Your feedback ensures we stay focused on the facts that matter to you most—take our survey
John Hakes
John Hakes was a candidate for at-large representative on the Mounds View Board of Education in Minnesota. The general election was held on November 3, 2015. Hakes participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 school board candidate survey. John Hakes lost the general election on November 3, 2015.
Hakes previously ran unsuccessfully for an at-large seat on the school board in both 2011 and 2013.
Biography
John Hakes earned a B.S. degree in accounting from Minnesota State University at Mankato, a B.A. degree in mass communication from the University of Minnesota at Twin Cities and a master's degree in advocacy and political leadership from the University of Minnesota at Duluth. From 1999 to 2009, Hakes served as an auditor for the state of Minnesota.[1]
Elections
2015
The election in Mounds View featured four of the seven seats on the board up for general election on November 3, 2015.
The seats of incumbents Robert Helgeson, Amy Jones, Jonathan Weinhagen, and Sandra Westerman were up for election. All four incumbents filed to run for re-election, and they defeated challenger John Hakes for the four at-large seats. Hakes previously ran unsuccessfully for the board in both 2011 and 2013.
Results
| Mounds View Public Schools, At-Large, General Election, 2015 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Sandra Westerman Incumbent |
23.5% | 3,160 |
| Amy Jones Incumbent |
22.2% | 2,988 |
| Jonathan Weinhagen Incumbent |
21.6% | 2,904 |
| Robert Helgeson Incumbent |
20.2% | 2,712 |
| John Hakes | 12.0% | 1,615 |
| Write-in votes | 0.45% | 61 |
| Total Votes | 13,440 | |
| Source: Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State, "Local Results in Ramsey County," accessed November 4, 2015 These election results are not official and will be updated when certified results are available. You can submit certified results by contacting us. |
||
Funding
Hakes reported $795.00 in contributions and $795.00 in expenditures to the Ramsey County Election Office, which left his campaign with no cash on hand during the election.[2]
Endorsements
Hakes did not receive any official endorsements during the election.
2013
Hakes lost to incumbents Jon Tynjala, Greg Madsen and Marre Jo Sager in his bid for one of three at-large seats in the general election on November 5, 2013.
Results
| Mounds View Public Schools, At-Large General Election, 4-year term, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Greg Madsen Incumbent |
29.1% | 6,339 | |
| Nonpartisan | Marre Jo Sager Incumbent |
27.7% | 6,037 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jon Tynjala Incumbent |
24.1% | 5,251 | |
| Nonpartisan | John Hakes | 19% | 4,130 | |
| Total Votes | 21,757 | |||
| Source: Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State, "Results for Selected Contests in School District No. 621 - Mounds View," accessed December 18, 2013 | ||||
Funding
Hakes reported $1,266.00 in contributions and $1,266.00 in expenditures to the Ramsey County Election Department, which left his campaign with no debt or cash on hand.[3]
Endorsements
Hakes did not receive any official endorsements for his campaign.
2011
| Mounds View Public Schools, At-Large General Election, 4-year term, 2011 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Sandra Westerman Incumbent |
17.4% | 2,883 | |
| Nonpartisan | Robert Helgeson Incumbent |
16.1% | 2,669 | |
| Nonpartisan | Lisa Sjobeck Incumbent |
13.9% | 2,304 | |
| Nonpartisan | Amy Jones |
12.7% | 2,107 | |
| Nonpartisan | Lee Porath | 12.5% | 2,075 | |
| Nonpartisan | Tim Husnik | 8.9% | 1,483 | |
| Nonpartisan | John Hakes | 6.8% | 1,134 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jonathan Weinhagen | 5.8% | 957 | |
| Nonpartisan | Marilyn Bunzo | 5.4% | 891 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.5% | 88 | |
| Total Votes | 16,591 | |||
| Source: Ramsey County, Minnesota, "Abstract of Votes Cast," accessed October 14, 2013 | ||||
Campaign themes
2015
Ballotpedia survey responses
Hakes participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 survey of school board candidates. The following sections display his responses to the survey questions. When asked what his top priority would be if elected, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | Because Mounds View Public Schools are so sought after by families wanting to enroll their kids there, student capacity issues have presented themselves to a space-strapped school district. Short of building or acquiring new facilities, District 621 could explore creative solutions for expanding the space or time necessary for creating more comfortable & professional learning environments.
