J.P. Claussen
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J.P. Claussen was a member of the Iowa City Community School District school board At-large. Claussen assumed office on September 26, 2017.
Claussen ran for re-election to the Iowa City Community School District school board At-large. Claussen won in the general election on September 12, 2017.
This candidate participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 school board candidate survey. Click here to view his responses.
Biography
Claussen is an educator in the Circle School of the University of Iowa Health Care child and adolescent psychiatry inpatient unit. He previously worked as a special education teacher at West High School. During his time as a teacher in the district, he served as the president of the Iowa City Education Association. Claussen obtained a bachelor's degree in English and a master's degree in special education from the University of Iowa.[1]
Elections
2017
Four of seven seats on the Iowa City Community School District Board of Education in Iowa were up for at-large election on September 12, 2017. One of the four seats was a two-year term seat up for special election to complete LaTasha DeLoach's term after she resigned in July 2017. No incumbents ran to retain their seat, leaving four open seats.[2][3]
Former candidate J.P. Claussen and newcomers Janet Godwin and Ruthina Malone defeated newcomers Laura Westemeyer, and Karen Woltman for the four-year at-large seats. Newcomer Charlie Eastham lost to former candidate Shawn Eyestone in the race for the two-year at-large seat.[4]
| Iowa City Community School District, At-Large General Election, 4-year terms, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 J.P. Claussen |
28.03% | 10,446 |
| Ruthina Malone |
23.59% | 8,790 |
| Janet Godwin |
22.87% | 8,522 |
| Laura Westemeyer | 13.91% | 5,185 |
| Karen Woltman | 10.85% | 4,044 |
| Write-in votes | 0.75% | 280 |
| Total Votes | 37,267 | |
| Source: Johnson County, Iowa, "September 12, 2017 School Election - Official Canvassed Results," accessed September 18, 2017 | ||
2016
One of the seven seats on the Iowa City Community School District Board of Education was up for special election for a three-year term on July 19, 2016. The three candidates running for the vacant seat were J.P. Claussen, Paul Roesler, and Janice Weiner.[5]
Results
| Iowa City Community School District, At-Large Special Election, 3-year term, 2016 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Paul Roesler |
51.07% | 2,938 |
| J.P. Claussen | 45.40% | 2,612 |
| Janice Weiner | 3.53% | 203 |
| Total Votes (100) | 5,753 | |
| Source: Iowa City Press-Citizen, "Paul Roesler wins school board seat," July 19, 2016 These election results are unofficial and will be updated after official vote totals are made available. | ||
Funding
Claussen reported no contributions or expenditures to the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board as of June 15, 2016.[6]
Endorsement
Claussen received no official endorsements during the election.
Campaign themes
2017
Ballotpedia survey responses
J.P. Claussen participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of school board candidates.[7] In response to the question "What do you hope to achieve if elected to the school board?" the candidate stated on July 31, 2017:
| “ | I hope to bring accountability, a sense of celebration and excitement about our students, and a way of working with my fellow Directors that is positive and productive, even when there are disagreements.[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 Iowa. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Improving relations with teachers | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| “ | I will always have more detailed views than a numerical ranking. I will say that my priorities are ensuring ALL students feel safe and supported in school, especially students who are already marginalized. Racial minorities, GLBTQA students and Special Education students and families all need better support from our District, and that is of primary importance to me, "closing the achievement gap," doesn't quite cover that. Also, "improving relations with teachers" isn't ranked highly because our district has a positive relationship with teachers, maintaining that relationship is again, one of my top priorities.[9] | ” |
| —J.P. Claussen (July 31, 2017) | ||
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer eight 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.) |
|---|
| Yes. As long as the Charters are Public, governed by the Board, open to any students via a fair system, and as long as the teachers have the same contract as teachers in traditional schools, then I support innovation in educational opportunities. |
| 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 only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. |
| Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement? |
| Yes. There is great variance in the accuracy of standardized testing instruments. Some standardized tests are accurate, and measure what they purport to measure. Such as the Iowa Assessment, or the ACT. I very much disagree with tying any stakes to tests. They are simply one measure of student achievement. I feel we place far too much emphasis on their importance. |
| 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. |
| Should teachers receive merit pay? |
| No. The problem with this is, how do you decide what "merits" extra pay? Generally this would be left to Principals, and opens the door to favoritism. |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| No. This drains dollars from public education. This also creates an adverse situation where students who struggle the most, that may not be accepted by a private school (Special Education students or behaviorally challenged students, for example), are left in public schools who now have fewer resources with which to serve the students. |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| Rarely, if ever. I believe strongly in moving toward a Restorative Justice model of discipline. |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| Teachers. The relationship between a teacher and a student is how genuine education happens. That context is the most important factor. All of these other things are important, but without a true connection between teachers and students the educational experience is diminished. |
2016
Claussen list the following themes on his campaign website:
| “ | In the July 19th Special Election for School Board, I believe we need to elect the person who has the strongest vision about the education of the nearly 13,000 students in our district for the next three years. These are not just our children, these are our future citizens. This isn’t just about one issue, it isn’t just about boundaries or the FMP, it is about having a vision and leadership to move our Board forward.
