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Nampa School District elections (2017)
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Three of the five seats on the Nampa School District board of trustees in Idaho were up for by-district general election on May 16, 2017. Zone 3 incumbent Bob Otten and Zone 4 incumbent Brian McGourty did not file to run for re-election, which left two seats open for newcomers. Allison Westfall was the only candidate to file to run for the Zone 3 seat. She won the election unopposed. Three candidates—Wendall Cass, Clinton Child, and Kim Rost—ran for the Zone 4 seat, and Rost won. In his bid for re-election to Zone 5, incumbent Mike Fuller defeated challenger Heather Lewis.[1][2][3]
The 2017 election's open seats were guaranteed to add two new members to the board two years after newcomers swept the school board election in 2015. Click here for more election trends in the district.
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The Nampa board of trustees consists of five members elected to four-year terms. Elections are held on a staggered basis in May of odd-numbered years. Two seats—Zones 1 and 2—were up for election on May 19, 2015, and three seats—Zones 3, 4, and 5—were up for election on May 16, 2017.[4]
Idaho school board candidates had to be at least 18 years old, eligible to vote in the school district, and residents of the zone they sought to represent.[5] To get on the ballot, school board candidates had to file by March 17, 2017. The withdrawal deadline was April 1, 2017.[6]
Citizens of the school district could pre-register to vote in this election until April 21, 2017. Same-day registration was also available.[6] Photo identification was required to vote in Idaho.[7]
Candidates and results
Zone 3
Results
| Nampa School District, Zone 3 General Election, 4-year term, 2017 |
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|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Allison Westfall (unopposed) |
100.00% | 94 |
| Total Votes | 94 | |
| Source: Canyon County Elections, "Elections Archive: 2017 May," accessed May 31, 2017 | ||
Candidates
Allison Westfall 
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Zone 4
Results
| Nampa School District, Zone 4 General Election, 4-year term, 2017 |
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|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Kim Rost |
49.07% | 132 |
| Clinton Child | 32.34% | 87 |
| Wendall Cass | 18.59% | 50 |
| Total Votes | 269 | |
| Source: Canyon County Elections, "Elections Archive: 2017 May," accessed May 31, 2017 | ||
Candidates
| Wendall Cass | Clinton Child | Kim Rost
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Zone 5
Results
| Nampa School District, Zone 5 General Election, 4-year term, 2017 |
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|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Mike Fuller Incumbent |
62.57% | 112 |
| Heather Lewis | 37.43% | 67 |
| Total Votes | 179 | |
| Source: Canyon County Elections, "Elections Archive: 2017 May," accessed May 31, 2017 | ||
Candidates
| Mike Fuller
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Heather Lewis | ||
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Idaho elections, 2017
The Nampa board of trustees election shared the ballot with Canyon County elections for highway district commissioners and library district trustees.[8]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for school board elections in Idaho.[6][9]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| March 17, 2017 | Candidate filing deadline |
| April 1, 2017 | Write-in candidate filing deadline and candidate withdrawal deadline |
| April 21, 2017 | Pre-registration deadline for voters |
| May 1, 2017 - May 12, 2017 | Early voting period |
| May 9, 2017 | Campaign finance deadline |
| May 16, 2017 | Election day |
| June 15, 2017 | Campaign finance deadline |
Endorsements
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
Candidates received a total of $927.14 and spent a total of $747.21 in the election, according to the Canyon County Elections.[10]
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 3 | |||
| Allison Westfall | $62.14 | $62.14 | $0.00 |
| Zone 4 | |||
| Wendall Cass | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Clinton Child | $15.00 | $15.00 | $0.00 |
| Kim Rost | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Zone 5 | |||
| Mike Fuller | $850.00 | $670.07 | $179.93 |
| Heather Lewis | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Past elections
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2015
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What was at stake?
2017
Election trends
- See also: School boards in session: 2015 in brief
The 2017 Nampa board of trustees election was guaranteed to add two new members to the board due to open seats. The one incumbent who ran to retain his seat won another term. The district's 2015 election also added two new members to the board, but no incumbents won that year. They were defeated by the newcomers.
The 2017 race attracted a smaller average number of candidates per seat compared to the 2015 race. In 2017, six candidates ran for three seats for an average of two candidates per seat, while the 2015 race had six candidates running for two seats for an average of three candidates per seat.
