Become part of the movement for unbiased, accessible election information. Donate today.
La Mesa-Spring Valley School District elections (2016)
← 2014 |
|---|
 |
|
|
| Enrollment (13–14): |
|
|
Two of the five seats on the La Mesa-Spring Valley School District Board of Education were up for at-large general election on November 8, 2016. In her bid for re-election, incumbent Emma Turner ran against former school board member Jerry Lecko and challengers Jim Long and Jay Steiger.[1] Turner won re-election, and Long won the other seat on the ballot.[2]
Long and Steiger participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 survey of school board candidates. Click here to read their responses.
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The La Mesa-Spring Valley Board of Education consists of five members elected to four-year terms. Elections are held at large on a staggered basis every November of even-numbered years. Three seats were up for election on November 4, 2014, and two seats were up for election on November 8, 2016. There was no primary election.[3]
To get on the ballot, school board candidates had to register with the county elections office by August 12, 2016. If incumbents did not file by that deadline, the filing deadline was extended for non-incumbent candidates until August 17, 2016. In order to qualify as candidates, they had to be at least 18 years old, citizens of California, residents of the school district, registered voters, and "not legally disqualified from holding civil office," according to the bylaws of the La Mesa-Spring Valley Board of Education. Once they took office, school board members could not be employed by the school district.[4][5]
To vote in this election, residents of the school district had to register by October 24, 2016.[6] Photo identification was not required to vote in this election.[7]
Candidates and results
At-large
Results
| La Mesa-Spring Valley School District, At-large General Election, 4-year terms, 2016 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Emma Turner Incumbent |
29.12% | 19,771 |
| Jim Long |
25.64% | 17,405 |
| Jerry Lecko | 23.98% | 16,281 |
| Jay Steiger | 21.25% | 14,429 |
| Total Votes | 67,886 | |
| Source: San Diego County Registrar of Voters, "Presidential General Election - Tuesday, November 8, 2016," accessed December 9, 2016 | ||
Candidates
Emma Turner 
|
Jerry Lecko | ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
| Jim Long
|
Jay Steiger | ||
|
|
|
|
|
Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: California elections, 2016
The district's school board election shared the ballot with a bond measure for the city of La Mesa, two bond measures for San Diego County, a number of statewide ballot measures, and with elections for the following offices:[8][9]
|
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for California school board elections in 2016:[10][11]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| August 1, 2016 | Semi-annual campaign finance report due |
| August 10, 2016 - November 8, 2016 | 24-hour campaign contribution reporting period |
| August 12, 2016 | Candidate filing deadline |
| August 17, 2016 | Extended filing deadline for non-incumbent candidates for open seats |
| September 29, 2016 | First pre-election campaign finance report due |
| October 24, 2016 | Voter registration deadline |
| October 27, 2016 | Second pre-election campaign finance report due |
| November 8, 2016 | Election Day |
| January 31, 2017 | Semi-annual campaign finance report due |
Endorsements
The Republican Party of San Diego County endorsed incumbent Emma Turner and challenger Jim Long, and the San Diego County Democratic Party endorsed challenger Jay Steiger.[12][13] The DeMaio Report on NewsRadio 600 also endorsed Turner and Long.[14]
Long was also endorsed by City of La Mesa Mayor Mark Arapostathis and La Mesa-Spring Valley Board of Education members Steve Babbitt, David Chong, and Rick Winet.[15]
Steiger was also endorsed by the following organizations and elected officials:[16][17]
|
|
Do you know of an official or organization that endorsed a candidate in this race? Let Ballotpedia know by email at editor@ballotpedia.org.
Campaign finance
Candidates in this race were required to file two pre-election reports. The first was due on September 29, 2016, and the second was due on October 27, 2016. If candidates received more than $1,000 from a single source between August 10, 2016, and November 8, 2016, they had to file a campaign finance report within 24 hours of receiving the contribution.[11]
Candidates who did not raise or spend more than $2,000 on their campaigns had to file an exemption form by September 29, 2016. They did not have to file additional campaign finance reports.[11]
Candidates who had a remaining balance from previous campaigns or who had raised or spent money on their campaigns prior to the candidate filing deadline had to file a semi-annual campaign finance report by August 1, 2016. The next semi-annual campaign finance report was due January 31, 2017.[11]
Reports
Candidates received a total of $8,129.51 and spent a total of $8,129.51 in the election, according to the San Diego County Registrar of Voters.[18]
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emma Turner | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Jerry Lecko | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Jim Long | $4,155.51 | $4,155.51 | $0.00 |
| Jay Steiger | $3,974.00 | $3,974.00 | $0.00 |
Past elections
Information about earlier elections can be found by clicking [show] at the right. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2014
2012
2010
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
What was at stake?
Report a story for this election
Ballotpedia researches issues in school board elections across the United States, but information availability is a challenge for us in many school districts. Please contact us about the issues that impact your local school district. Note that not all submissions may meet Ballotpedia's coverage requirements for inclusion.
Candidate survey
|
|
Ballotpedia invites school board candidates to participate in its annual survey. |
Survey responses
Two candidates in this race participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 survey of school board candidates. The following sections display the responses to the survey questions from Jim Long and Jay Steiger.
