Patricia Driscoll
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Patricia Driscoll was an at-large member of the South Washington County Schools. She assumed office on January 4, 2018.
Driscoll (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Minnesota House of Representatives to represent District 41A. She lost in the general election on November 8, 2022.
Driscoll is an at-large representative on the South Washington County Schools school board in Minnesota. Driscoll won a first term in the at-large general election on November 7, 2017.
Driscoll participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 school board candidate survey. Click here to read her responses.
Driscoll previously ran for a seat on the board and was defeated in the general election on November 3, 2015.
Biography
Driscoll earned a B.S. degree from the University of Wisconsin at River Falls and an M.A. degree from the University of St. Thomas.[1] She spent 20 years as a teacher and 19 years as a school administrator before her retirement.[2]
Elections
2022
See also: Minnesota House of Representatives elections, 2022
General election
General election for Minnesota House of Representatives District 41A
Mark Wiens defeated Patricia Driscoll in the general election for Minnesota House of Representatives District 41A on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Mark Wiens (R)  | 50.2 | 11,801 |
 | Patricia Driscoll (D) | 49.7 | 11,673 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 17 | ||
| Total votes: 23,491 | |||
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Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Patricia Driscoll advanced from the Democratic primary for Minnesota House of Representatives District 41A.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Mark Wiens advanced from the Republican primary for Minnesota House of Representatives District 41A.
2017
Five of the seven seats on the South Washington County Schools school board in Minnesota were up for nonpartisan general election on November 7, 2017. Four seats were up for general election to regular four-year terms, and the fifth seat was up for special election to a two-year term due to a vacancy on the board.[3] In the race for the four-year terms, at-large incumbents Tracy Brunnette, Katie Schwartz, and Sharon H. Van Leer won re-election. Incumbent Katy McElwee-Stevens did not win re-election, as Patricia Driscoll won the fourth seat. Challengers Thor Halverson, Alexandra Hedberg, Douglas Hoffman, David Pyrz, and William Thurmes were defeated in that race. Heather Hirsch won the two-year term, defeating Wael Abdelkader, Sean Brown, Duane Girard, and Steve Lagoon.[4][5]
Results
| South Washington County Schools, At-large General Election, 4-year terms, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Patricia Driscoll |
11.96% | 4,353 |
| Katie Schwartz Incumbent |
11.07% | 4,031 |
| Tracy Brunnette Incumbent |
10.92% | 3,977 |
| Sharon H. Van Leer Incumbent |
10.91% | 3,970 |
| William Thurmes | 10.04% | 3,656 |
| Alexandra Hedberg | 9.84% | 3,582 |
| Katy McElwee-Stevens Incumbent | 9.53% | 3,471 |
| Douglas Hoffman | 9.19% | 3,345 |
| David Pyrz | 8.97% | 3,267 |
| Thor Halverson | 7.01% | 2,553 |
| Write-in votes | 0.55% | 199 |
| Total Votes | 36,404 | |
| Source: South Washington County Schools, "School Board Meeting Minutes November 16, 2017," accessed December 8, 2017 | ||
Funding
The South Washington County Schools does not publish and freely disclose school board candidate campaign finance reports. If you have any information regarding the campaign finance disclosures in this race, please contact the school board elections team at editor@ballotpedia.org.
Endorsements
Driscoll was endorsed by the United Teachers of South Washington County.[6]
2015
The election in South Washington County featured three of the seven seats on the board up for at-large general election on November 3, 2015.
The seats of incumbents Ron Kath, Joe Slavin, and Michelle Witte were up for election. Kath, Slavin, and Witte defeated challengers Dean Barton, Patricia Driscoll, Molly Lutz, and Andrea Mayer-Bruestle for the three at-large seats. Lutz previously ran unsuccessfully for a board seat in 2013.