| School board election trends | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Candidates per seat | Unopposed seats | Incumbents running for re-election | Incumbent success rate | Seats won by newcomers | |
| Nampa School District | ||||||
| 2017 | 2.00 | 33.33% | 33.33% | 100.00% | 66.67% | |
| 2015 | 3.00 | 0.00% | 100.00% | 0.00% | 100.00% | |
| Idaho | ||||||
| 2015 | 1.70 | 50.00% | 71.43% | 60.00% | 57.14% | |
| United States | ||||||
| 2015 | 1.72 | 35.95% | 70.37% | 82.66% | 40.81% | |
Issues in the district
Hiring of superintendent raises open meeting law complaint
The Nampa board of trustees announced on May 10, 2017, that they had hired the district's next superintendent, a replacement for Superintendent David Peterson who stepped down on March 17, 2017. Though they announced the position had been filled, the board did not reveal who they had chosen, using the labels Candidate A and Candidate B to distinguish between the two finalists who were being considered for the job.[11]
After the announcement, Idaho Education News filed a complaint with the Canyon County Prosecutor’s Office, alleging that the board had “violated Idaho’s open meeting laws by hiring a superintendent and keeping its choice a secret.” The complaint referenced Idaho Code 74-201, which said that public policy could not be conducted in secret.[11]
“We do not believe we did anything wrong,” said Kathleen Tuck, a spokeswoman for the district. “But our attorneys are looking into it.”[11]
On May 11, 2017, the board announced that they had appointed Dr. Paula Kellerer to the superintendent position. She started the position on July 1, 2017.[12]
To address the open meeting law complaint, the board voted to void Kellerer's initial hiring and re-hired her on May 31, 2017. In their vote to void the previous hiring decision, the board said they were acting “out of an abundance of caution, and to insure full and complete transparency of the process.”[13]
The Canyon County Prosecutor’s Office said it would not pursue charges against the district after the previous hiring decision was voided.[14]
Superintendent announces retirement
Nampa Superintendent David Peterson announced in February 2017 that he would retire at the end of the 2016-2017 school year. When he announced his retirement, he said his last day would be June 30, 2017, but he stepped down on March 17, 2017.[15][16] Nicole MacTavish, the district's assistant superintendent and director of teaching and learning, served as interim superintendent until Dr. Paula Kellerer, Peterson's appointed replacement, took over on July 1, 2017.[12][17]
"I am honored to have served and proud of the work Team Nampa has accomplished. We've made some significant progress during the past two and half years by focusing on getting better together," Peterson said in his retirement announcement.[15]
"Superintendent Peterson's leadership was essential to refocusing the district on teaching and learning following the financial crisis," said Nampa board of trustees Chairman Mike Fuller. "We have appreciated his leadership as we engaged the community to support an increased supplemental levy to fund these improvements for students."[15]
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About the district
- See also: Nampa School District, Idaho
The Nampa School District is located in southwestern Idaho in Canyon County. The county seat is Caldwell. The county was home to an estimated 207,478 residents in 2015, according to the United States Census Bureau.[18] The district was the third-largest school district in the state in the 2014-2015 school year and served 15,656 students.[19]
Demographics
Canyon County underperformed compared to Idaho as a whole in terms of higher education achievement between 2011 and 2015. The United States Census Bureau found that 17.7 percent of county residents age 25 and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 25.9 percent of state residents. The median household income in the county was $42,888, compared to $47,583 for the entire state. The poverty rate in the county was 15.9 percent, while it was 15.1 percent statewide.[18]
| Racial Demographics, 2015[18] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | Canyon County (%) | Idaho (%) |
| White | 93.5 | 93.4 |
| Black or African American | 0.8 | 0.8 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.7 | 1.7 |
| Asian | 1.0 | 1.5 |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0.3 | 0.2 |
| Two or More Races | 2.5 | 2.3 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 24.8 | 12.2 |
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Nampa School District Idaho election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Nampa School District | Idaho | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Kylie Marks, Canyon County Elections Technical Specialist," March 20, 2017
- ↑ Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Kylie Marks, Canyon County Elections Technical Specialist," April 6, 2017
- ↑ Canyon County Elections, "Election Results," accessed May 16, 2017
- ↑ Nampa School District, "Board of Trustees," accessed March 17, 2017
- ↑ Idaho School Boards Association, "So you want to be a School Board Member? A Guide for Candidates," accessed March 16, 2017
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Idaho Secretary of State, "2017 Election Consolidation Calendar," accessed March 16, 2017
- ↑ Idaho Votes, "Identification at the Polls," accessed March 16, 2017
- ↑ Canyon County Elections, "Upcoming Election," accessed March 20, 2017
- ↑ Idaho Legislature, "Idaho Statutes: Title 67 State Government And State Affairs; Chapter 66 Election Campaign Contributions And Expenditures — Lobbyists," accessed March 16, 2017
- ↑ Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Lisa Power, Customer Service Specialist, Canyon County Elections" May 12, 2017
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 KIVI TV, "Open meeting law violation complaint filed against Nampa School District," May 12, 2017
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 KIVI TV, "Nampa School District announces new superintendent," May 11, 2017
- ↑ Idaho Ed News, "NAMPA TRUSTEES HIRE KELLERER — AGAIN," May 31, 2017
- ↑ Open Idaho, "Nampa school board to re-do superintendent hiring, after open meeting complaint," May 29, 2017
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 KIVI-TV ABC 6, "Nampa School District Superintendent announces he'll retire in June," February 13, 2017
- ↑ Idaho Press-Tribune, "Peterson steps down," March 16, 2017
- ↑ Nampa School District, "Superintendent," accessed May 5, 2017
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 United States Census Bureau, "QuickFacts: Canyon County, Idaho," accessed March 17, 2017
- ↑ U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, "Common Core of Data, file ccd_lea_052_1414_w_0216161a, 2014-2015," accessed November 16, 2016
| Nampa School District elections in 2017 | |
| Canyon County, Idaho | |
| Election date: | May 16, 2017 |
| Candidates: | Zone 3: • Allison Westfall Zone 4: • Wendall Cass • Clinton Child • Kim Rost Zone 5: • Incumbent, Mike Fuller • Heather Lewis |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