What if Mounds View Public Schools … ... Adjusted high school start times? Numerous families want the early high school start time moved back. Others have legitimate concerns about impact on family schedules. Staggering start times could help reduce overcrowding issues and address the concerns of time change supporters. ... Collaborated more with space-rich partners? District schools are a source of pride for the region. Community centers, the county library system or houses of faith may be willing to help 621 extend its physical campus. ... Increased hybrid-learning options? More options featuring class lectures & online elements would ready students for post-secondary life. On a short-term basis, administering hybrids in 1st or last hour may assist with overcapacity problems. Whether a variation on these ideas or something else entirely, Mounds View Schools needs to put new plans in place (including development of a Master Facilities Plan) if it hopes to remain a premiere public school district in the state of Minnesota. [4] |
” |
| —John Hakes (2015)[5] | ||
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues by importance in the school district, with one being the most important and seven being the least important. This table displays this candidate's rankings from most to least important:
| 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 | |
| Improving college readiness | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Expanding career-technical education | |
| Expanding arts education | |
Hakes also provided the following notes to the top issues of importance ranked above:
| “ | (1) I don't believe school choice options are necessary for the Mounds View School District in particular. I also believe District 621 is supportive of a 'family preference' policy where enrollment in different levels of a given subject. These things said, there are curricular & daily scheduling constraints that limit choice that are worth reviewing. I am for providing families as much flexibility as possible in educating students.
(2) Improving college readiness: As to coursework and test preparation, Mounds View Schools are strong-- especially since it added an Early College program in the last several years that helps some students attain AA degrees while in high school. Still, unintended consequences have resulted and should be looked at-- one being that a lack of 'regular' coursework has caused some students to be forced into higher levels of math and science they are not ready for. One result? Lower GPAs for such students, which translates into lower merit scholarships upon graduation, ironically costing these families more money, not less as the Early College program set out to accomplish. (3) Special Education services: While the Special Ed. services provided get high marks from most families receiving them, the space limitations previously alluded to may explain why the District has a relatively low inclusivity rate for its special educations students in mainstream classrooms.[4] |
” |
| —John Hakes (2015)[5] | ||
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer 10 questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are in the left column and the candidate's responses are in the right column of the following table:
| Question | Response |
|---|---|
| "The state of Minnesota has adopted the common core standards for language arts but not math. I support abiding by this course already taken by the state." | |
| "No." | |
| "No." | |
| "The suite of standardized tests offered at Mounds View are oriented to the nationally-normed ACT exam and should be maintained. Course exams, classwork, projects and formative assessments are also important to 'rounding out' student profiles." | |
| "The Mounds View Public Schools admirably has an Equity Promise program in place whose intent is to help kids succeed, regardless of their race, class, or disability.
Additionally, Mounds View was on the leading edge of Minnesota districts that provided 100% of juniors a free opportunity to take the ACT exam. (All juniors in the state take the exam now.) Like many other eastern Metropolitan districts in the Twin Cities region, Mounds View has seen a significant growth in the number of students who are on the Free & Reduced Lunch program. Given the generally-accepted correlation between this higher poverty index and lower student performance measures, the District's Equity Promise, along with its robust ACT preparation program, should be continued." | |
| "Expulsion cases must be viewed on a case-by-case basis rather than the district having an overarching policy." | |
| "Based on 16 years of experience as a parent, school & district-level participant, issue advocate, and school board candidate, my sense is the district already prioritizes lower-performing schools by increasing the allocation of professionals to them.