Hope to achieve
When asked what he hoped to achieve if elected to the school board, Long stated:
| “ | I think our district - the teachers, staff, administration, and board - have done an outstanding job in our district. My wife and I value their hard work, and we see it daily in our involvement in the schools where our boys attend. My goal is to see us continue the great work, because our educational system should be structured so that these children grow up to be productive members of our society. We have the greatest country in the world, so we need to have the best educational system in the world. Because, it's all about the kids.[19] | ” |
| —Jim Long (September 30, 2016)[20] | ||
Steiger said he hoped to achieve the following if elected to the school board:
| “ | Strong Schools = Strong Communities. If our schools are strong, our communities will thrive with higher property values, more business investment, and more jobs created. My core philosophies are to: 1) Prioritize Kids in Classrooms: Continue development and implementation of dynamic and engaging classroom education programs, including student teacher interactive technology. Refine Kempton Academy dual language immersion program and expand to other district schools. 2) Support Teachers in Classrooms: Boost opportunities and time for teacher professional development and learning, including use of Professional Learning Communities (PLC’s) to foster collaboration on educational best practices and student achievement. 3) Engage Businesses and Community in Classroom Success: Increase outreach to business and residential community to highlight district activities and student accomplishments. Demonstrate value of schools to building strong communities.[19] | ” |
| —Jay Steiger (October 24, 2016)[21] | ||
Ranking the issues
The candidates were 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 their rankings:
| Issue importance ranking | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Issue | Long's ranking | Steiger's ranking | ||
| Expanding arts education | ||||
| Improving relations with teachers | ||||
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | ||||
| Improving post-secondary readiness | ||||
| Closing the achievement gap | ||||
| Improving education for special needs students | ||||
| Expanding school choice options | ||||
Positions on the issues
The candidates were asked to answer nine multiple choice and short answer questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. A link to their responses can be found below.
About the district
The La Mesa-Spring Valley School District is located in San Diego County in southern California. The county seat is San Diego. San Diego County was home to 3,299,521 residents in 2015, according to the United States Census Bureau.[22] The district was the 136th-largest school district in the state in the 2013–2014 school year and served 12,103 students.[23]
Demographics
San Diego County outperformed California as a whole in terms of higher education achievement between 2010 and 2014. The United States Census Bureau found that 35.1 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 31 percent of state residents. The median household income for San Diego County was $63,996, compared to $61,489 for the entire state. The percentage of people in poverty in the county was 14.7 percent, while it was 16.4 percent statewide.[22]
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'La Mesa-Spring Valley School District' 'California'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| La Mesa-Spring Valley School District | California | School Boards |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
|
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ San Diego County Registrar of Voters, "Candidate List: 2016 General Election," accessed August 19, 2016
- ↑ San Diego County, "Presidential General Election - Tuesday, November 8, 2016," accessed November 9, 2016
- ↑ La Mesa-Spring Valley School District, "About the School Board," accessed July 23, 2016
- ↑ La Mesa-Spring Valley School District, "BB 9220 Board Bylaws: Governing Board Elections," accessed July 23, 2016
- ↑ California Elections Code, “Part 5, Section 10600-10604: School District And Community College District Governing Board Elections,” accessed June 15, 2016
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Voter Registration," accessed June 13, 2016
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "California Online Voter Registration," accessed June 13, 2016
- ↑ San Diego County Registrar of Voters, "Candidate List: 2016 General Election," accessed September 26, 2016
- ↑ San Diego County Registrar of Voters, "Local Measures for November 8, 2016: County of San Diego," accessed September 26, 2016
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "November 8, 2016, General Election Calendar," accessed July 27, 2016
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 California Fair Political Practices Commission, "Filing Schedule for Candidates and Controlled Committees for Local Office Being Voted on November 8, 2016," accessed July 27, 2016
- ↑ The Republican Party of San Diego County, "2016 General Election: Local Endorsements," accessed October 13, 2016
- ↑ San Diego County Democratic Party, "Democratic Candidates 2016," accessed October 13, 2016
- ↑ NewsRadio 600, "San Diego Voter Guide: SCHOOL CANDIDATES," October 4, 2016
- ↑ Ballotpedia's Biographical Information Submission Form, "Jim LongX's responses," September 3, 2016
- ↑ Evolve, "Endorsements: November 8, 2016 General Election," accessed October 13, 2016
- ↑ Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Jay Steiger," October 24, 2016
- ↑ San Diego County Registrar of Voters, "CampaignDocs eRetrieval: Search by Candidate's Last Name," accessed February 24, 2017
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Ballotpedia's school board candidate survey, "Jim Long's responses," September 30, 2016
- ↑ Ballotpedia's school board candidate survey, "Jay Steiger's responses," October 24, 2016
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 United States Census Bureau, "San Diego County, California," accessed June 16, 2016
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed November 16, 2015
- ↑ San Diego County Registrar of Voters, "Presidential General Election November 6, 2012, Official Results," accessed July 14, 2014
- ↑ San Diego County Registrar of Voters, "Presidential General Election November 4, 2008, Official Results," accessed July 14, 2014
- ↑ San Diego County Registrar of Voters, "General Election November 2, 2004, Final Official Results," accessed July 14, 2014
- ↑ San Diego County Registrar of Voters, "General Election November 7, 2000," accessed July 14, 2014
| 2016 La Mesa-Spring Valley School District Elections | |
| San Diego County, California | |
| Election date: | November 8, 2016 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Emma Turner • Jerry Lecko • Jim Long • Jay Steiger |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
