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Litchfield School District, Minnesota, elections

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Litchfield School District
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District details
School board members: 6
Students: 1,543 (2022-2023)
Schools: 5 (2022-2023)
Website: Link

Litchfield School District is a school district in Minnesota (Meeker County). During the 2023 school year, 1,543 students attended one of the district's five schools.

This page provides information regarding school board members, election rules, finances, academics, policies, and more details about the district.

Elections

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Litchfield Public School District, At-large

General election

General election for Litchfield Public School District, At-large (3 seats)

Adam L. Boerema, Alex Carlson, Stephanie Danielson, Tim Oster, and Mick Spillane ran in the general election for Litchfield Public School District, At-large on November 5, 2024.


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Litchfield Public School District, At-large

General election

General election for Litchfield Public School District, At-large (3 seats)

Darrin Anderson, Andrew Hallin, Malinda Larson, Greg Mathews, and Marcia Provencher ran in the general election for Litchfield Public School District, At-large on November 8, 2022.


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Election rules

 

Election dates and frequency

School board general elections for all districts in Minnesota are held on Tuesday after the first Monday in November every two years in either even-numbered years or odd-numbered years. According to the Minnesota School Board Association, 90% of districts held even-year elections as of 2022.

In districts not holding a school board nonpartisan primary, all school board candidates appear on the ballot for the general election held on Tuesday after the first Monday in November every two years in either even-numbered years or odd-numbered years.

In school districts in which the boards pass resolutions to hold primary elections, school board nonpartisan primary elections are held on the second Tuesday in August every two years in either odd-numbered years or even-numbered years. School boards must pass resolutions to hold primary elections before April 15 in any year. A primary is only held if more than two candidates are running for a single-seat race or if the number of candidates running for multi-seat races is more than twice the number of open seats.

In districts holding a school board nonpartisan primary, the top two candidates per seat that receive the most votes advance to the general election held on Tuesday after the first Monday in November every two years in either even-numbered years or odd-numbered years.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Minnesota Statutes Chapter 123B and Chapter 205A and Minnesota School Board Association: The Importance of School Board Elections and Minnesota Statutes Chapter 123B and Chapter 205A and Minnesota School Board Association: The Importance of School Board Elections and Minnesota Statutes Chapter 123B and Chapter 205A

Recent or upcoming election dates for school districts holding a school board nonpartisan primary election

Below are the recent/upcoming dates for school districts holding a school board nonpartisan primary election. There may be exceptions to these dates for specific districts because of local charters and district-specific exceptions and carve-outs.

  • Filing deadline date: June 3, 2025
  • Primary election date: August 12, 2025
  • General election date: November 4, 2025
Recent or upcoming election dates for school districts not holding a school board primary election

Below are the recent/upcoming dates for school districts not holding a school board primary election. There may be exceptions to these dates for specific districts because of local charters and district-specific exceptions and carve-outs.

  • Filing deadline date: August 13, 2025
  • General election date: November 4, 2025

Election system

School board members in Minnesota are elected through either a nonpartisan general election without a primary or through a system of a nonpartisan primary election and a nonpartisan general election, depending on whether or not the school board passed a resolution to hold a primary election.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Minnesota Statutes Chapter 123B

Party labels on the ballot

School board elections in Minnesota are nonpartisan, which means party labels do not appear on the ballot for school board candidates. Minnesota Statute requires election clerks to "place the name of the [school board] candidate on the official ballot without partisan designation."

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Minnesota Statutes Chapter 205A

Winning an election

If a school board passed a resolution to hold a primary for that cycle and enough candidates are running to require a primary election, the candidates with the most votes in the nonpartisan primary advance to the general election. A primary is only held if more than two candidates are running for a single-seat race or if the number of candidates running for multi-seat races is more than twice the number of open seats. In single-seat races, two candidates advance to the general election. In multi-seat races, twice as many candidates as open seats advance to the general election.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Minnesota Statutes Chapter 123B and Chapter 205A and Minnesota School Board Association: The Importance of School Board Elections