If accurate, the board should continue this approach." | |
| "I support merit pay for teachers, but only if the plan uses agreed-upon multiple performance measures. It is also essential that incentives are not so individualized that professional cooperation gives way to hyper-competitiveness." | |
| "Put underperforming teachers on a probationary period while they seek to improve." | |
| "I believe the Mounds View School Board has become too insular. A few examples:
(1) While the District's public relations department does a good job of communicating its decisions through various media, board agendas aren't published in advance-- thereby precluding full participation on matters of concern by members of the community. (2) District 621 doesn't sponsor a robust citizen committee with recommendation authority on matters of student achievement, curriculum or instruction, despite such a body being authorized by the 2013 Minnesota Legislature. (3) The primary path to attaining a board seat is appointment after a member retirement. Though an election mechanism is in place for gaining board entry, status quo strength provided to incumbents keeps most would-be challengers home and those who participate swimming upstream in futility. To open up community-school board relations, I would support publishing agendas in advance, establishing a meaningful citizens advisory committee, and holding special elections when a given board member retired from service." |
Hakes completed a survey conducted by The Sun Focus:
| “ | Why are you seeking election to the Mounds View School Board?
I want to help District 621 maintain its position as a premiere public school district. Mounds View Public Schools has done wonderful work — its student ACT exam averages compare to public districts across the country, its Early College program is a focus of national education leaders, and record numbers of previously ‘non-public’ school families are now exercising their option to attend district schools. This strong demand has created an ‘adaptation’ issue. High class sizes, long lunch lines, and an early high school start time prevent some students from realizing their potential. MVPS needs to pursue new paths for delivering education to students. What are the top two or three priorities for the Mounds View School District in the coming year, and how would you address them? MVPS could become a ‘District without Walls’ by: (1) staggering the high school start time (2) extending its campus through partnerships (3) making greater use of hybrid learning options and productive technology. 1. Many area students, parents, teachers and health experts believe the high school day should start later than 7:25 a.m. Teens experience a ‘time phase delay’ biologically that makes it a struggle to operate on the same clock as adults. Too many kids can’t break their ‘night owl’ study habits in our district. Although the school board provided valid reasons for not changing start times last October, it did not signal an openness to moving forward by creating a statutorily-authorized District Advisory Committee for exploring the start times issue. (In 2013, the MN Legislature passed statute 120B.11, giving citizens recommendation authority on the broad matters of instruction, curriculum and student achievement.) To alleviate both high enrollment and student well-being concerns, deliberations begun by this committee might involve staggering high school start times to create more space in classrooms and at lunch. 2. MVPS could pair with many different area partners to extend curricular opportunities beyond its current classrooms, including: Ramsey County Libraries, where I am a volunteer board member; area community centers; and houses of faith. The soon-to-be-relocated district service center and a new regional library in 2017 may provide promise for offering instructional space. 3. Increasing the percentage of hybrid learning courses with online and seminar elements would also ease excess-capacity concerns. Hybrids done well can contain more personalization and accountability than straight lecture courses. Productive use of technology supports greater student independence by allowing them to “learn in their own place.” These are my priorities for helping MVPS remove barriers and deliver solutions that provide needed flexibility for students and staff to thrive.[4] |
” |
| —The Sun Focus survey (2015)[6] | ||
2011
Hakes completed a survey conducted by the Pioneer Press:
| “ | Biggest issue and how to solve it:
Ensuring high standards and preserving instructional time in an era of fiscal deficits. District 621 offers the ACT Plus Writing exam to all students, which could replace a graduation-required writing assessment administered in ninth grade, and increase college readiness, eliminate an insufficient test and save money - meeting all three objectives.[4] |
” |
| —Pioneer Press survey (2011)[7] | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'John Hakes' 'Mounds View Public Schools'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Mounds View Public Schools, Minnesota
- Mounds View Public Schools elections (2015)
- Mounds View Public Schools elections (2013)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ LinkedIn, "John Hakes," accessed October 28, 2015
- ↑ Ramsey County Election Office, "Campaign Finance Reports - 2015," accessed November 1, 2015
- ↑ Ramsey County, Minnesota, "Campaign Finance Reports - 2013," accessed December 26, 2013
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2015, "John Hakes responses," October 26, 2015
- ↑ The Sun Focus, "Five candidates seek seats on Mounds View School Board," October 16, 2015
- ↑ Pioneer Press, "Three incumbents, six others in run for Mounds View school board," October 27, 2011
| 2015 Mounds View Public Schools Elections | |
| Ramsey County, Minnesota | |
| Election date: | November 3, 2015 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Robert Helgeson • Incumbent, Amy Jones • Incumbent, Jonathan Weinhagen • Incumbent, Sandra Westerman • John Hakes |
| Important information: | Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
| ||||||||||
