R.R.S. Stewart
R.R.S. Stewart was a candidate for an at-large seat on the Dubuque Community School District School Board in Iowa. The seat was up for general election on September 8, 2015.[1]
The school board election is nonpartisan, although Stewart identifies as a Democrat.[2]
Stewart participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 survey of school board candidates.
Biography
Stewart is an adjunct professor in communications and humanities at Northeast Iowa Community College, as well as a substitute teacher for Dubuque Community School District. She also works as a consultant in architectural history, writing, and parliamentary procedure. Stewart obtained her bachelor's degree in individualized studies from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. She went on to earn two master's degrees in urban and environmental planning and architectural history from the University of Virginia. She also completed continuing studies at Drake University in the schools of education and law.
Stewart is the chair of the Dubuque Historic Preservation Commission. She also serves on the Transit Advisory Board, the Dubuque Branch NAACP, Dubuque for Refugee Children, Social Justice Co-Chair at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church and the Dubuque County Democrats Executive Board She previously served on the Human Rights Commission.[3][4][2]
Elections
2015
Four of the seven seats on the Dubuque Community School District Board of Education were up for election on September 8, 2015. All seats on the board of education represent the district at-large.
Incumbents Tom Barton, Mike Donohue and Tami Ryan won re-election to their seats. Incumbent Otto Kreuger did not run for re-election. Upon the initial count of the votes, candidates Timothy Pope and Lisa Wittman tied for the open seat left by incumbent Otto Kreuger.[5] After an error was corrected in the original totals and the absentee ballots were counted, Wittman was determined the winner of the open seat.[6] Pope did not ask for a recount. Candidates Bert Ament and R.R.S. Stewart were also defeated in the election.[7][8][9]
Results
This election was held September 8, 2015.
| Dubuque Community School District, At-Large, 4-Year Term, General Election, 2015 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Tom Barton Incumbent |
22.2% | 2,865 |
| Mike Donohue Incumbent |
20.1% | 2,590 |
| Tami Ryan Incumbent |
19.9% | 2,573 |
| Lisa Wittman |
12.8% | 1,654 |
| Timothy Pope | 12.3% | 1,589 |
| R.R.S. Stewart | 7.4% | 951 |
| Bert Ament | 5.2% | 677 |
| Total Votes | 12,899 | |
| Source: Tiffany Rouse, "Email correspondence with Dubuque County Auditor's Office Jenny Hillary," December 3, 2015 | ||
.
Funding
Stewart reported no contributions or expenditures to the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board during the election.[10] Any candidate spending, receiving or incurring debt in the amount of $1,000 or less was not required to file the disclosure form for campaign finances.[11]
Endorsements
Stewart received an official endorsement from the Dubuque Federation of Labor in cooperation with Working Iowa Neighbors (WIN).[12]
Campaign themes
2015
Ballotpedia survey responses
Stewart 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:
| “ | "My reasons for running are:
1. To be a voice for the average person. |
” |
| —R.R.S. Stewart (2015)[14] | ||
Stewart also included the following statement with her responses:
| “ | I was born and raised in Dubuque. I am a product of Dubuque Community Schools, attending K through 12. Then I went to public universities for undergraduate and graduate study. My mother taught at Hempstead for 35 years. My paternal grandmother was a teacher, and my maternal great-grandmother was a teacher. Education is an issue that affects everyone’s life. I received a good education in the Dubuque Schools and I believe my generation needs to step forward and be part of making decisions for that to continue. I have been taught by my parents and my teachers that it is important to be of service and to make a difference in my community. That is why I am running for school board. [13] | ” |
| —R.R.S. Stewart (2015)[14] | ||
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 Idaho. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Expanding career-technical education | |
| 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 should be implemented." | |
| "No" | |
| "No" | |
| "No" | |
| ""I would recommend that both advanced and low level students have a team of teachers specifically chosen for each group to teach them. This team should be a mixture of experienced and beginner teachers with the lead teacher being an experienced teacher. The team leader teacher should be sent to conferences and workshops to learn the most effective method for each group so s/he could share those ideas and methods with the team. Both groups of learners should have the same amt. of money spent on their program to make it equitable. Also technology should be used to enable students in both groups to work individually as well as together to develop their skills and creativity. Parents of both groups should feel empowered to advocate for their students." | |
| "Practices such as positive behavior strategies should be used before expulsion is considered." | |
| "If you ask people about public schools in general, they say there is a problem, but if you ask them about their school, people love their local schools. These are my grades for the elements of the Dubuque Community School District:
The schools overall: B+, overall schools are very good, but there are changes in society that need to be addressed. Central administrators and building administrators: B, both teachers/staff and parents have complained about a lack of communication from administrators. Teachers/Nurses/Counselors: A, DCSD has dedicated and hardworking Teachers / Nurses / Counselors, and that’s why our schools are so good. Unfortunately, all three areas are over-worked. The present School Board: B-, There isn’t much angst toward the school board right now, but there are some parts of the community that feel left out of decisions. All School Board members should visit each school at least once in each of their terms. " | |
| "No" | |
| "Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district." | |
| "I believe we have well-prepared and hard- working administrators and teachers in DCSD who care deeply about the students in their care. I will listen to their concerns but also listen to the concerns of parents, community leaders and concerned citizens of all ages. The majority of citizens in Dubuque don't have children in DSCD, but are concerned about the education of Dubuque's children. They need a voice at the table too. I will have regular listening sessions to seek input before meetings. I believe the role of the school board is not to micromanage. It’s role should be to ensure that the board policies and fiscal responsibilities are followed as well as listen to the concerns of the general public and employees of DCSD, keeping student achievement as the highest priority. I have substitute taught in all of DCSD’s six middle/high schools. I will continue to visit every school and talk to staff and parent groups in order to learn the details and needs of each school as well as meet with the District administration to learn budget and curriculum details. Communication between citizens and the District is often missing when issues are being decided, and I want to increase citizen input. I am grateful to Alice and John Butler for their gift towards restoring historically appropriate windows to Bryant School. I would like to see DCSD accept the Butlers proffered additional donation for doing the same at other school buildings if DCSD commits some facilities funding towards it. I would also like to see outreach to other Historic Preservationists and philanthropists for similar gifts to be used to maintaining our gracefully aging school buildings." |
Statement
Stewart issued the following statement regarding her bid for office:
| “ | The role of a school board member is to provide efficient financial management, seek to stay informed on issues and provide a forum for students, parents, teachers, staff, administrators, and community to reach consensus on policies and procedures. A school board member is the voice of the citizens.
I'm not running to represent a specific group or interest but because I want all children in the Dbq. schools to receive a quality education. I believe we have good public schools in Dubuque but there's always room for improvement. I have heard some complaints about our schools in regards to equity, but haven't made any conclusions as I believe in hearing both sides, doing research on the issue and analyzing what I learn. I'm good at analyzing information and would bring that skill to the Board if elected. I want the public to know that I will listen to them, but I will also investigate before reaching a conclusion. [13] |
” |
| —R.R.S. Stewart, [2] | ||
See also
- Dubuque Community School District, Iowa
- Dubuque Community School District elections (2015)
- Newcomers and incumbents share the victories in Iowa's largest school district elections (September 9, 2015)
- Analysis of incumbency advantage in the 2014 school board elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Tiffany Rouse, Email correspondence with Dubuque County Auditor's Office Becky Griebel," August 11, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Information submitted through Ballotpedia's biographical submission form on August 30, 2015
- ↑ LinkedIn, "R.R.S. Stewart," accessed August 19, 2015
- ↑ Tiffany Rouse, "Email correspondence with R.R.S. Stewart R.R.S. Stewart," September 2, 2015
- ↑ The Herald Online, "Incumbents re-elected to Dubuque School Board; challengers tie for fourth seat," September 8, 2015
- ↑ The Herald Online, "With corrected vote total, Lisa Wittman easily wins Dubuque school board seat," September 13, 2015
- ↑ Dubuque County, Iowa, "School Board Election Results," accessed September 8, 2015
- ↑ Dubuque Community School District, "School Board," accessed June 23, 2015
- ↑ Tiffany Rouse, "Email correspondence with Dubuque County Auditor's Office Becky Griebel," August 11, 2015
- ↑ Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board, "IECDB State/Local Campaign Disclosure Reports," accessed February 2, 2016
- ↑ Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board, "Reporting Dates," accessed August 13, 2015
- ↑ Dubuque Federation of Labor AFL-CIO, "2015 Elections," accessed September 1, 2015
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2015, "R.R.S. Stewart's responses," August 30, 2015
| 2015 Dubuque Community School District Elections | |
| Dubuque County, Iowa | |
| Election date: | September 8, 2015 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Tom Barton • Incumbent, Mike Donohue • Incumbent, Tami Ryan • Bert Ament • Timothy Pope • R.R.S. Stewart • Lisa Wittman |
| Important information: | Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
