Kenneth Darby
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Kenneth Darby is an at-large member of the East Aurora School District 131 Board of Education in Illinois. He was first elected to the board in the general election on April 7, 2015.[1][2]
Darby participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 survey of school board candidates. To read his responses, check out his 2015 Campaign themes.
Darby took part in a candidate forum hosted by the DuPage County NAACP prior to the election with the other eight candidates in the 2015 school board race. They discussed their future goals for the district, the need for more staff diversity and discipline and safety issues.
Biography
Darby has lived in the East Aurora School District 131 his entire life. His children now attend school in the district. Darby serves as the East Aurora Band Booster President.[3]
Elections
2015
Four of the seven at-large seats on the East Aurora School District 131 Board of Education were up for general election on April 7, 2015. Only two incumbents, Raymond Hull and Mary Louise Peryea, ran for re-election. They faced the following seven candidates: Alex Arroyo, Kenneth Darby, Julie Garofalo, Mary Garza, Kimberly Hatchett, John Laesch and Anita Lewis.
Both incumbents lost their bids for re-election. Newcomers Arroyo, Darby, Hatchett and Laesch won seats on the board.
Results
| East Aurora School District 131, At-Large General Election, 4-year term, 2015 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Alex Arroyo |
18.6% | 1,336 | |
| Nonpartisan | Kenneth Darby |
13.1% | 937 | |
| Nonpartisan | Kimberly Hatchett |
12.4% | 893 | |
| Nonpartisan | John Laesch |
11.7% | 837 | |
| Nonpartisan | Mary Garza | 10.6% | 764 | |
| Nonpartisan | Raymond Hull Incumbent | 10.5% | 751 | |
| Nonpartisan | Anita Lewis | 9% | 643 | |
| Nonpartisan | Mary Louise Peryea Incumbent | 7.5% | 537 | |
| Nonpartisan | Julie Garofalo | 6.7% | 479 | |
| Total Votes | 7,177 | |||
| Source: Aurora Election Commission, "2015 Consolidated Election April 7, 2015 Results," accessed April 28, 2015, Kane County Clerk, "2015 Consolidated Election Contest Results," accessed April 28, 2015 | ||||
Funding
School board candidates in Illinois are only required to file campaign finance reports if they accept contributions or make expenditures in excess of $5,000 in a 12-month period.[4]
Darby reported no contributions or expenditures to the Illinois State Board of Elections in this election.[5]
Endorsements
Darby did not receive any official endorsements for this election.
Campaign themes
2015
Ballotpedia survey responses
Darby 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:
| “ | My first priority would be to establish fiscal responsibility and accountability. I would also seek to establish strong leadership on the board.[6] | ” |
| —Kenneth Darby (2015)[7] | ||
Ranking the issues
Darby was asked to rank the following issues by importance in the school district, with 1 being the most important and 7 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 Illinois. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Improving college readiness | |
| Expanding career-technical education | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
Positions on the issues
Darby 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 |
|---|---|
| "There are positives and negatives to common core, I would like to hear more about it from the teachers' perspective." | |
| "No" | |
| "No" | |
| "Yes" | |
| "To district must have a consistent dialogue with students and parents to ensure that available opportunities are known and pursued." | |
| "Expulsion should be used for serious offenses, but reviewed on a case-by-case basis to ensure the safety of students and maintain order in the classroom." | |
| "Ensure that they have strong leadership and that teachers have the necessary tools and/or professional development needed. It is the school boards job to ensure that the programs are in place to enable schools to perform at or above state expectations." | |
| "No" | |
| "A combination or more training and mentoring. Teachers need the tools to succeed also." | |
| "I would work to improve communication between all groups. The board needs to function as a unified body, setting the example of how to treat others with respect. The board needs to have open dialogue with all community members so they are kept informed." | |
| "I would seek to establish an open dialogue between myself and all community members to learn the needs of the district." |
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Kenneth Darby East Aurora School District 131. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- East Aurora School District 131, Illinois
- East Aurora School District 131 elections (2015)
- Hot tub Gatorade, turnout in Peoria and the Wisconsin state budget... (April 8, 2015)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Aurora Election Commission, "2015 Consolidated Election April 7, 2015 Unofficial Results," accessed April 7, 2015
- ↑ Kane County Clerk, "2015 Consolidated Election Contest Results," accessed April 9, 2015
- ↑ Ken Darby Facebook, "About," accessed March 24, 2015
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "A Guide to Campaign Disclosure," accessed March 31, 2015
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Candidate Disclosure Search," accessed April 3, 2015
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2015, "Kenneth Darby responses," March 28, 2015
| 2015 East Aurora School District 131 Elections | |
| DuPage County, Illinois | |
| Election date: | April 7, 2015 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Raymond Hull • Incumbent, Mary Louise Peryea • Alex Arroyo • Kenneth Darby • Julie Garofalo • Mary Garza • Kimberly Hatchett • John Laesch • Anita Lewis |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