Term length and staggering

School board members have four-year terms.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Minnesota Statutes Chapter 205A

School board elections are staggered so that as close to half of a district's school board members as possible are up for election every two years.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Minnesota Statutes Chapter 123B and Chapter 205A

Representation: at large vs. by sub-district

School board members are elected at large, by sub-district, or through a combination of at large and by sub-district. The school boards of all school districts except those located within the four first-class cities in the state can put a question on the ballot for voter approval proposing the creation of or change to election districts (sub-districts). The proposal can include any combination of single-member districts, multi-member districts, and at-large seats. State law requires Minneapolis Public Schools to have six board members elected by sub-district and three members elected at large. As of 2022, 314 districts (96%) had board members all elected at large, nine districts (3%) had board members all elected from sub-districts, and five districts (2%) had board members elected through a combination of at large and by sub-district.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Minnesota Statutes Chapter 123B, Chapter 128, and Chapter 128D

Filing deadlines and swearing-in dates

In districts not holding school board primary elections, the deadline for school board candidates to file affidavits of candidacy is 84 days before the November school board general election.

In districts holding school board primary elections, the deadline for school board candidates to file affidavits of candidacy is 70 days before the August primary election.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Minnesota Statutes Chapter 205A

In districts not holding school board primary elections, school board candidates cannot file affidavits of candidacy until 98 days before the November school board general election.

In districts holding school board primary elections, school board candidates cannot file affidavits of candidacy until 84 days before the August primary election.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Minnesota Statutes Chapter 205A and Minnesota Statutes Chapter 205A

School board member terms expire and the terms of newly elected school board members officially begin on the first Monday of January following the election.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Minnesota Statutes Chapter 205A

 


About the district

School board

The Litchfield School District consists of six members serving four-year terms. To find information about school board meetings, click here.

List of school board members
NameYear assumed officeYear term ends
Alex Carlson2029
Stephanie Danielson20252029
Tim Oster20252029
Darrin Anderson2027
Greg Mathews2027
Marcia Provencher2027

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District map

Overlapping state house districts

The table was limited to the lower chamber because it provides the most granularity. State house districts tend to be more numerous and therefore smaller than state senate or U.S. House districts. This provides an impression of the partisan affiliations in the area.

Budget

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[1]

Revenue, 2020-2021
SOURCE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Federal: $1,822,000 $1,233 8%
Local: $6,700,000 $4,533 28%
State: $15,725,000 $10,639 65%
Total: $24,247,000 $16,405
Expenditures, 2020-2021
TYPE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Total Expenditures: $31,455,000 $21,282
Total Current Expenditures: $19,136,000 $12,947
Instructional Expenditures: $11,946,000 $8,082 38%
Student and Staff Support: $1,331,000 $900 4%
Administration: $2,047,000 $1,384 7%
Operations, Food Service, Other: $3,812,000 $2,579 12%
Total Capital Outlay: $10,079,000 $6,819
Construction: $9,492,000 $6,422
Total Non El-Sec Education & Other: $626,000 $423
Interest on Debt: $1,217,000 $823

Academic performance

Each year, state and local education agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency. Although the data below was published by the U.S. Department of Education, proficiency measurements are established by the states. As a result, proficiency levels are not comparable between different states and year-over-year proficiency levels within a district may not be comparable because states may change their proficiency measurements. To protect student privacy, percentages are reported as ranges for groups of 300 students or fewer. If five or fewer students were included in a data set, the data will display as "PS."[2]

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 52 PS <50 35-39 PS <50 55
2018-2019 59 PS <50 30-34 PS <50 62
2017-2018 57 PS PS 30-34 PS >=50 60
2016-2017 57 PS <50 30-34 PS <50 60
2015-2016 57 PS <50 35-39 PS <50 60
2014-2015 58 PS <50 30-34 PS >=50 61
2013-2014 60 PS <50 30-34 PS >=50 62
2012-2013 59 PS <50 35-39 PS PS 61
2011-2012 67 PS <50 45-49 PS PS 69
2010-2011 58 PS <50 25-29 PS 61