I present that I offer that vision and that leadership. I have offered some of my ideas, because I want voters to understand my thought processes. That my ideas and my educational experience are founded in research and best practices. My professional focus has been on social emotional development and a cognitive behavioral approach to education. I contend that my my expertise in those areas will be beneficial in helping lead our district toward educational goals that emphasize life long outcomes as opposed to increased test scores. I advocate for a strengths based, person centered approach to education. Also, my background gives me a unique perspective and a particular skill set in the nuts and bolts of helping the administration work with the teachers, paraprofessionals, custodians, secretaries, and building administrators to achieve the vision and goals of the district. Teaching I spent 10 years as a special education teacher at West High school working with some of our most disadvantaged students. I believe it is important to have a teacher’s voice at the table to advocate for each of our nearly 13,000 students. Advocacy For 2 years I served as the president of the ICEA, the local teacher’s union. I was on the Health Insurance Committee for 8 years, and for 10 years I helped to negotiate the District’s contract with the teachers, often as chief negotiator. In that role, I assured that our district has the ability to hire the finest teachers in the state, and that our current teachers are adequately compensated for their tireless dedication (that goes far beyond contract hours, I would add). In addition, almost every year, I went to Des Moines to lobby legislators, with my Iowa State Education Association colleagues from all over the state, often, but not, to secure better funding and better laws for our students. This experience, and the friendships I have formed in the ISEA, will be invaluable in helping to advoacate for state funding with legislators beyond our local legislative delegation who are already stalwart champions for educational funding. Communication Skills I am am an able communicator, who both actively listens, and can articulate complicated ideas to help bring people together, even when they disagree. Sometimes I joke that my 12 years of training in Non Violent Crisis Prevention Intervention can only help at the board meetings. Solid Grasp on Policy and Best Practices I have a deep understanding of education policy and can help interpret and provide guidance on ideas the Administration puts forth. In addition I have a keen understanding of how local, state, and national policies both help, and hinder, a teacher’s efforts in the classroom. A Growth Mindset I am willing and able to put my ego aside in light of new information and change my thinking as circumstances and situations change. I have a strong commitment both to being mindful of current situations and to maintaining a growth mindset to adapt to changing circumstances.[9] |
” |
| —J.P. Claussen campaign website (2016)[10] | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms J.P. Claussen Iowa City Community School District. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Iowa City Community School District, Iowa
- Iowa City Community School District elections (2017)
- Iowa City Community School District special election (2016)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ JP Claussen for School Board, "About JP," accessed July 1, 2016
- ↑ The Gazette, "Iowa City school board member LaTasha DeLoach to resign," accessed July 17, 2017
- ↑ Johnson County, Iowa, "September 12, 2017 School Election: Candidates and Ballot Issues," accessed August 4, 2017
- ↑ Johnson County, Iowa, "September 12, 2017 School Election - Preliminary Results," accessed September 12, 2017
- ↑ Johnson County, Iowa, "July 19, 2016 Iowa City School District Special Election," accessed July 23, 2016
- ↑ Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board, "IECDB State/Local Campaign Disclosure Reports," accessed July 1, 2016
- ↑ Note: The candidate's answers have been reproduced here verbatim without edits or corrections by Ballotpedia.
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2017, "J.P. Claussen's responses," July 31, 2017
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ JP Claussen for School Board, "Views on Education," accessed July 1, 2016
| Iowa City Community School District elections in 2017 | |
| Johnson County, Iowa | |
| Election date: | September 12, 2017 |
| Candidates: | At-large (4-year): J.P. Claussen • Janet Godwin • Ruthina Malone • Laura Westemeyer • Karen Woltman At-large (2-year): Charlie Eastham • Shawn Eyestone |
| Important information: | What's at stake? |
| 2016 Iowa City Community School District Special Election | |
| Johnson County, Iowa | |
| Election date: | July 19, 2016 |
| Candidates: | At-large:• J.P. Claussen • Paul Roesler • Janice Weiner |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
