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Kelly Spurgeon
Kelly Spurgeon was a candidate for at-large representative on the Lawrence Public Schools Board of Education in Kansas. Spurgeon lost his bid for election to an unexpired two-year term in the primary election on March 3, 2015.
Biography
Spurgeon is a program consultant at the Kansas State Department of Education, where he works in analyzing policy and school accountability assessments. Prior to that position, he was a counselor and taught critical thinking at Ottawa University and Neosho County Community College.[1]
Elections
2015
Five seats were up for general election on April 7, 2015. Because more than three candidates filed for one position, a primary election was held on March 3, 2015.
Incumbents Bob Byers, Rick Ingram, Shannon Kimball, and Randy Masten were up for regular election. Masten was the only incumbent not to file to run for re-election. Byers, Ingram, and Kimball faced challengers Lindsey Frye, Ronald Gordon-Ross, Jessica Beeson, and Jill Fincher for the four-year terms up for election.[2] Ingram, Kimball, Beeson, and Fincher won the regular election.
An additional seat appeared on the ballot due to a vacancy on the board that was filled by appointment in 2014. Adina Morse resigned from the board in August to serve as the executive director of the Lawrence Schools Foundation. Marcel Harmon was appointed on September 8, 2014, to fill that vacancy.[3]
Because the seat would not have been up for regular election in 2015, the election for this seat was for the two years left on its unexpired term. Harmon ran to remain in the seat against challengers Mary Loveland, Kelly Spurgeon, and Norine Spears. Because more than three candidates filed for the race, a primary election was held. Harmon and Loveland advanced to the general election, where Harmon won his first full-term in the seat.[2]
Results
Primary
| Lawrence Public Schools, At-Large Special Primary Election, 2-year term, 2015 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Mary Loveland |
34.4% | 2,727 | |
| Nonpartisan | Marcel Harmon Incumbent |
28% | 2,215 | |
| Nonpartisan | Kelly Spurgeon | 19.8% | 1,566 | |
| Nonpartisan | Norine Spears | 17.9% | 1,416 | |
| Total Votes | 7,924 | |||
| Source: ’’Douglas County, Kansas’’, “Online Election Results (official),” March 9, 2015 | ||||
Funding
Spurgeon reported no contributions or expenditures to the Douglas County Clerk in this election.[4]
Endorsements
Spurgeon did not receive any official endorsements in this election.
Campaign themes
2015
Spurgeon participated in a candidate questionnaire distributed by the Lawrence Journal-World. The questions and his responses are listed below:[5]
"What makes you the right candidate for the school board?"
| “ | For the past 15 years I have worked at the Kansas State Department of Education serving every school district in the state. From this experience I have learned some important lessons about education policy, accountability, assessments, politics, school improvement, and the overriding importance of keeping student learning first and foremost in our considerations about schools. I have a Ph.D. in education. I’m pragmatic ,not an ideologue. I look to research and data to inform decisions. I approach the role as one of service and leadership.[6] | ” |
| —Kelly Spurgeon (2015)[5] | ||
"What issues should the school board focus on in the coming years?"
| “ | Are the initiatives and programs being undertaken aligned to and with the mission of excellence, equity and engagement? With the limited resources we have, how are we ensuring the greatest potential for student learning? I’m interested in the fidelity of individual plans of study. Also, fully operationalizing the College and Career Center and learning how to integrate the scope of college and career readiness across the curriculum will be exciting. Advancing and supporting the great strides that are being made in the blended learning classrooms seems like an obvious area of focus.[6] | ” |
| —Kelly Spurgeon (2015)[5] | ||
"How should the board address the budget issues it faces because of state cuts?"
| “ | The district administration, faculty, and school board have processes in place wherein the budget and district finances are examined. I would think that the role of, and input from, the district school Finance Advisory Council will be crucial. Ultimately, budgets become documents about competing values. How the community formulates and expresses the education values that are to be prioritized over others is/will be part of what defines the next several years of education in Lawrence.[6] | ” |
| —Kelly Spurgeon (2015)[5] | ||
"Are Lawrence students shortchanged in any aspect of their education?"
| “ | Shortchanged… to give less than something due. It begs the question of what then is due, doesn’t it? I can’t help but think that there are instances of underserved students, be it through accommodations, course offerings, or dispute resolutions. Systemically, the district may need to examine how effective is student learning in math when analyzed in the light of how many students need remedial math courses at the college level. I would add that Lawrence students, all Kansas students, have been underserved by our elected state officials and the less than educationally supportive decisions coming from the state capitol.[6] | ” |
| —Kelly Spurgeon (2015)[5] | ||
"Do you support Common Core standards? Why or why not?"
| “ | We have never given a state-wide assessment that is aligned to these standards so we have no real feedback on how well curriculum is aligned, instruction is delivered, and students are performing. I could be a whole lot more supportive of the standards if we would make the educationally sound, if not morally responsible, decision to suspend all assessment derived accountability for the next five to six years. Let’s look at the standards in practice. Make adjustments where needed. Also, what standards, and at what cost, should replace these?[6] | ” |
| —Kelly Spurgeon (2015)[5] | ||
"Should teachers have tenure rights? Is it 'too hard' to fire teachers with tenure?"
| “ | Tenure? Yes. Too hard to fire teachers with tenure? No. Not if the school administration has been fair and accurate in the teacher evaluation process along the way. If we are trying to convince ourselves that it should be easy to fire someone, or that we have arrived at this current state of turmoil in our nations’ schools because of tenure, then we are obviously not talking about improving instruction or conducting professional development or creating healthy work environments. Effective schools need strong experienced teachers.[6] | ” |
| —Kelly Spurgeon (2015)[5] | ||
"Do you support moving school board elections to November in even numbered years and/or making the elections partisan?"
| “ | Other than codifying a near complete conservative control of most, if not all, school boards across the state, I can see no reason for wanting to move school board elections to November. Furthermore, the more we politicize the undertaking of educating our children the more we will subject our children and our schools to the whims and folly of our political system. In other words, no.[6] | ” |
| —Kelly Spurgeon (2015)[5] | ||
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Kelly + Spurgeon + Lawrence + Public + Schools"
See also
- Lawrence Public Schools, Kansas
- Lawrence Public Schools, Kansas elections (2015)
- Clean sweep for school board incumbents... (March 4, 2015)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Lawrence Journal-World, "Loveland, Spurgeon file for Lawrence school board two-year seat," January 22, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Douglas County Clerk, "Unofficial City/School Candidate Filings To Date," January 27, 2015
- ↑ Lawrence Journal World, "Marcel Harmon appointed to Lawrence school board," September 8, 2014
- ↑ Douglas County Clerk, "Candidate Reports," accessed April 6, 2015
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 Lawrence Journal-World, "School board questionnaire: Kelly Spurgeon," February 22, 2015
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
| 2015 Lawrence Public Schools Elections | |
| Douglas County, Kansas | |
| Election date: | Primary: March 3, 2015
General: April 7, 2015 |
| Candidates: | At-large, 4-year terms (Four seats): • Incumbent, Bob Byers • Incumbent, Rick Ingram • Incumbent, Shannon Kimball • Lindsey Frye • Ronald Gordon-Ross • Jessica Beeson • Jill Fincher
At-large, 2-year term (One seat): • Incumbent, Marcel Harmon • Mary Loveland • Kelly Spurgeon • Norine Spears |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
