John Moravec
John Moravec was a candidate for at-large representative on the Bloomington Public Schools school board in Minnesota. Moravec was defeated in the at-large general election on November 7, 2017.
Biography
An author and global speaker, Moravec founded Education Futures LLC. He earned a bachelor's degree in international studies from American University, a master's degree in international management from the University of St. Thomas, and a Ph.D. in educational policy and administration from the University of Minnesota.[1]
Elections
2017
Four of the seven seats on the Bloomington Public Schools school board in Minnesota were up for nonpartisan general election on November 7, 2017. Incumbents Tom Bennett, Jim Sorum, and Dawn Steigauf won re-election to their seats. Newcomer Beth Beebe also won a seat. Challengers John Moravec, Julie Morse, Michael Poke, Paige Rohman, Dan Stirratt, Jane Stoa, and Marcia Sytsma were defeated in the election.[2]
Results
| Bloomington Public Schools, At-large General Election, 4-year terms, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Tom Bennett Incumbent |
13.29% | 5,473 |
| Dawn Steigauf Incumbent |
12.03% | 4,955 |
| Beth Beebe |
11.94% | 4,919 |
| Jim Sorum Incumbent |
11.35% | 4,674 |
| John Moravec | 10.87% | 4,478 |
| Dan Stirratt | 8.78% | 3,616 |
| Paige Rohman | 7.42% | 3,055 |
| Marcia Sytsma | 6.55% | 2,697 |
| Michael Poke | 6.42% | 2,646 |
| Jane Stoa | 5.68% | 2,338 |
| Julie Morse | 5.23% | 2,156 |
| Write-in votes | 0.46% | 189 |
| Total Votes | 41,196 | |
| Source: Bloomington Public Schools, "Minutes Of The Regular Meeting Of The School Board Independent School District 271," November 13, 2017 | ||
Funding
Moravec reported $4,341.58 in contributions and $3,977.71 in expenditures to the Bloomington Public Schools, which left his campaign with $363.87 on hand in the election.[3]
Endorsements
Moravec was endorsed by the SEIU Minnesota State Council and OutFront Minnesota Action.[4][5]
Campaign themes
2017
Candidate website
Moravec highlighted the following issues on his campaign website:
| “ | Kids are people, too.
All students must be treated and respected as human beings with recognized, universal human rights and responsibilities. This means students must have an active say in the choices regarding their learning, including how their schools are run, how and when they learn, and all other areas of everyday life. This is inclusion in a real sense. Our teachers deserve respect. We need leaders who listen, who are more present in our schools, transparent in how they operate, and who honor the work, effort, and skills it takes to be an effective educator. This goes far beyond just saying ‘thanks’ or placing an apple on the desk. Our teachers deserve fair and open contract negotiations, and they deserve to be treated with dignity and as the professionals they are. Fiscal responsibility begins with active financial oversight and transparency. Bloomington taxpayers are frustrated if they have to vote YES to make ends meet for the schools. This is not something that we should be pushed into at the last minute. We need to bring more active financial oversight to the school board. We cannot afford to have a board that acts passively regarding district finances anymore. The future belongs to nerds, geeks, makers, dreamers, and knowmads. Every child needs to develop to their highest potential into the kind of person he or she wants to be in order to accomplish what s/he wants to do throughout life. We need to focus on the development of individuals who leverage their specialized knowledge to dream, create, make, explore, learn and promote entrepreneurial, cultural, or social endeavors, taking risks and enjoying the process as much as the final outcome, without fearing the potential failures or mistakes that the journey includes. We need to work to ensure our learners develop the skills and strategies needed to explore, identify problems, solve problems, think critically, be creative, communicate, and collaborate with others. We need engaged communities, and we also need to engage with the communities we serve. Our schools can be more involved our community so we have a greater stake in the opportunities that education provide us, and we need to believe that schools, likewise, have stakes in our community. Engaging and involving parents, letting them take an active role in our schools, brings families into the planning and direction of learning, connecting and moving beyond school walls. Parental involvement needs to start earlier (pre-K) and incorporate families from all backgrounds. Exclude nobody. The communities we engage with should be representative of the diverse communities we serve – becoming part of an engaged public. By better embracing our diverse community, we can connect with underrepresented peoples better, appreciate the excellent work ethic that has arrived with every wave of immigrants to Minnesota, and recognize that the level of diversity in our district is changing at a rapid pace. We need to build new public-private partnerships. We can engage businesses through a new paradigm where we are working with them. When businesses struggle to find workers, they connect with schools. They can help students in their career development, and start education programs to create jobs. We need to sit down with local businesses and chambers of commerce as real partners. Let’s share what we do well! To improve school ‘buy-in’ from our communities, we need to improve communications. We often work hard on development and planning, but fail to communicate our efforts to the public. In addition, we need to understand that communication is not a one-sided promotion tool, but is a two-way conversation. This requires us to think differently to engage and invite in conversation. We can use social media technologies to improve connections and create goals for parents, businesses, and other community members. We need to stop thinking we have all the answers and listen more.[6] |
” |
| —John Moravec (2017)[7] | ||
Political philosophy
Moravec submitted the following political philosophy to Ballotpedia:
| “ | My interest in running was sparked by the teacher contract negotiations during the past school year. I feel the voices of teachers, staff, and parents were not heard - and the hard-working people who work in our district were shown little respect. This goes far beyond just saying ‘thanks’, or placing an apple on the desk. Our teachers and staff deserve fair and open contract negotiations, and to be treated with dignity and as the professionals they are. It's time for positive change.[6] | ” |
| —John Moravec (2017)[1] | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms John Moravec Bloomington Public Schools school board. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Information submitted on Ballotpedia's biographical information submission form on September 13, 2017
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "Candidate Filings: 2017 Municipal and School District Elections," accessed August 16, 2017
- ↑ Bloomington Public Schools, "2017 Campaign Financial Report," accessed December 11, 2017
- ↑ SEIU Minnesota State Council, "Support SEIU-Endorsed Candidates in 2017 Elections!" October 21, 2017
- ↑ John Moravec for Bloomington School Board, "Endorsements," accessed October 26, 2017
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ John Moravec for Bloomington School Board, "Priorities," accessed October 26, 2017
| Bloomington Public Schools elections in 2017 | |
| Hennepin County, Minnesota | |
| Election date: | November 7, 2017 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Tom Bennett • Incumbent, Jim Sorum • Incumbent, Dawn Steigauf • Beth Beebe • John Moravec • Julie Morse • Michael Poke • Paige Rohman • Dan Stirratt • Jane Stoa • Marcia Sytsma |
| Important information: | What's at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
