Mary Loveland
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Mary Loveland was an at-large representative on the Lawrence Public Schools Board of Education in Kansas. She served on the board from 1987 to 2003 and 2007 to 2011, although she first ran for the board unsuccessfully in 1983.[1]
During her first tenure on the board, Loveland was involved in the creation of Free State High School. A controversy later developed when Loveland's family purchased a second home in Lawrence so that their daughter could live in school's attendance zone. Loveland's support for the closure of elementary schools was also controversial and contributed to her unsuccessful re-election bid in 2003. She did not seek re-election in 2011 due to her husband's health.[2]
In 2015, Loveland tried to rejoin the board by running for election to an unexpired two-year term. She advanced from the primary election on March 3, 2015, but was defeated in the general election on April 7, 2015.
Biography
Loveland grew up in Merriam and Shawnee, Kan. She earned a degree in English from Kansas University.[2] She was married and has four children who graduated from district schools: her husband died in 2014. She served on the boards for the KU Alumni Association and the Kansas Memorial Union. She also volunteered in her church's religious education program and was the athletic director for some of the teams which played in the Catholic Youth Organization.[3]
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.[4] 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.[5]
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.[4]
Results
General
| Lawrence Public Schools, At-Large Special Election, 2-year unexpired term, 2015 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Marcel Harmon Incumbent |
54.6% | 5,107 | |
| Nonpartisan | Mary Loveland | 45.4% | 4,245 | |
| Total Votes | 9,352 | |||
| Source: Douglas County, "Online Election Results (official)," accessed April 16, 2015 | ||||
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
Loveland reported no contributions or expenditures to the Douglas County Clerk in this election.[6]
Endorsements
Loveland did not receive any official endorsements in this election.
Campaign themes
2015
Loveland participated in a candidate questionnaire distributed by Lawrence Journal-World. The questions and her responses are listed below:[7]
"What makes you the right candidate for the school board?"
| “ | My most obvious asset is experience. I served five terms (20 years) on the board, which represents a familiarity with a significant portion of the history of USD 497. I attempt to be thorough in studying an issue or problem. I am a member of a generation (Baby Boomers) who might need to be convinced to recognize that a high quality public education is very important to empty nesters as well as to parents of students enrolled in our schools now.[8] | ” |
| —Mary Loveland (2015)[7] | ||
"What issues should the school board focus on in the coming years?"
| “ | The most urgent issue is school finance. We have a governor who did not accurately describe the issue during his campaign for re-election last fall. This same governor promoted tax cuts that have resulted in huge state budget problems. And since funding public education is a big chunk of the state budget, school funding is vulnerable. The school board must also make sure that our curriculum is of a high quality and that teachers are provided with the resources to teach that curriculum.[8] | ” |
| —Mary Loveland (2015)[7] | ||
"How should the board address the budget issues it faces because of state cuts?"
| “ | I presume that the administration has been directed to review the current USD 497 budget to see if there are any expenditures that can be canceled or delayed. Any contingency funds in the budget need to be studied. As personnel resignations or retirements are announced those employees' job responsibilities must be analyzed to see if positions can be left vacant until the budget figures improve and tasks assigned to other employees. Our goal is to provide an educational program of the highest quality and we must be careful that budget cuts do not diminish that quality.[8] | ” |
| —Mary Loveland (2015)[7] | ||
"Are Lawrence students shortchanged in any aspect of their education?"
| “ | I talked to a couple parents of current students. The mother of a high school student is very impressed with the breadth of opportunity available and that her teenager gets supports in academic areas when he needs it. A parent of grade school students expressed some concern about how many times teachers are pulled from the classroom for training sessions -- could that be organized or delivered differently?[8] | ” |
| —Mary Loveland (2015)[7] | ||
"Do you support Common Core standards? Why or why not?"
| “ | Common Core Standards were developed in an honest effort to produce academic goals for education that would produce graduates ready for college, other post-secondary education and/or employment. Conservative state legislators have "villainized" them as federal encroachment on state rights. But rather than engage in the onerous task of developing a Kansas set of standards which could end up looking a lot like what was developed, we could analyze the portions of Common Core Standards that are objectionable and "customize" our own. I support high standards for education so that we can evaluate if our Lawrence program is successful.[8] | ” |
| —Mary Loveland (2015)[7] | ||
"Should teachers have tenure rights? Is it 'too hard' to fire teachers with tenure?"
| “ | Yes, teachers should have tenure rights. It should be possible to remove tenured teachers through good record keeping and evidence of non-fulfillment of the goals of a plan for improvement.[8] | ” |
| —Mary Loveland (2015)[7] | ||
"Do you support moving school board elections to November in even numbered years and/or making the elections partisan?"
| “ | No and no. Local elections deserve the attention they get in spring elections. And party affiliation is not relevant to school board members' responsibilities and functions.[8] | ” |
| —Mary Loveland (2015)[7] | ||
Recent news
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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 Lawrence Journal-World, "School board candidate profile: Mary Loveland," February 22, 2015
- ↑ Lawrence Public Schools, "Mary Loveland," accessed February 10, 2015
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 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 May 28, 2015
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 Lawrence Journal-World, "School board questionnaire: Mary Loveland," February 22, 2015
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 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 |
