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Minneapolis Public Schools elections (2016)

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Minneapolis Public Schools Elections
General election date:
November 8, 2016
Enrollment (13–14):
36,817 students

Four of the nine seats on the Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education were up for general election on November 8, 2016. Incumbent Kim Ellison ran for the at-large seat, leaving her District 2 seat open for a newcomer. She defeated challenger Doug Mann to win the seat. The race for the open District 2 seat featured candidates Kimberly Caprini and Kerry Jo Felder, and Felder won. In District 4, incumbent Josh Reimnitz was defeated by challenger Bob Walser. In her bid for re-election in District 6, incumbent Tracine Asberry was defeated by challenger Ira Jourdain. In addition to choosing which candidates to add to the board, citizens of the district voted on an operating referendum.[1][2][3][4][5]

Two newcomers defeating incumbents in 2016 was a change from recent past elections. In both 2012 and 2014, all the incumbents who ran for re-election in the district won additional terms. Click here to see how else this race compared to past elections in both the district and the state.

Elections

Voter and candidate information

The Minneapolis Board of Education consists of nine members elected to four-year terms. Elections are held on a staggered basis every November of even-numbered years. Three seats are elected at large, and six seats are elected by district. The District 1, 3, and 5 seats and two at-large seats were up for election on November 4, 2014, and the District 2, 4, and 6 seats and one at-large seat were up for election on November 8, 2016.[2] If more than two candidates had filed for any of the seats, a primary election would have been held on August 9, 2016.[3]

To run in this election, school board candidates had to be at least 21 years old, residents of the school district for at least 30 days before the date of the election, and able to vote in Minnesota. They also had to register with the City of Minneapolis by May 31, 2016. Any candidate wishing to withdraw their candidacy had to do so by June 2, 2016.[3][6]

To vote in this election, residents of the district had to register by October 18, 2016.[7] Photo identification was not required to vote in Minnesota.[8]

Candidates and results

District 2

Results

Minneapolis Public Schools,
District 2 General Election, 4-year term, 2016
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.png Kerry Jo Felder 49.82% 10,636
Kimberly Caprini 48.88% 10,435
Write-in votes 1.3% 277
Total Votes 21,348
Source: Hennepin County, "Election results," accessed December 22, 2016

Candidates

Kimberly Caprini Kerry Jo Felder Green check mark transparent.png

Kimberly Caprini.jpg

  • Business owner and office manager, Your Way Flooring, LLC.

Kerry Jo Felder.jpg

  • Community and education organizer, Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation

District 4

Results

Minneapolis Public Schools,
District 4 General Election, 4-year term, 2016
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.png Bob Walser 51.60% 14,222
Josh Reimnitz Incumbent 47.27% 13,029
Write-in votes 1.12% 310
Total Votes 27,561
Source: Hennepin County, "Election results," accessed December 22, 2016

Candidates

Josh Reimnitz Bob Walser Green check mark transparent.png

Josh Reimnitz.jpg

  • Incumbent
  • Member from 2012-2016
  • Bachelor's degree, North Dakota State University
  • Co-executive director, Students Today Leaders Forever (STLF)

Bob Walser.jpg

  • Bachelor's degree, Hampshire College
  • Master's degree, University of Wisconsin
  • Doctoral degree, University of London School of Oriental and African Studies
  • Musician and educator, Folklore In Action

District 6

Results

Minneapolis Public Schools,
District 6 General Election, 4-year term, 2016
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.png Ira Jourdain 50.54% 15,242
Tracine Asberry Incumbent 48.60% 14,657
Write-in votes 0.85% 257
Total Votes 30,156
Source: Hennepin County, "Election results," accessed December 22, 2016

Candidates

Tracine Asberry Ira Jourdain Green check mark transparent.png

Tracine Asberry.jpg

  • Incumbent
  • Member from 2012-2016
  • Executive director, St. Paul Youth Services (SPYS)

Ira Jourdain.jpg

  • Associate degree, Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College
  • Bachelor's degree, Penn Foster Education
  • Program manager, Minnesota Family Investment Program

At-large

Results

Minneapolis Public Schools,
At-large General Election, 4-year term, 2016
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.png Kim Ellison Incumbent 79.52% 127,629
Doug Mann 19.49% 31,280
Write-in votes 1% 1,599
Total Votes 160,508
Source: Hennepin County, "Election results," accessed December 22, 2016

Candidates

Kim Ellison Green check mark transparent.png Doug Mann

Kim Ellison.jpg

  • District 2 incumbent
  • Member from 2012-2016
  • Former teacher

Placeholder image.png

Additional elections on the ballot

See also: Minnesota elections, 2016

The Minneapolis School Board election shared the ballot with elections for seats in the Minnesota State Senate and the Minnesota House of Representatives. It also shared the ballot with an operating referendum for the school district as well as Hennepin County elections for county commissioner and county park commissioner.[9]

