Norine Spears
Norine Spears was a candidate for at-large representative on the Lawrence Public Schools Board of Education in Kansas. Her bid for election to an unexpired two-year term ended when she was defeated in the primary election on March 3, 2015.
Spears participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 survey of school board candidates.
Biography
Spears is a self-employed graphic artist. She attended South Dakota State University form 1996 to 2000.[1] She has two children who attend district schools, and she serves on the district's equity council and the Lawrence High School PTO. She also served on councils for Sunflower Elementary and Southwest Middle schools.[2]
Elections
2015
Five seats were up for general election on April 7, 2015. Because more than three candidates filed for one position, a primary election was held on March 3, 2015.
Incumbents Bob Byers, Rick Ingram, Shannon Kimball, and Randy Masten were up for regular election. Masten was the only incumbent not to file to run for re-election. Byers, Ingram, and Kimball faced challengers Lindsey Frye, Ronald Gordon-Ross, Jessica Beeson, and Jill Fincher for the four-year terms up for election.[3] Ingram, Kimball, Beeson, and Fincher won the regular election.
An additional seat appeared on the ballot due to a vacancy on the board that was filled by appointment in 2014. Adina Morse resigned from the board in August to serve as the executive director of the Lawrence Schools Foundation. Marcel Harmon was appointed on September 8, 2014, to fill that vacancy.[4]
Because the seat would not have been up for regular election in 2015, the election for this seat was for the two years left on its unexpired term. Harmon ran to remain in the seat against challengers Mary Loveland, Kelly Spurgeon, and Norine Spears. Because more than three candidates filed for the race, a primary election was held. Harmon and Loveland advanced to the general election, where Harmon won his first full-term in the seat.[3]
Results
Primary
| Lawrence Public Schools, At-Large Special Primary Election, 2-year term, 2015 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Mary Loveland |
34.4% | 2,727 | |
| Nonpartisan | Marcel Harmon Incumbent |
28% | 2,215 | |
| Nonpartisan | Kelly Spurgeon | 19.8% | 1,566 | |
| Nonpartisan | Norine Spears | 17.9% | 1,416 | |
| Total Votes | 7,924 | |||
| Source: ’’Douglas County, Kansas’’, “Online Election Results (official),” March 9, 2015 | ||||
Funding
Spears reported no contributions or expenditures to the Douglas County Clerk in this election.[5]
Endorsements
Spears did not receive any official endorsements in this election.
Campaign themes
2015
Ballotpedia survey responses
Spears participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 survey of school board candidates. The following sections display Spears' responses to the survey questions. She did not provide an answer to the question, "If elected to the board, what would be your top priority?"[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 Kansas. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Expanding career-technical education | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Improving college readiness | |
| 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 |
|---|---|
| "They are being implemented, we need to continue in this direction but ensure that they are working in our classrooms and can be modified if necessary." | |
| "No." | |
| "No." | |
| "Not for all students. I would like to see us implement Performance Assessments." | |
| "By meeting each child where they are and providing them the resources and opportunities they need to reach their potential. Blended Learning, which our district is implementing, can personalize learning for each student and has shown great promise in helping students at all levels of learning. We need to continue to assess our program and ensure that it is working in the classroom for our teachers and students." | |
| "Expulsion cases must be viewed on a case-by-case basis rather than the district having an overarching policy." | |
| "This is not an issue in our district." | |
| Candidate did not respond to this question. | |
| "We have a process in place that was created through a collaborate team of teachers and administrators." | |
| "I will continue to engage the community. I will visit every school in the district to ensure that I understand their achievements and their struggles, and can effectively represent them." |
Lawrence Journal-World questionnaire
Spears participated in a candidate questionnaire distributed by the Lawrence Journal-World. The questions and her responses are listed below:[7]
"What makes you the right candidate for the school board?"
| “ | Lawrence has wonderful schools and I am grateful for the education my children are receiving, but we have some challenges ahead. The state is threatening to make deep cuts to our funding. This will affect programs that we hold dear and require us to make difficult choices. Considering the needs of every child in our district and continuing our commitment to open communication will be crucial during this time. My continued involvement in all levels of K-12 education in Lawrence gives me the experience to ensure that the community is informed, engaged, and equally represented during the School Board’s decision-making process.[8] | ” |
| —Norine Spears (2015)[7] | ||
"What issues should the school board focus on in the coming years?"
