Jim Johnson (North Dakota)
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Jim Johnson is an at-large representative on the Fargo Board of Education in North Dakota. He first joined the board in 2000.[1]
Johnson sought another term in the general election on June 14, 2016.[2] He successfully won re-election to his seat.[3]
Johnson participated in Ballotpedia's school board candidate survey. To see his responses, check out his campaign themes below.
Biography
Johnson is the vice president of Hallett Financial Group. He and his wife have two daughters.[1]
Elections
2016
- See also: Fargo Public Schools elections (2016)
Four of the nine seats on the Fargo Public Schools Board of Education were up for at-large general election on June 14, 2016. In his bid for re-election, incumbent Jim Johnson faced eight challengers: Brandi Aune, David Gregor, Thomas Hill, Ahmed Kamel, John Rodenbiker, Doug Rymph, Kristi Ulrich, and Jacob Webster.[2] Election night results from June 14, 2016, showed Ulrich, Johnson, Aune, and Rodenbiker as the winners of the election. Due to the closeness of the race, however, there is the possibility for a demand recount, according to the North Dakota Secretary of State.[3]
In addition to Johnson's seat, the seats of incumbents Paul Meyers, Robin Nelson, and John Strand were on the ballot, but they did not file to run for re-election, meaning three seats were open for newcomers.[2]
Results
| Fargo Public Schools, At-Large General Election, 4-Year Term, 2016 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Kristi Ulrich |
18.91% | 7,687 |
| Jim Johnson Incumbent |
15.67% | 6,372 |
| John Rodenbiker |
12.85% | 5,225 |
| Brandi Aune |
12.68% | 5,156 |
| Thomas Hill | 12.37% | 5,030 |
| David Gregor | 10.73% | 4,361 |
| Ahmed Kamel | 6.58% | 2,675 |
| Doug Rymph | 4.99% | 2,029 |
| Jacob Webster | 4.96% | 2,016 |
| Write-in votes | 0.27% | 109 |
| Total Votes | 40,660 | |
| Source: North Dakota Secretary of State, "Official Results Primary Election - June 14, 2016: Fargo School District Election Results," accessed June 28, 2016 | ||
Funding
School board candidates were not required to file campaign finance reports under the North Dakota Century Code.[4]
Endorsements
Johnson was endorsed by Inforum.[5]
2012
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | John Strand |
15.6% | 8,250 | |
| Nonpartisan | Robin Nelson Incumbent |
15% | 7,954 | |
| Nonpartisan | Paul Meyers |
12.4% | 6,579 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jim Johnson Incumbent |
11.2% | 5,918 | |
| Nonpartisan | James "Jim" Ebsen | 7.9% | 4,156 | |
| Nonpartisan | David Gibb III | 7.7% | 4,045 | |
| Nonpartisan | Lillian Jones | 7.4% | 3,929 | |
| Nonpartisan | Marty Livingood | 6.8% | 3,613 | |
| Nonpartisan | Brandi Malarkey | 6.4% | 3,387 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jordan Franzen | 5.6% | 2,974 | |
| Nonpartisan | J.J. Gordon | 3.7% | 1,976 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.2% | 93 | |
| Total Votes | 52,874 | |||
| Source: North Dakota Secretary of State, "Official Results Primary Election - June 12, 2012," accessed April 11, 2014 | ||||
Campaign themes
2016
Ballotpedia survey responses
Jim Johnson 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 May 9, 2016:
| “ | Continue to help move our District towards the goal of preparing all of our students for the next stage of their life journey whether is a track to college, career, or military service.[6][7] | ” |
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 North Dakota. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Improving relations with teachers | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| “ | I would rate arts education, post-secondary readiness, and education of special education student just as important as improving relations with teachers[7] | ” |
| —Jim Johnson (May 9, 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. In addition to our public school system Fargo already has 2 excellent private k-12 systems. based upon our communities size I feel 2 private and one public option offer the parents of our district an excellent list of choices already. |
| 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. |
| Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement? |
| Yes. They are 1 measure but by no means should they be used as the only determining factor of whether students are succeeding and progressing in their educational pursuits. |
| What is your stance on the Common Core State Standards Initiative? |
| The idea had and a lot of merit but with any set of standards the devil is often in the details. I believe our state standards need to be put together by our local educational leaders and experts. |
| 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? |
| Offer additional training options. Put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve. Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district. |
| Should teachers receive merit pay? |
| Yes. |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| No. |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| Only as a last resort, I would prefer in school suspension to expulsion. |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| Teachers |
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Jim Johnson' 'Fargo Public Schools'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Fargo Public Schools, "Board of Education Member Profile: Jim Johnson," accessed May 9, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Fargo Public Schools, "Board Election 2016," accessed April 12, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 North Dakota Secretary of State, "Unofficial Results Primary Election - June 14, 2016: Fargo School District Election Results," accessed June 14, 2016
- ↑ North Dakota Secretary of State, "Running for School District Office," accessed April 26, 2016
- ↑ Inforum, "Forum editorial: Excellence for Fargo schools," June 4, 2016
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2016, "Jim Johnson's responses," May 9, 2016
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
| 2016 Fargo Public Schools Elections | |
| Cass County, North Dakota | |
| Election date: | June 14, 2016 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Jim Johnson • Brandi Aune • David Gregor • Thomas Hill • Ahmed Kamel • John Rodenbiker • Doug Rymph • Kristi Ulrich • Jacob Webster |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