Key deadlines

The following dates were key deadlines for Minnesota school board elections in 2016:[3][10]

Deadline Event
May 31, 2016 Candidate filing deadline
June 2, 2016 Candidate withdrawal deadline
July 19, 2016 Voter registration deadline for primary election
July 31, 2016 Pre-primary campaign finance report due
August 9, 2016 Primary election date
October 18, 2016 Voter registration deadline for general election
October 29, 2016 Pre-election campaign finance report due
November 8, 2016 General election date
December 7, 2016 Post-election campaign finance report due
January 2, 2017 Board members take office

Endorsements

The following is a list of endorsements made in the Minneapolis Public Schools elections.

Candidate endorsements
Endorsement Kimberly Caprini
(District 2) 		Kerry Jo Felder
(District 2) 		Josh Reimnitz
(District 4) 		Bob Walser
(District 4) 		Tracine Asberry
(District 6) 		Ira Jourdain
(District 6) 		Kim Ellison
(At-large) 		Doug Mann
(At-large)
Political parties
Minneapolis Democratic Farmer Labor Party (DFL)[11]
{{{1}}}
{{{1}}}
{{{1}}}
{{{1}}}
Green Party[12]
{{{1}}}
National organizations
Democratic Socialists of America[13]
{{{1}}}
New Progressive Alliance[13]
{{{1}}}
Local organizations
Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation[14][15]
{{{1}}}
{{{1}}}
Service Employees International Union, Minnesota State Council[14][16]
{{{1}}}
{{{1}}}
Minneapolis Federation of Teachers Local 59[17]
{{{1}}}
{{{1}}}
{{{1}}}
{{{1}}}
Stonewall 59[16]
{{{1}}}
Teamsters 120[16]
{{{1}}}
Federal officials
Congressman Keith Ellison (D)[16][18]
{{{1}}}
{{{1}}}
State officials
State Rep. Susan Allen (D-62B)[15]
{{{1}}}
State Rep. Karen Clark (D-62A)[15]
{{{1}}}
State Rep. Raymond Dehn (D-59B)[16]
{{{1}}}
State Rep. Peggy Flanagan (D-46A)[18]
{{{1}}}
State Rep. Frank Hornstein (D-61A)[14][15]
{{{1}}}
{{{1}}}
State Rep. Rena Moran (D-65A)[18]
{{{1}}}
Local officials
Minneapolis City Councilmember Lisa Bender[14][15]
{{{1}}}
{{{1}}}
Minneapolis City Councilmember Lisa Goodman[14]
{{{1}}}
Minneapolis City Councilmember Linea Palmisano[15]
{{{1}}}
Minneapolis City Councilmember John Quincy[15]
{{{1}}}
School board members
Minneapolis School Board member Jenny Arneson[14]
{{{1}}}
Minneapolis School Board member Carla Bates[19][20]
{{{1}}}
{{{1}}}
Minneapolis School Board member Kim Ellison[14][15]
{{{1}}}
{{{1}}}
Minneapolis School Board member Rebecca Gagnon[14][15]
{{{1}}}
{{{1}}}
Minneapolis School Board member Don Samuels[20]
{{{1}}}

Do you know of an official or organization that endorsed a candidate in this race? Let Ballotpedia know by email at editor@ballotpedia.org.

Campaign finance

Campaign Finance Ballotpedia.png
See also: List of school board campaign finance deadlines in 2016

Candidates received a total of $54,710.95 and spent a total of $32,825.43 in the election, according to the Hennepin County Elections.[21]

District 2

Candidate Existing balance Contributions Expenditures Cash on hand
Kimberly Caprini $0.00 $2,180.20 $1,962.13 $218.07
Kerry Jo Felder $0.00 $5,116.52 $3,336.69 $1,779.81

District 4

Candidate Existing balance Contributions Expenditures Cash on hand
Josh Reimnitz $1,119.21 $16,413.17 $3,187.82 $14,344.56
Bob Walser $0.00 $17,511.00 $14,526.35 $2,984.65

District 6

Candidate Existing balance Contributions Expenditures Cash on hand
Tracine Asberry $0.00 $3,085.45 $2,772.02 $313.43
Ira Jourdain $1,310.12 $7,038.61 $4,551.90 $3,796.83

At-large

Candidate Existing balance Contributions Expenditures Cash on hand
Kim Ellison $2,186.72 $3,366.00 $2,488.52 $3,064.20
Doug Mann $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00

Past elections

What was at stake?

