation. At-large incumbent Andrea J. Roof indicated that she did not support turning district schools into charter schools, but acknowledged that some low-performing schools may benefit from a partnership. Two of her challengers, Josh Owens and Mary Ann Sullivan, both proclaimed their support for the law and for charter school partnerships in the district.

The District 3 board member, Samantha Adair-White, condemned the law and stated, "Our kids are not for sale. It is a disgraceful attack. I don’t like it and I’m not with it." One of Adair-White's challengers in District 3, Kelly Bentley, indicated that she would approve of any partnership that could improve student performance.

On the subject of graduation rates, District 5 incumbent Michael D. Brown was optimistic about spreading the success of certain high-achieving schools across the district. He added, "There’s no new thing in education. [...] If you really want to improve, you have to replicate programs that are successful." At-large challenger David Hampton stated that raising graduation rates were his highest priority and that he would not support granting waivers to students who could not pass state examinations. Fellow at-large candidate Ramon L. Batts insisted that parent engagement with high school students was the primary issue driving down graduation rates. District 3 challenger James Turner claimed that outside partnerships would not remedy the problem and that only internal improvement would increase graduation rates.[22]

Ramon Batts plagiarism

At-large candidate Ramon L. Batts underwent criticism in October 2014 following the discovery that he had plagiarized certain answers to a survey distributed by the education media outlet Chalkbeat. Internet commentators on the survey article were the first to highlight the alleged plagiarism of materials from organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Batts denied that the plagiarism was intentional and labeled it a "mistake," although he acknowledged that "Certainly, I know better." He added, "That’s what happens when you’re doing things at 1 or 2 a.m." Chalkbeat contacted his opponent, incumbent Andrea J. Roof, for comment on the story, but she declined to issue a statement on the matter.[23]

Issues in the district

Teacher merit pay contract

The Indianapolis School Board approved a new teacher contract on September 23, 2014, for the 2014-2015 school year. Since the passage of an Indiana state law in 2011, teacher salaries must be linked to performance in some manner.[24] In this contract, district teachers who were evaluated as either "highly effective" or "effective" during the 2013-2014 school year will receive a $1,500 bonus. In the 2012-2013 school year, only five district teachers were rated as "ineffective."[25]

Teachers are eligible for a $5,000 stipend if new responsibilities, such as developing curriculum, are assigned. The salary for new teachers is flexible and dependent on whether they are hired to teach in a low-performing school or to teach classes in a high-need subject. Although employee health insurance premiums will rise, the district will also pay the difference between the new cost and the previous year's cost.

Rhondalyn Cornett, who serves as the president of the Indianapolis Education Association, approved the final contract and said in an interview with Chalkbeat, "Teachers are stepping up and doing more things all the time,” she said. "It’s about time they get compensated for it. We wanted to see (an increase to the base salary), but the district explained it was a recurring cost." The Indianapolis School Board voted 6-1 to approve the contract, with District 2 member and former teacher Gayle Cosby casting the only vote against it. Following the vote, she criticized the removal of academic credentials from consideration in the salary schedule and stated that she supported higher teacher salaries than those in the contract. Superintendent Lewis Ferebee praised the contract and insisted, "It’s a move in the right direction."[26]

The contract is split into two separate salary schedules, with the first being for teachers hired before October 1, 2014, and the second being for teachers hired after that date. Both schedules use "years of effectiveness" as the steps for the salary ladder. Effectiveness is determined through teacher evaluations, although every year of teaching experience prior to the 2012-2013 school year is automatically counted as effective. The first salary schedule splits the ladder into seven different lanes depending on a teacher's academic credentials, so that teachers with a bachelor's degree are in the lowest-compensated lane and teachers with a doctorate are in the highest-compensated lane. The second salary schedule does not differentiate teachers by their academic credentials. The lowest possible base salary on the first salary schedule is $35,684 and the highest is $71,042, while the lowest base salary on the second salary schedule is also $35,684 but the highest is $57,702.[27]

Key deadlines

The following dates were key deadlines for the Indianapolis Public Schools election in 2014:[6]

