Matt Pepper
Matt Pepper is a former at-large member of the Park Hill Board of Education in Missouri. He was first elected to the board on April 2, 2013.[1] Pepper won re-election in the general election on April 7, 2015.
Pepper participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 survey of school board candidates.
Elections
2015
The election in Park Hill featured two of the seven seats on the board up for general election on April 7, 2015. Incumbent Matt Pepper ran for re-election against challengers Karen Holland, Jeffrey Kingsley and Lathem Scott for the two at-large seats. Pepper and Holland defeated the other two candidates to win the election.
Results
| Park Hill School District, At-Large General Election, 3-year term, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Matt Pepper Incumbent |
30.9% | 2,260 | |
| Nonpartisan | Karen Holland |
26.1% | 1,910 | |
| Nonpartisan | Lathem Scott | 21.9% | 1,604 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jeffrey Kingsley | 20.9% | 1,534 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.2% | 15 | |
| Total Votes | 7,323 | |||
| Source: Platte County Election Board, "Election Summary Report," April 10, 2015 | ||||
Funding
Pepper reported no contributions or expenditures to the Missouri Ethics Commission during the election.[2]
Endorsements
Pepper received endorsements from the local affiliate of the Missouri National Education Association and The Kansas City Star.[3][4]
2013
| Park Hill School District, At-Large Special Election, 2-year term, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Matt Pepper |
45.5% | 2,449 | |
| Nonpartisan | Todd Burr Incumbent | 33.4% | 1,795 | |
| Nonpartisan | Josh Blackman | 21.1% | 1,136 | |
| Total Votes | 5,380 | |||
| Source: KCTV5, "Missouri Election Returns," accessed February 10, 2014 | ||||
Campaign themes
2015
Ballotpedia survey responses
Pepper participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 survey of school board candidates. The following sections display his responses to the survey questions. When asked what his top priority would be if elected, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | Tackling issues that political taglines simply won't solve. We've seen rising costs in transportation, increased premiums for employee health insurance, and more demand for individualized/specialized programs for our students. It will take thorough study and discussion to come to solutions which will effectively address these issues and put us on a more sustainable financial footing. This will allow us to invest more in continuing to be innovative as a leading school district in Missouri.[5] | ” |
| —Matt Pepper (2015)[6] | ||
Ranking the issues
The candidate was 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 this candidate's rankings from most to least important:
| Education policy |
|---|
 |
Click here to learn more about education policy in Missouri. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Improving college readiness | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Expanding career-technical education | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer 10 questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are in the left column and the candidate's responses are in the right column of the following table:
| Question | Response |
|---|---|
| No answer provided. | |
| "No." | |
| "No." | |
| "No." | |
| "I believe there is a difference between an equal and equitable education. At Park Hill, I believe we provide each student an equal education, meaning the same access to opportunities, resources, and attention. Whether they are taken advantage of is a different issue, which can often create the void between high and low achievement. For Park Hill, the real question we need to address in regards to our long-term success is whether our district should provide an equitable education. This means we recognize some of our students come to us on an uneven playing field (social, economic factors) and that some may require more attention even if it means the investment of more resources in lower achieving students. Ideally, we would like to provide more specialized/individualized programming, which would allow us to provide high-achieving students opportunities to advance while also ensuring low achieving students have support options they need to develop basic skills. I don't have the answer, but believe its a conversation our community should be having." | |
| "Expulsion should be used for serious offenses to ensure the safety of other students as well as the integrity of education at district schools." | |
| "Depending on the specific situation, there would likely need to be a change in leadership, meaning a new principal. The board and district would work with and provide the new principal support in implementing a new building environment and model for accountability, which takes into account internal and external factors impacting achievement. This would also include a heightened support in evaluating whether there is a need to replace current teachers and staff at the school. At Park Hill, we allow our principals flexibility in implementing their building vision as part of the overall goals of the district, but when a school is failing, there is a need to take back control and instill new leadership. However, it's important as a district to monitor our schools so that we can be proactive and not have to face a situation like this." | |
| "Yes." | |
| "Put underperforming teachers on a probationary period while they seek to improve." | |
| "Better communicating and engaging our community is a continuous effort. We attend a number of different district events as a board and individually attend various sports, arts, and academic activities on a regular basis. Additionally, we solicit feedback on a number of issues the board focuses on. There is room for improvement in several areas including better relationships with our PTA's, NEA representatives, and retired community members. This can be achieved through structured meeting invitations and town hall style gatherings." |
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Matt Pepper Park Hill School District. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
- Park Hill School District
- Office website
- Campaign website
- Campaign Facebook page
- Twitter page
- LinkedIn page
Footnotes
- ↑ Park Hill School District, "Matt Pepper," accessed March 19, 2015
- ↑ Missouri Ethics Commission, "Candidates By Election Search," accessed March 26, 2015
- ↑ Missouri NEA, "Local affiliates recommend school board candidates," accessed April 2, 2015
- ↑ The Kansas City Star, "The Star’s recommendations to boost Missouri school districts on Election Day," March 31, 2015
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2015, "Matt Pepper responses," March 26, 2015
| 2015 Park Hill School District Elections | |
| Platte County, Missouri | |
| Election date: | April 7, 2015 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Matt Pepper • Karen Holland • Jeffrey Kingsley • Lathem Scott |
| Important information: | Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
