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McLean County Unit District No 5 elections (2015)
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Method of election Elections What was at stake? Key deadlines Additional elections External links |
McLean County Unit District No 5 McLean County, Illinois ballot measures Local ballot measures, Illinois |
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Five seats on the McLean County Unit District No 5 Board of Education were up for general election on April 7, 2015. The five seats up for election included four four-year terms and one two-year term.[1] The two-year term was on the ballot due to the temporary appointment of Denise L. Schuster to the board in April 2014 to fill an unexpired term.[2]
Only three incumbents filed to run for re-election. Incumbents Denise L. Schuster and Michael E. Trask faced four challengers, Glenn Block, James E. Hayek Jr., Barry Hitchins and John Howard Kuk, for the four-year term seats. Schuster, Trask, Hayek and Hitchins were triumphant in that race.[3] Incumbent Gail Ann Briggs ran unopposed for the two-year term seat.[1][4] Schuster filed to run for a four-year term seat rather than the two-year term she previously held. When no one else filed for the seat, Briggs withdrew her nominating papers for the four-year term seat and filed for the two-year term. She said she believed it was important that the ballot be full.[5]
Candidate John Howard Kuk's nominating petitions were challenged by former incumbent Mark Pritchett, who decided not to run for re-election. In January 2015, the McLean County Officers Electoral Board ruled in favor of Kuk, allowing him to remain on the ballot. Pritchett filed the objection to Kuk's petitions due to his collecting signatures on form SBE No. P-7A instead of the form SBE No. P-7.[6]
Five of the candidates who ran for a four-year term seat participated in a candidate forum in March 2015. They discussed right-to-work legislation, responsible bidder polices and district finances.
- See also: Issues in the election
About the district
McLean County Unit District No 5 is located in McLean County in central Illinois. The county seat of McLean County is Bloomington. McLean County was home to 174,647 residents in 2013, according to the United States Census Bureau.[7] During the 2011-2012 school year, McLean County Unit District No 5 was the 18th-largest school district by enrollment in Illinois and served 13,309 students.[8]
Demographics
McLean County outperformed the rest of Illinois in terms of higher education achievement in 2013. The United States Census Bureau found that 42.8 percent of McLean County residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree compared to 31.4 percent for Illinois as a whole. The median household income for McLean County was $62,089, while it was $56,797 for the entire state. The poverty rate in McLean County was 14.2 percent compared to 14.1 percent statewide.[7]
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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.
Voter and candidate information
The McLean County Unit District No 5 Board of Education consists of seven at-large members elected to staggered four-year terms every April in odd-numbered years.[4] A general election for four full-term seats was held on April 7, 2015. The top four vote recipients won the seats. An additional two-year term seat was also on the ballot due to an unexpired term.[1] In April 2013, three seats were up for election.[10]
To get on the ballot, school board candidates had to file a notarized statement of candidacy and nominating petitions with the McLean County Clerk's Office during the filing period. The filing period began December 15, 2014, and ended December 22, 2014. The nominating petitions had to include the signatures of 50 voters residing in the school district and could not be circulated until September 23, 2014.[11]
To vote in this election, voters had to register with the McLean County Clerk's Office by March 10, 2015. Early voting was available for registered voters starting March 23, 2015, and ending April 4, 2015.[11]
Elections
2015
Candidates
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At-large four-year term
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At-large two-year term
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Election results
Four-year term
| McLean County Unit District No 5, At-Large General Election, 4-year term, 2015 |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Michael E. Trask Incumbent |
19.5% | 2,040 | |
| Nonpartisan | James E. Hayek Jr. |
18.9% | 1,985 | |
| Nonpartisan | Denise L. Schuster Incumbent |
18.8% | 1,976 | |
| Nonpartisan | Barry Hitchins |
18.6% | 1,946 | |
| Nonpartisan | Glenn Block | 16.5% | 1,735 | |
| Nonpartisan | John Howard Kuk | 7.7% | 805 | |
| Total Votes | 10,487 | |||
| Source: McLean County Clerk, "Election Summary Report: Consolidated Election April 7, 2015," accessed April 22, 2015 | ||||
Two-year term
| McLean County Unit District No 5, At-Large Special Election, 2-year term, 2015 |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Gail Ann Briggs Incumbent |
100% | 2,803 | |
| Total Votes | 2,803 | |||
| Source: McLean County Clerk, "Election Summary Report: Consolidated Election April 7, 2015," accessed April 22, 2015 | ||||
Campaign finance
School board candidates in Illinois are only required to file campaign finance reports if they accept contributions or make expenditures in excess of $5,000 in a 12-month period.[12]
No contributions or expenditures were reported during the election, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections.[13]
Endorsements
UAW Local 2488 endorsed incumbents Denise L. Schuster, Michael E. Trask and Gail Ann Briggs as well as challengers James E. Hayek Jr. and Barry Hitchins.[14]
Past elections
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What was at stake?