Deadline Event
July 23, 2014 First day for candidates to file nomination documents
August 6, 2014 First day for write-in candidates to file nomination documents
August 22, 2014 Last day for traditional and write-in candidates to file nomination documents
October 6, 2014 Last day to register to vote in the general election
October 17, 2014 Last day to file pre-election campaign finance reports
November 4, 2014 General election day
November 18, 2014 Last day for candidates to file a verified election recount or contest petition

Additional elections on the ballot

This election shared the ballot with general elections for a U.S. House seat, Indiana state executive offices, Indiana House of Representatives seats and Indiana State Senate seats. It also shared the ballot with county, municipal, and judicial elections.[28]

Recent news

This section links to a Google news search for the term "Indianapolis + Public + Schools + Indiana"

Indianapolis Public Schools News Feed

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Indianapolis Public Schools, "Member Profiles," accessed August 30, 2014
  2. ↑ Marion County Election Board, "2014 Candidate List," accessed September 3, 2014
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 United States Census Bureau, "Marion County, Indiana," accessed September 3, 2014
  4. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed April 22, 2014
  5. ↑ Indiana Election Division, "Election Results," accessed September 3, 2014
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Indiana Election Division, "2014 Indiana Election Calendar," accessed September 3, 2014
  7. ↑ Indy Chamber, "HobNob 2014-Walk-ins Welcome-registration is closed," accessed October 17, 2014
  8. ↑ Stand for Children Indiana, "Stand for Children Indiana Endorses School Board Candidates," September 3, 2014
  9. ↑ Indy Star, "What big money in the IPS board race is really about," November 2, 2014
  10. ↑ Marion County Election Board, "Candidate Campaign Finance Reports," accessed October 24, 2014
  11. ↑ Marion County Election Board, "(CFA-4) Summary Sheet," accessed October 20, 2014
  12. ↑ Marion County Election Board, "(CFA-11)," accessed October 20, 2014
  13. ↑ Marion County Election Board, "(CFA-4) Summary Sheet," accessed October 20, 2014
  14. ↑ Marion County Election Board, "(CFA-11)," accessed October 20, 2014
  15. ↑ Marion County Election Board, "(CFA-4) Summary Sheet," accessed October 20, 2014
  16. ↑ Marion County Election Board, "(CFA-11)," accessed October 20, 2014
  17. ↑ Chalkbeat, "The Next IPS School Board," accessed October 16, 2014
  18. ↑ Chalkbeat, "The basics of Indianapolis Public Schools: A new beginning," October 30, 2013
  19. ↑ Chalkbeat, "IPS audits: Ferebee is right on deficit, financial reporting deeply flawed," June 10, 2014
  20. ↑ Chalkbeat, "Outside groups gear up for ‘pivotal’ IPS school board race," August 25, 2014
  21. ↑ Chalkbeat, "IPS school board race heats up as challengers emerge," July 24, 2014
  22. ↑ Chalkbeat, "IPS school board candidates already are pulling in big bucks," September 27, 2014
  23. ↑ Chalkbeat, "IPS school board candidate Ramon Batts says mistake led to plagiarism," October 8, 2014
  24. ↑ Chalkbeat, "The basics of teacher evaluation in Indiana, part 2: Ratings formulas and merit pay," November 18, 2013
  25. ↑ Chalkbeat, "IPS rates just five teachers ineffective," April 7, 2014
  26. ↑ Chalkbeat, "New IPS teachers contract pays bonuses based on performance," September 24, 2014
  27. ↑ Indianapolis Public Schools, "IEA Contract 2014," accessed October 16, 2014
  28. ↑ Indiana Election Division, "November 4, 2014 General Election," accessed September 3, 2014
2014 Indianapolis Public Schools Elections
Marion County, Indiana
Election date:November 4, 2014
Candidates:At-large: • Incumbent, Andrea J. Roof • Ramon Batts • David Hampton • Josh Owens • Mary Ann Sullivan

District 3: • Incumbent, Samantha Adair-White • Kelly Bentley • James Turner

District 5: • Incumbent, Michael D. Brown • LaNier L. Echols
Important information:What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot
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