Results
| South Washington County Schools, At-Large, General Election, 2015 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Ron Kath Incumbent |
18.4% | 5,382 |
| Michelle Witte Incumbent |
17.2% | 5,028 |
| Joe Slavin Incumbent |
15.1% | 4,431 |
| Molly Lutz | 14.1% | 4,120 |
| Dean Barton | 12.1% | 3,547 |
| Patricia Driscoll | 11.3% | 3,297 |
| Andrea Mayer-Bruestle | 10.9% | 3,186 |
| Write-in votes | 0.94% | 276 |
| Total Votes | 29,267 | |
| Source: Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State, "Local Results in Washington County," accessed November 4, 2015 These election results are not official and will be updated when certified results are available. You can submit certified results by contacting us. |
||
Funding
The South Washington County Schools administration does not publish and freely disclose school board candidate campaign finance reports. If you have any information regarding the campaign finance disclosures in this race, please contact the school board elections team at editor@ballotpedia.org.
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify any official endorsements for Driscoll in the election.
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Patricia Driscoll did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
2017
Ballotpedia survey responses
Patricia Driscoll participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of school board candidates.[7] In response to the question "What do you hope to achieve if elected to the school board?" the candidate stated on September 20, 2017:
| “ | I hope to inspire the Board to do more, dream more and expect more.[8][9] | ” |
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues based on how they should be prioritized by the school board, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. Each ranking could only be used once.
| Education policy |
|---|
 |
Click here to learn more about education policy in Minnesota. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Improving relations with teachers | |
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| “ | Closing the achievement gap will improve post-secondary readiness.[9] | ” |
| —Patricia Driscoll (September 20, 2017) | ||
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer eight questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are highlighted in blue and followed by the candidate's responses. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions. The candidate was also provided space to elaborate on their answers to the multiple choice questions.
| Should new charter schools be approved in your district? (Not all school boards are empowered to approve charter schools. In those cases, the candidate was directed to answer the question as if the school board were able to do so.) |
|---|
| No. Public education should be the only education funded with tax dollars. |
| Which statement best describes the ideal relationship between the state government and the school board? The state should always defer to school board decisions, defer to school board decisions in most cases, be involved in the district routinely or only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. |
| The state should only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. The state should educate school boards on law. |
| Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement? |
| Yes. Nationally normed tests give a better picture of where students are compared to other students because there is a larger pool. |
| How should the district handle underperforming teachers? Terminate their contract before any damage is done to students, offer additional training options, put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve or set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district? |
| Put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve. |
| Should teachers receive merit pay? |
| No. Teachers should receive comparable wages in every district. There should not be 20 steps on the salary schedule. Beginning teachers should earn a livable wage. Teachers should be paid for summer hours in which they spend working on curriculum and staff development to improve teaching and learning. |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| No. Absolutely not! |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| Violent students should be expelled to protect other children and referred to other agencies. Schools are not equipped to rehabilitate mental illness. |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| Teachers. An effective teacher is the most important factor in the classroom. It is the responsibility of the principal to ensure the teachers in his/her building are effective. The superintendent is responsible for ensuring the principals are effective. The Board is responsible to ensure the superintendent is effective. Evaluation is key and should be objective and culminate in writing an improvement plan that includes staff development. |
Twin Cities Pioneer Press survey
Driscoll participated in the following survey conducted by the Twin Cities Pioneer Press. The survey questions appear bolded, and Driscoll's responses follow below.
What qualifies you to hold this position?
| “ | I have 20 years experience as a special education teacher and 19 years as an elementary principal. I am retired and will work hard to improve teaching and learning in District #833. Including lobbying our legislators to increase funding so that all students receive a high quality education, no matter what their zip code, race, or economic status.[9] | ” |
| —Patricia Driscoll (2017)[10] | ||
What would your top priorities be if elected?
| “ | 1. Improving teaching and learning by writing and supporting policies that require: a safe environment so that students can learn, performance evaluation of administrators and teachers, relevant staff development, reliable student testing that measures student growth from fall to spring. 2. Increase teacher salaries to be competitive.[9] | ” |
| —Patricia Driscoll (2017)[10] | ||
What do you think is the primary role of government?
