Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District elections (2013)

2015 →
2013 Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District Elections
General Election date:
October 1, 2013
Table of Contents
About the district Method of election Candidates What was at stake? Key deadlines Additional measures Contact information External links
See also
Alaska Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska ballot measures Local ballot measures, Alaska School bond and tax elections in Alaska

Three seats on the school board for Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District were up for election on October 1, 2013. Seats up for election cover seats C, F, and G. There are seven districts in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District. Each district is represented by a member, referred to as member.

Those elected to the board in 2013 received three-year terms.

About the district

Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District is located in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska.

Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District is located in southern Alaska in Matanuska-Susitna Borough. The borough seat is Palmer. The borough was home to 101,095 residents in 2015, according to the United States Census Bureau.

Demographics

Matanuska-Susitna Borough underperformed compared to Alaska as a whole in terms of higher education achievement in the years 2010-2014. The United States Census Bureau found that 20.9 percent of borough residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 27.7 percent of state residents. The median household income in the borough was $72,134, compared to $71,829 in the state. The poverty rate in the borough was 10.7 percent, while it was 11.2 percent for the state as a whole.

Racial Demographics, 2015
Race	Matanuska-Susitna Borough (%)	Alaska (%)
White	83.4	66.5
Black or African American	1.4	3.9
American Indian and Alaska Native	6.6	14.8
Asian	1.5	6.3
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	0.4	1.3
Two or More Races	6.7	7.2
Hispanic or Latino	4.8	7.0

2016 Party Affiliation, Matanuska-Susitna Borough
Party	Number of Registered Voters
Republican Party	5,216
Democratic Party	1,297
Other	606
No Party	2,228
Undeclared	4,697

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.

Method of board member selection

The Matanuska-Susitna Borough School Board consists of seven members elected to three-year terms. All seven members of the board are elected by district. General elections take place on the first Tuesday in October. There are no primary elections. Seats C, F, and G were up for election on October 1, 2013.

Election results

Matanuska-Susitna Borough School Board Seat C, General Election, 2013
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Susan Pougher	94.3%	6,674
	Nonpartisan	Write In	5.7%	405
Total Votes				7,079
Source: Matanuska-Susitna Borough, "Election Results", accessed March 6, 2018

Matanuska-Susitna Borough School Board Seat F, General Election, 2013
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Donna Dearman	29.7%	2,435
	Nonpartisan	Stephen C. Jacobson	23.5%	1,921
	Nonpartisan	Neal T. Lacy	28.1%	2,300
	Nonpartisan	James A. "Jim" Tapley	17.1%	1,398
Total Votes				8,186
Source: Matanuska-Susitna Borough, "Election Results", accessed March 6, 2018

Matanuska-Susitna Borough School Board Seat G, General Election, 2013
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Ray Michaelson	53.6%	4,457
	Nonpartisan	David Cheezem	44.8%	3,731
	Nonpartisan	Write In	1.6%	132
Total Votes				8,320
Source: Matanuska-Susitna Borough, "Election Results", accessed March 6, 2018

Seat C

• Susan Pougher

Seat F

• Donna Dearman
• Neal Lacy
• Stephen C. Jacobson
• James A. Tapley

Seat G

• David Cheezem
• Ray Michaelson

What was at stake?

Three seats, including the president's position held by Susan Pougher, were up for election on October 1, 2013. The most significant controversy facing the school district at the time was the failing school status of the Mat-Su Central School after they failed to may Adequate Yearly Progress for the 2011-12 school year.

Issues

Charter schools

The district has six charter schools. The Academy Charter School serves grades K-8. The Fronteras Spanish Immersion School serves grades K-5 with a curriculum centered around Spanish language immersion. The American Charter Academy serves grades 2-12 with a using a standards based curriculum. The Midnight Sun Family Learning Center serves grades K-8 and parents to have a hands-on involvement in the structure and operation of the school. The Twindly Bridge Charter School serves grades K-12 offering contact teachers for home school students. The Birchtree Charter School serves grades K-8 emphasizing the Waldorf educational philosophy.

Key deadlines

The following dates were key deadlines for the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District election in 2013:

Deadline	Event
July 15, 2013	Candidate filing period opens
July 26, 2013	Candidate filing period closes
August 2, 2013	Last day to withdraw candidacy
August 9, 2013	Last day to adopt legislation placing propositions and questions on the ballot.
September 1, 2013	Last day to register to vote
September 16, 2013	Absentee ballots available
October 1, 2013	Election Day

Additional elections on the ballot

The October 1, 2013 election also had elections for the District 1 and 2 member positions on the Matanuska-Susitna Assembly on the ballot.

See also

• Alaska school board elections emphasize technology
• Alaska school board elections see majority of candidates unopposed
• Alaska
• Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District, Alaska
• List of school board elections in 2013
• Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska ballot measures
• Local ballot measures, Alaska
• School bond and tax elections in Alaska
• Election preview: Alaska school board elections emphasize technology
• Election results: Alaska school board elections see majority of candidates unopposed

External links

• District page
• Matanuska-Susitna Borough Website