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 58 PS >=50 30-34 PS >=50 60
2018-2019 65 PS <50 45-49 PS >=50 68
2017-2018 65 PS PS 45-49 PS <50 67
2016-2017 64 PS <50 45-49 PS >=50 67
2015-2016 61 PS <50 35-39 PS >=50 64
2014-2015 60 PS <50 30-34 PS <50 63
2013-2014 61 PS <50 30-34 PS <50 64
2012-2013 59 PS <50 35-39 PS PS 62
2011-2012 79 PS >=50 55-59 PS PS 81
2010-2011 76 PS PS 45-49 PS 78

The following table shows the graduation rate of district students each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2019-2020 90-94 >=50 90-94
2018-2019 90-94 >=50 PS >=95
2017-2018 90-94 PS >=50 PS 90-94
2016-2017 90-94 PS PS >=50 PS 90-94
2015-2016 85-89 PS PS >=50 PS 90-94
2014-2015 90-94 PS PS >=50 90-94
2013-2014 90-94 PS >=50 PS 90-94
2012-2013 85-89 PS >=50 85-89
2011-2012 85-89 PS >=50 85-89
2010-2011 >=95 PS >=50 >=95

Students

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[3]

Year Enrollment Year-to-year change (%)
2022-2023 1,543 1.0
2021-2022 1,527 3.2
2020-2021 1,478 -6.5
2019-2020 1,574 -0.3
2018-2019 1,578 1.5
2017-2018 1,555 -3.3
2016-2017 1,606 -1.4
2015-2016 1,628 -4.7
2014-2015 1,705 -1.6
2013-2014 1,732 0.2
2012-2013 1,729 0.9
2011-2012 1,714 -3.0
2010-2011 1,765 -3.1
2009-2010 1,819 0.8
2008-2009 1,804 -0.9
2007-2008 1,821 1.4
2006-2007 1,795 -3.1
2005-2006 1,851 -3.0
2004-2005 1,906 -2.3
2003-2004 1,950 -0.6
2002-2003 1,962 -2.5
2001-2002 2,012 -2.5
2000-2001 2,062 -1.1
1999-2000 2,085 0.0
Racial Demographics, 2022-2023
RACE Litchfield School District (%) Minnesota K-12 STUDENTS (%)
American Indian/Alaska Native 0.2 1.7
Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander 0.1 7.0
Black 0.7 11.7
Hispanic 12.4 10.9
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0.0 0.1
Two or More Races 2.5 6.2
White 84.1 62.3

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.

Staff

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[4]

As of the 2022-2023 school year, Litchfield School District had 100.32 full-time classroom teachers. The student-teacher ratio was 15.38.

Teachers, 2022-2023 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF TEACHERS
Prekindergarten: 3.63
Kindergarten: 6.00
Elementary: 43.73
Secondary: 38.05
Total: 100.32

Litchfield School District employed 3.00 district administrators and 5.83 school administrators as of the 2022-2023 school year.

Administrators, 2022-2023 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATORS
District Administrators: 3.00
District Administrative Support: 2.88
School Administrators: 5.83
School Administrative Support: 6.00
Other staff, 2022-2023 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF
Instructional Aides: 51.71
Instruc. Coordinators & Supervisors: 2.14
Total Guidance Counselors: 3.49
Elementary Guidance Counselors: 0.00
Secondary Guidance Counselors: 3.49
Librarians/Media Specialists: 1.00
Library/Media Support: 0.88
Student Support Services: 18.71
Other Support Services: 27.44

Schools

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[5]

The Litchfield School District operates five schools. They are listed below in alphabetical order.
List of schools
SCHOOL NAMENUMBER OF STUDENTSGRADES
Lake Ripley Elementary577KG-4
Litchfield Area Learning Program1410-12
Litchfield Early Childhood Special29PK-PK
Litchfield Middle School4745-8
Litchfield Senior High4499-12

About school boards

Education legislation in Minnesota

Bills are monitored by BillTrack50 and sorted by action history.

See also

School Boards Education Policy Local Politics Minnesota
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External links

  • Office website
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  • Footnotes