Marta Hansen
Marta Hansen was an at-large representative on the Sun Prairie Area Board of Education in Wisconsin. She won election to the board in the general election on April 7, 2015, and did not seek re-election in 2018.
Biography
Hansen is the owner of The Piano Gal Shop, LLC, in Madison, Wis. She is also a teacher and curriculum developer at Elite Artistry. Prior to these endeavors, she owned her own music education business, Music with Marta. She has also worked as a freelance music curriculum developer. Her first jobs after graduating from University of Wisconsin-Madison with her degree in music education in 2003 were as a middle school choir director in Plano Independent School District and as an elementary music teacher in Frisco Independent School District, both of which are located in Texas.[1]
Elections
2015
Three at-large seats were up for election on April 7, 2015. Incumbent Mike Krachey ran to retain his seat against candidates Marta Hansen, David Hoekstra and Marilyn Ruffin. The incumbent, however, was defeated, and the three challengers each won their first terms on the board. As Hoekstra was the third-highest vote recipient, he was elected to the unexpired one-year term up for election, while Hansen and Ruffin won regular three-year terms.
Results
| Sun Prairie Area School District, At-Large General Election, 3-year & 1-year terms, 2015 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Marta Hansen (3-year) |
26.8% | 3,420 | |
| Nonpartisan | Marilyn Ruffin (3-year) |
25.5% | 3,259 | |
| Nonpartisan | David Hoekstra (1-year) |
24.4% | 3,112 | |
| Nonpartisan | Mike Krachey Incumbent | 22.8% | 2,911 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.4% | 57 | |
| Total Votes | 12,759 | |||
| Source: Dane County Clerk's Office, "2015 Spring Election: Official Canvass," accessed April 7, 2015 | ||||
Funding
Hansen reported no contributions or expenditures to the Sun Prairie Area School District in this election. She filed as "Exempt from Filing Campaign Finance Records" on her campaign registration statement.[2]
Endorsements
Hansen was endorsed by Wisconsin Progress, the Sun Prairie Education Association (SPEA) and South Central Federation of Labor AFL-CIO.[3][4][5]
Campaign themes
2015
Campaign website
Hansen provided the following statement on her campaign website:
| “ | I have a vision for Sun Prairie. My vision for education is Sun Prairie is for all of our children to have the tools and support they need to reach their full potential. My vision is that all students will become lifelong lovers of learning, so that they can enter the world with confidence and the tools for success. For this to happen, students need creative and engaging teachers that facilitate learning. We need to support our teachers in all facets, so that they stay in our district and continue to provide so much more than teaching to our children. Classrooms should be a creative and safe space for students to grow and learn, which means less focus on test scores, and more focus on actual learning.[6] | ” |
| —Marta Hansen's campaign website (2015)[7] | ||
LWV candidate questionnaire
Hansen participated in a candidate questionnaire administered by the League of Women Voters of Dane County. The questions and her answers are below:
| “ | 1. What in your professional and community background qualifies you for this elective office?
Sun Prairie is my hometown. I grew up here and know this community. My spouse is a teacher in the district, my two children go to school here and I own a small business in downtown Sun Prairie. I care deeply about this community, I understand many points of view, and I'm well informed on the needs of Sun Prairie students, parents, and teachers. 2. What are the two most important issues facing your school district? One issue we are currently facing and will continue to face is how we will keep up with the continued growth of our community. We need to address how we will adequately serve our current students while making room for new families as well. Another issue we are facing is the achievement gap within our student population. 3. What are your ideas for addressing the issues you identified? In order to address the community growth, continued and strategic planning that anticipates future growth is essential. Addressing the achievement gap will require focusing on initiatives that are designed to support students who are under performing academically and better connect their families with quality school resources.[6] |
” |
| —Marta Hansen's questionnaire responses (2015)[8] | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Marta Hansen Sun Prairie Area School District. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Sun Prairie Area School District, Wisconsin
- Sun Prairie Area School District elections (2015)
- Hot tub Gatorade, turnout in Peoria and the Wisconsin state...
- Wisconsin school districts 2014 review
External links
- Sun Prairie Area School District
- Office website
- Campaign website
- Facebook campaign page
- Personal website for The Piano Gal Shop
- LinkedIn profile
Footnotes
- ↑ LinkedIn, "Marta Hansen," accessed February 5, 2015
- ↑ Margaret Koenig, "Email correspondence with Victoria Claas, Administrative Assistant to the Sun Prairie Area School District Assistant Superintendent of Operations and Continuous Improvement," August 25, 2015
- ↑ Wisconsin Progress, "OUR ENDORSEMENTS FOR SPRING 2015," accessed February 25, 2015
- ↑ Facebook, "Marta Hansen for Sun Prairie Area School Board: Wall Post," February 17, 2015
- ↑ Facebook, "Marta Hansen for Sun Prairie Area School Board: Wall Post," February 21, 2015
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ MARTA HANSEN FOR SUN PRAIRIE AREA SCHOOL BOARD, "MARTA HANSEN FOR SUN PRAIRIE AREA SCHOOL BOARD," February 20, 2015
- ↑ League of Women Voters of Dane County, "Sun Prairie School Board," accessed March 24, 2015
| 2015 Sun Prairie Area School District Elections | |
| Dane County, Wisconsin | |
| Election date: | April 7, 2015 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Mike Krachey • Marta Hansen • David Hoekstra • Marilyn Ruffin |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