2016

Election trends

School Board Election Trends Banner.jpg

One new member was guaranteed to join the Minneapolis Board of Education after the district's 2016 election due to an open seat. Another two new members were added to the board after they defeated incumbents, breaking a trend in the district's most recent past elections of incumbents experiencing a 100 percent success rate. Out of the three incumbents who ran for re-election in 2016, one won.

In the district's 2014 election, three new members were added to the board. All three won open seats. The two incumbents who ran to retain their seats that year won re-election. In 2012, the district welcomed two new members to the board. Both of them also won open seats, and the two incumbents who ran for re-election that year won additional terms.

School board election trends
Year Candidates per seat Unopposed seats Incumbent success rate Seats won by newcomers
Minneapolis Public Schools
2016 2.00 0.00% 33.33% 75.00%
2014 2.20 10.00% 100.00% 60.00%
2012 2.25 50.00% 100.00% 50.00%
Minnesota
2014 2.00 21.21% 86.96% 39.39%
United States
2014 1.89 32.57% 81.31% 38.24%

Issues in the election

Operating referendum

In addition to choosing their next school board members, citizens of the Minneapolis school district voted on whether the district's operating referendum, which was set to expire after the 2016-2017 school year, should be renewed for nine years. It was approved by over 83 percent of the vote.[22] Funds from the operating referendum accounted for 13 percent of the district's 2016-2017 budget.[23] The referendum appeared on the ballot as follows:

“ The Board of Special School District No. 1 (Minneapolis Public Schools) has proposed to renew the school district’s existing referendum revenue authorization of $1,604.31 per pupil, which is scheduled to expire after taxes payable in 2016. The revenue will be used to manage class sizes and provide supportive services and activities for students. The proposed referendum revenue authorization would increase each year by the rate of inflation and be applicable for nine years, beginning with taxes payable in 2017, unless otherwise revoked or reduced as provided by law. Shall the increase in the revenue proposed by the board of Special School District No. 1 be approved?[24] ”
—Minneapolis Public Schools (2016)[25]

Issues in the district

Board appoints new superintendent
Ed Graff

The Minneapolis Board of Education appointed Ed Graff, former superintendent of the Anchorage School District in Alaska, superintendent of the district on May 24, 2016. Graff started his position with the district on July 1, 2016, replacing former superintendent Bernadeia Johnson 18 months after she resigned, citing family obligations as well as a lack of support from the school board.[26][27]

Brenda Cassellius

Graff was chosen over his fellow finalist Brenda Cassellius, who became the Minnesota Commissioner of Education in 2011. "The need, from my observation, is to have a huge paradigm shift," Graff said in an interview before the board appointed him. "I've heard time and time again from people about this desire to have change, for things to be different. And I think that's what I bring to this position and conversation."[26]

Cassellius, who previously served the district as an assistant principal and associate superintendent, told the board in her interview, "I sent my children to Minneapolis Public Schools. I've worked in the district, I know the district. I've now been your commissioner of education for five and a half years so I have a unique perspective from the state and national level."[26]

Graff was chosen over Cassellius in a 6-3 vote with Siad Ali, Kim Ellison, and Nelson Inz dissenting. Board members were unanimous, however, when they voted to enter into contract negotiations with Graff.[28]

The board's decision to appoint Graff came after a failed effort to appoint Sergio Paez to the position in January 2016. Two days after the board chose Paez over its interim superintendent Michael Goar, the board received information about a criminal investigation alleging that staff under Paez had physically abused special education students. Unable to clarify Paez's relationship to the investigation, the board voted to discontinue contract negotiations with him.[27]

The board's decision to reject Paez was met with approval from district community members, but some were not happy when board members moved to offer Goar the position. Protests broke out at a board meeting on January 13, 2016, with members of the audience chanting “Restart the search” and “If our children don’t get it, shut it down.” Nekima Levy-Pounds, president of the Minneapolis NAACP told the board, “I would urge you to definitely not go with Michael Goar. He hasn’t demonstrated the leadership needed to turn this district around. What we need is a paradigm shift.”[27]

The board followed the protesters' wishes and started a new search with a new firm and an 11-member search committee that included some community members. Graff's appointment was the result of that search.[28]

Candidate survey

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Ballotpedia invites school board candidates to participate in its annual survey.
Click here to view or fill out the survey.

About the district

See also: Minneapolis Public Schools, Minnesota
Minneapolis Public Schools is located in Hennepin County, Minnesota.