2015
Issues in the election
School board candidates discuss labor issues and district finances
Candidates running for a seat on the McLean County Unit District No 5 Board of Education attended a candidate forum on March 4, 2015, where they discussed right-to-work legislation, responsible bidder polices and district finances. The forum was hosted by Laborers Local 362. Challenger James E. Hayek Jr. could not attend the event.[15]
Candidates were asked what they thought about right-to-work policies, which keep unions from making their dues mandatory for employees, and what they thought about the proposal to create specific zones where such laws would apply, which was brought by Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner (R). Most of the candidates said they were not in favor of the legislation.[15]
"I don't see how weakening unions could improve any work environment," said challenger Barry Hitchins.[15]
His fellow challenger Glenn Block was the only candidate to say he supported right-to-work legislation.[15]
On the topic of responsible bidder policies, which allow school boards to choose contractors based on more criteria than their cost, Hitchens and incumbents Denise L. Schuster and Michael E. Trask said the district's current policy is sufficient. It allows the board to consider delivery, reliability and service when considering contractors.[15]
Both Block and fellow challenger John Howard Kuk spoke in favor of responsible bidder policies. Block said he wants "the most bang for our buck for our children."[15]
District finances were a concern for all candidates at the forum. Schuster said prioritizing resources to everyone's benefit should be a priority on the school board.[15] Trask said that the district is facing "alarming numbers." He said they are looking at a deficit between $1.5 million and $2.5 million.[16]
"The gap between what it costs to provide a quality education and the amount of funding is not sufficient to provide that quality education," said Hitchens.[16]
Block said they had to look at changing state funding levels, but Trask did not trust that the district would see more money from the state.[16]
"We just heard the governor say he wants to put $300 million in education funding. The word 'public' has not been used, and that concerns me," said Trask.[15]
Because of the budget's uncertainty, Kuk thought the district had to prepare for any future outcomes.[16]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the McLean County Unit District No 5 election in 2015:[11]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| September 23, 2014 | First day to circulate petitions |
| December 15, 2014 | First day to file nominating papers |
| December 22, 2014 | Last day to file nominating papers |
| December 30, 2014 | Last day to file objections to nominating petitions |
| January 15, 2015 | First campaign finance report due |
| January 29, 2015 | Last day to withdraw as a candidate |
| February 5, 2015 | Last day to file as a write-in candidate |
| March 10, 2015 | Last day to register to vote |
| March 23, 2015 | First day early that voting is available |
| April 4, 2015 | Last day early that voting is available |
| April 6, 2015 | Pre-election campaign finance report due |
| April 7, 2015 | General Election Day |
| July 15, 2015 | Last campaign finance report due |
Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Illinois elections, 2015
The McLean County Unit District No 5 Board of Education election shared the ballot with elections for library trustees, municipal offices, park districts, other school boards, community college trustees, fire districts, land commissioners and water authorities. Four referenda were also on the ballot for the Allin Township Fire Protection, the Lexington School District, the Northern Piatt Ambulance and the Village of McLean.[17]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms McLean County Unit District No 5 Illinois. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| McLean County Unit District No 5 | Illinois | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 McLean County Clerk, "School Board Petition Filing," accessed January 20, 2015
- ↑ Pantagraph.com, "New Unit 5 board member selected," April 30, 2014
- ↑ McLean County Clerk, "Election Summary Report: Consolidated Election April 7, 2015," accessed April 7, 2015
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 McLean County Unit District No 5, "Board of Education," accessed January 20, 2015
- ↑ Pantagraph.com, "Briggs unopposed as school board ballot finished," December 30, 2014
- ↑ WJBC, "Kuk remains on Unit 5 school board ballot," January 5, 2015
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 United States Census Bureau, "McLean County, Illinois," accessed March 18, 2015
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed April 22, 2014
- ↑ McLean County Clerk, "Past McLean County Results," accessed March 18, 2015
- ↑ McClean County Clerk, "Consolidated Election Official Results," accessed March 16, 2015
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Illinois State Board of Elections, "Election and Campaign Finance Calendar, 2015," accessed January 19, 2015
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "A Guide to Campaign Disclosure," accessed March 31, 2015
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Candidate Disclosure Search," accessed April 3, 2015
- ↑ UAW Local 2488, "Building Trades Local Endorsements," accessed March 26, 2015
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 15.6 15.7 Pantagraph.com, "B-N school board candidates face off at forum," March 5, 2015
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 WJBC, "Funding concern for Unit 5, District 87 BOE candidates," March 5, 2015
- ↑ McLean County Clerk, "Consolidated Election Overview," accessed March 18, 2015
| 2015 McLean County Unit District No 5 Elections | |
| McLean County, Illinois | |
| Election date: | April 7, 2015 |
| Candidates: | Four-year term: • Incumbent, Denise L. Schuster • Incumbent, Michael E. Trask • Glenn Block • James E. Hayek Jr. • Barry Hitchins • John Howard Kuk Two-year term: • Incumbent, Gail Ann Briggs |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