| “ | The budget will dominate much of the board’s time and energy, and continuing to engage the community throughout the process should be a key focus. They should also:
|
” |
| —Norine Spears (2015)[7] | ||
"How should the board address the budget issues it faces because of state cuts?"
| “ | When addressing budget issues, the school board must first consult with the experts. They have the guidance of (Superintendent Rick) Doll, the Financial Advisory Council and the district’s director of finance. Then, they must identify our educational priorities by seeking input from all levels of education, including district administration, school administration, teachers and our community. Next, they must weigh the options based on those priorities. Last, they must seek feedback from within the community. Above all, it will be important to ensure that everyone understands that the district would not be making these cuts if we were fully funded.[8] | ” |
| —Norine Spears (2015)[7] | ||
"Are Lawrence students shortchanged in any aspect of their education?"
| “ | Past funding cuts by the state have required us to increase class sizes, reduce programs, cut bussing, defer maintenance, etc. Now we are facing even deeper cuts. Past school boards, under the direction of Dr. Doll and our district administration, have provided us with an educational framework we can be proud of, despite being underfunded. The next cuts will threaten programs we hold dear and change our conversation from what we can do -- to what we can do without. That is not what our community wants for our children.[8] | ” |
| —Norine Spears (2015)[7] | ||
"Do you support Common Core standards? Why or why not?"
| “ | Yes, I support the Common Core Standards for many reasons:
However, as we transition we must ensure that we have the ability to make modifications at the State, District, and classroom levels, and offer our teachers the support they require.[8] |
” |
| —Norine Spears (2015)[7] | ||
"Should teachers have tenure rights? Is it 'too hard' to fire teachers with tenure?"
| “ | We have dedicated, talented teachers who are the foundation of our educational system, and they deserve to be protected against wrongful termination. Last spring our district identified a new system for administrative due process and teacher evaluation, rather than fully restoring tenure. This switch has left some of our teachers feeling vulnerable to wrongful termination and weakens the role of the teachers’ union to protect them. As we implement the district’s new system we must ensure that our teachers continue to be adequately safeguarded with effective due process.[8] | ” |
| —Norine Spears (2015)[7] | ||
"Do you support moving school board elections to November in even numbered years and/or making the elections partisan?"
| “ | No, I do not support moving School Board elections to November because it would make them partisan. I believe our Mayor, Mike Amyx, summed up the issue best in his statement printed in the LJ-World staff editorial on Feb. 12, 2015: “We prefer the voters focus on issues and individuals, not political party labels.”[8] | ” |
| —Norine Spears (2015)[7] | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Norine Spears Lawrence Public Schools. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Lawrence Public Schools, Kansas
- Lawrence Public Schools, Kansas elections (2015)
- Clean sweep for school board incumbents... (March 4, 2015)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ LinkedIn, "Norine Spears," accessed February 10, 2015
- ↑ Lawrence Journal-World, "Fincher, Spears file for school board; primary election coming for one seat," January 26, 2015
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Douglas County Clerk, "Unofficial City/School Candidate Filings To Date," January 27, 2015
- ↑ Lawrence Journal World, "Marcel Harmon appointed to Lawrence school board," September 8, 2014
- ↑ Douglas County Clerk, "Candidate Reports," accessed April 6, 2015
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2015, "Norine Spears' responses," February 27, 2015
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 Lawrence Journal-World, "School board questionnaire: Norine Spears," February 22, 2015
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
| 2015 Lawrence Public Schools Elections | |
| Douglas County, Kansas | |
| Election date: | Primary: March 3, 2015
General: April 7, 2015 |
| Candidates: | At-large, 4-year terms (Four seats): • Incumbent, Bob Byers • Incumbent, Rick Ingram • Incumbent, Shannon Kimball • Lindsey Frye • Ronald Gordon-Ross • Jessica Beeson • Jill Fincher
At-large, 2-year term (One seat): • Incumbent, Marcel Harmon • Mary Loveland • Kelly Spurgeon • Norine Spears |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