| “ | The primary role of government is to collect taxes and spend it for the general welfare of the citizens. This includes funding education, justice, safety, roads and many other departments that serve the general public.[9] | ” |
| —Patricia Driscoll (2017)[10] | ||
Candidate website
Driscoll highlighted why she ran for school board on her campaign website:
| “ | Why I'm Running for School Board
I am running for South Washington County School Board because I want to serve my community. I want to help young people become life long learners and active participants in our democratic society. Education is key to their success. I am also running for School Board because I am concerned about the discrepancies in achievement in our elementary schools. I live between the second highest and the lowest reading achieving schools in the District. That gap is forty percent. My experience, knowledge and skills will be an asset to the Board. I hope to inspire the board to reflect, dream and expect more.[9] |
” |
| —Patricia Driscoll (2017)[11] | ||
2015
Ballotpedia survey responses
Driscoll participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 survey of school board candidates. The following sections display her responses to the survey questions. When asked what her top priority would be if elected, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | Financial stability.[9] | ” |
| —Patricia Driscoll (2015)[12] | ||
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 Minnesota. |
| 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 | |
| Improving college readiness | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| 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 |
|---|---|
| "Modifications are required before they are implemented." | |
| "No." | |
| "No." | |
| "No." | |
| "The district could measure growth comparing standardized assessments administered in the fall and spring. Each child should be expected to achieve a year's growth, whether gifted, average or below average. Special Education students' growth could be measured by the objectives they achieve. Instruction could be differentiated to meet the needs of all learners. This may require training for administrators and teachers. Report cards could report the skills achieved rather than A,B,C,D, F." | |
| "Expulsion should be used for serious offenses to ensure the safety of other students as well as the integrity of education at district schools." | |
| "Ask the professionals to analyze the test results and other data such as parent, teacher and student surveys, attendance and discipline data. A team should write a comprehensive improvement plan based on the findings from the data. The Board should approve the plan and monitor progress. The Board should provide adequate funds for staff development and a qualified professional not currently working at the school to oversee the process." | |
| "I support fair pay for teachers. Fewer steps and wages comparable to other districts with similar resources." | |
| "All of the above should be a part of a process for improvement. If the teacher does not improve or is not willing to then the district should terminate the teacher's contract." | |
| "Encourage community members to participate in Board meetings and ask questions if they do not understand something." |
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Patricia Driscoll South Washington County Schools school board. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
2022 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Pat Driscoll, "About Me," accessed October 26, 2015
- ↑ South Washington County Bulletin, "District 833 School Board election profile: Patricia Driscoll," October 22, 2015
- ↑ South Washington County Bulletin, "Candidacy Filing Notice," June 26, 2017
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "Results for Selected Contests in School District No. 833 - SOUTH WASHINGTON COUNTY," accessed November 7, 2017
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "Candidate Filings: 2017 Municipal and School District Elections," accessed August 16, 2017
- ↑ United Teachers of South Washington County, "Home," accessed October 26, 2017
- ↑ Note: The candidate's answers have been reproduced here verbatim without edits or corrections by Ballotpedia.
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2017, "Patricia Driscoll's responses," September 20, 2017
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Twin Cities Pioneer Press, "Minnesota elections: South Washington County school board candidates," October 24, 2017
- ↑ Patricia Driscoll School Board So Wash Co ISD#833, "Why I'm Running for School Board," accessed October 26, 2017
- ↑ Ballotpedia's school board candidate survey, 2015, "Patricia Driscoll's Responses," September 25, 2015
| 2015 South Washington County Schools Elections | |
| Washington County, Minnesota | |
| Election date: | November 3, 2015 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Ron Kath • Incumbent, Joe Slavin • Incumbent, Michelle Witte • Dean Barton • Patricia Driscoll • Molly Lutz • Andrea Mayer-Bruestle |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