Minneapolis Public Schools is located in Hennepin County in east-central Minnesota. The county seat is Minneapolis. Hennepin County was home to 1,223,149 residents in 2015, according to the United States Census Bureau.[29] The district was the third-largest school district in the state in the 2013–2014 school year and served 36,817 students.[30]

Demographics

Hennepin County outperformed Minnesota as a whole in terms of higher education achievement from 2010 to 2014. The United States Census Bureau found that 46.4 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 33.2 percent of state residents. The median household income in Hennepin County was $65,033, compared to $60,828 for the entire state. The percentage of people in poverty was 13.0 percent, compared to 11.5 percent statewide.[29]

Racial Demographics, 2015[29]
Race Hennepin County (%) Minnesota (%)
White 75.6 85.4
Black or African American 12.7 6.0
American Indian and Alaska Native 1.2 1.3
Asian 7.4 4.9
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0.1 0.1
Two or More Races 3.1 2.4
Hispanic or Latino 6.9 5.2

Presidential Voting Pattern,
Hennepin County[31]
Year Democratic Vote Republican Vote
2012 423,982 240,073
2008 420,958 231,054
2004 383,841 255,133
2000 307,599 225,657

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.

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Minneapolis Public Schools' 'Minnesota'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Minneapolis Public Schools elections (2016) - Google News

See also

Minneapolis Public Schools Minnesota School Boards
School Board badge.png
Seal of Minnesota.png
School Board badge.png

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Minneapolis Election & Voter Services, "Candidate filings," accessed June 1, 2016
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Minneapolis Public Schools, "Minneapolis Board of Education," accessed June 1, 2016
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Minnesota Secretary of State, "2016 School District Elections Guide," accessed June 1, 2016
  4. ↑ Southwest Journal, "All open School Board seats will be contested," June 1, 2016
  5. ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "Results for Selected Contests in School District No. 1 - MINNEAPOLIS," accessed November 8, 2016
  6. ↑ Minneapolis Election & Voter Services, "Filing for Office," accessed June 1, 2016
  7. ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "Elections Calendar: 2016 Election Dates," accessed May 27, 2016
  8. ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "Do I Need To Bring ID?" accessed May 27, 2016
  9. ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "Candidate Filings 2016 State General Election: Hennepin County," accessed July 8, 2016
  10. ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "2016 Minnesota School Districts with a Primary Elections Calendar," accessed July 21, 2016
  11. ↑ Bright Light Small City, "Minneapolis School Board Race Takes Shape," April 11, 2016
  12. ↑ Southwest Journal, "Meet the School Board candidates," June 20, 2016
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Vote Doug Mann, "Endorsements," accessed July 11, 2016
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 14.6 14.7 Bob Walser for Minneapolis School Board District 4, "Endorsements," accessed July 11, 2016
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 15.6 15.7 15.8 Ira Jourdain for School Board District 6, "Biography," accessed August 3, 2016
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 Kerry Jo Felder for Minneapolis District 2 School Board, "Endorsements," accessed July 11, 2016
  17. ↑ Minneapolis Federation of Teachers and ESPs, "School board, Referendum and Elections Information," accessed August 3, 2016
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 Re-elect Tracine Asberry for Minneapolis Board of Education, District 6, "Endorsements," accessed July 11, 2016
  19. ↑ KimberlyCaprini.com, "Endorsements," accessed September 26, 2016
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Josh Reimnitz for Minneapolis School Board, "Endorsements," accessed October 18, 2016
  21. ↑ Hennepin County Elections, "Campaign Finance: Candidates," accessed December 8, 2016
  22. ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "Results for Selected Contests in School District No. 1 - MINNEAPOLIS," accessed November 14, 2016
  23. ↑ Minneapolis Public Schools, "Learn more about Minneapolis Public Schools’ 2016 referendum," accessed October 18, 2016
  24. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  25. ↑ Minneapolis Election & Voter Services, "What's on the ballot?" accessed October 18, 2016
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 Minnesota Public Radio, "Mpls. superintendent finalists quizzed by school board," May 18, 2016
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 MinnPost, "After MPS board rejects Paez, protesters demand new search; vote on Goar tabled," January 13, 2016
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 MinnPost, "Ed Graff selected to lead Minneapolis Public Schools," May 25, 2016
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 United States Census Bureau, "Hennepin County, Minnesota," accessed June 28, 2016
  30. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed November 16, 2015
  31. ↑ Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State, "Election Results and Statistics," accessed October 14, 2013
2016 Minneapolis Public Schools Elections
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Election date:November 8, 2016
Candidates:District 2: • Kimberly Caprini • Kerry Jo Felder
District 4: • Incumbent, Josh Reimnitz • Bob Walser
District 6: • Incumbent, Tracine Asberry • Ira Jourdain
At-large: • Incumbent, Kim Ellison • Doug Mann
Important information:What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines
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