Rapid City Area School District elections (2015)

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2015 Rapid City Area School District Elections
General Election date:
June 2, 2015
Table of Contents
About the district Method of election Elections What was at stake? Key deadlines Additional elections External links
See also
South Dakota Rapid City Area School District Pennington County, South Dakota ballot measures Local ballot measures, South Dakota

Three seats on the Rapid City Area School District Board of Education were up for general election on June 2, 2015. A tax limit opt-out question was defeated by a more than 16 percent margin on the same ballot. If approved, the opt-out would have provided for the collection of an additional $6 million in property taxes each year for five years.

Area 1 incumbent Matthew Stephens and Area 2 incumbent Sheryl Kirkeby won re-election. Stephens defeated challenger and former board member Richard Kriebel. Kirkeby, however, won re-election due to a lack of opposition. The race for her seat was canceled and did not appear on the ballot as South Dakota does not allow write-in candidates. Area 7 incumbent Laura Schad was defeated by challenger Katharine Thomas.

The 2015 races were more competitive than the district's 2014 election. All of the candidates in contested races reported campaign contributions and expenditures. Both contested incumbents each reported over $1,600 in contributions while their challengers each reported less than $1,000 in contributions.

More influential than the number of candidates in the election, however, were the district's budgetary struggles. The opt-out demonstrated a clear division between the incumbents and their challengers. Stephens and Schad actively advocated for the approval of the tax limit opt-out after the matter made it on to the ballot. Their challengers, however, did not share their enthusiasm for the opt-out.

Uncertainty surrounding the opt-out also led to an impasse in contract negotiations between the board and the Rapid City Education Association. The association and its leadership supported the opt-out, but did not accept the board's final offer in negotiations due to it being contingent upon the opt-out passing.

Supporters and opponents actively campaigned on the opt-out question, with arguments ranging from the need to offer competitive teacher salaries to freezing Common Core curriculum out by limiting funding. Opponents of the opt-out reported over $6,000 in campaign contributions as of June 2, 2015, less than a third of the funds raised by opt-out supporters.

Local legislators voiced their opposition to the opt-out the day before the vote. They laid blame on Governor of South Dakota Dennis Daugaard (R) over the state's struggling educational funding.

In the background of all the campaigning and controversy, the resignation of Superintendent Tim Mitchell was announced. His resignation, effective July 30, 2016, meant the winners of the election would join the rest of the board in the search for his replacement.

See also: What was at stake in the 2015 Rapid City Board of Education election?

About the district

See also: Rapid City Area School District, South Dakota

Rapid City Area School District is located in Pennington County, S.D.

Rapid City Area School District is located in Rapid City, the seat of Pennington County in western South Dakota. A small portion of the district lies in Meade County. Pennington County was home to an estimated 105,761 residents in 2013, according to the United States Census Bureau. Rapid City Area School District was the second-largest school district in South Dakota, serving 13,627 students during the 2011-2012 school year.

Demographics

Pennington County outperformed South Dakota as a whole in terms of higher education achievement, median household income and poverty rate in 2013. The United States Census Bureau found that 27.8 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree compared to 26.2 percent statewide. The median household income for the county was $50,833 while it was $49,495 for the state. The percentage of people below poverty level for Pennington County was 13.5 percent in comparison to 14.1 percent for the entirety of South Dakota.

Racial Demographics, 2013
Race	Pennington County (%)	South Dakota (%)
White	83.5	85.9
Black or African American	1.7	1.9
American Indian and Alaska Native	9.9	8.9
Asian	1.2	1.2
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander	0.1	0.1
Two or more races	3.6	2.1
Hispanic or Latino	4.6	3.4

Presidential Voting Pattern, Pennington County
Year	Democratic Votes	Republican Votes
2012	15,125	28,232
2008	17,802	27,603
2004	14,213	29,976

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.

Voter and candidate information

The Rapid City Area School District Board of Education consists of seven members elected to three-year terms by geographic district. There was no primary election, and the general election for Areas 1, 2 and 7 was June 2, 2015.

Candidates were required to file for the race by March 31, 2015.

Area 1

Matthew Stephens		Richard Kriebel
	Incumbent, member from 2012-2015 J.D., University of Nebraska-Lincoln B.S., University of South Dakota Owner, Stephens Law Office Veteran, South Dakota Army National Guard		Former member, 1994-1997 Part-time employee of West Side Pre-School Retired, U.S. Postal Service Member, Smarter Solutions for Students Former Rapid City Council Alderman, 2000-2004

Area 2

Sheryl Kirkeby
	Incumbent, member from 2000-2015 Employed with KOTA Territory News Former RCASD substitute teacher

Area 7

Laura Schad		Katharine Thomas
	Incumbent, member from 2011-2015 Associate degree, Oglala Lakota College Program information coordinator, National Relief Charities Self-employed consultant for tribal Head Start programs		Home educator CEO of Thomas Productions

Sample ballot

District map

This map is highlighted to show the boundaries for each district seat on the board of education. Click on the image to view in a separate page that can be zoomed in on.

Election results

Area 1

Rapid City Area School District, Area 1 General Election, 3-year term, 2015
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Matthew Stephens Incumbent	56.1%	1,532
	Nonpartisan	Richard Kriebel	43.9%	1,200
Total Votes				2,732
Source: Pennington County Election and Voting Information, "June 2, 2015 Combined City/School Election (Rapid City/Hill City): Unofficial Final Results," June 2, 2015 These election results are not official and will be updated when certified results are available. You can submit certified results by contacting us.

Area 2

Incumbent Sheryl Kirkeby won re-election without opposition. Her race did not appear on the ballot.

Area 7

Rapid City Area School District, Area 7 General Election, 3-year term, 2015
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Katharine Thomas	52.1%	625
	Nonpartisan	Laura Schad Incumbent	47.9%	575
Total Votes				1,200
Source: Pennington County Election and Voting Information, "June 2, 2015 Combined City/School Election (Rapid City/Hill City): Unofficial Final Results," June 2, 2015 These election results are not official and will be updated when certified results are available. You can submit certified results by contacting us.

Endorsements

Matthew Stephens was endorsed by the Rapid City Education Association.

Campaign finance

School board candidates

See also: List of school board campaign finance deadlines in 2015

Candidates received a total of $5,221.00 and spent a total of $4,261.35 in this election, according to the Rapid City Area School District. The first and only campaign finance deadline for this election was June 1, 2015. Candidates were required to submit a "Statement of Financial Interest" form 15 days after filing for the election. None of the candidates reported any in-kind contributions in this race.

Candidate	Contributions	Expenditures	Cash on hand
Area 1
Matthew Stephens	$1,615.00	$1,538.09	$76.91
Richard Kriebel	$990.00	$772.29	$217.71
Area 2
Sheryl Kirkeby	No reports filed.
Area 7
Laura Schad	$1,655.00	$1,285.40	$369.60
Katharine Thomas	$961.00	$665.57	$295.43

Opt-out opponents and supporters

Campaign finance forms were submitted from organizations opposing and supporting the tax limit opt-out question. Smarter Solutions for Students registered as an opposing organization to the opt-out ballot question on April 29, 2015.

At the same time, the All South Dakota PAC reported a sole contribution of $5,000.00 from Stanford M. Adelstein. The PAC then contributed $3,000.00 to the pro-opt-out group Support Our Schools RC.

As of the report submitted on May 21, 2015, Support Our Schools RC received the majority of its funds from five individuals. Sharon Warner and Todd Brink were the only two to contribute over $500.00. They contributed $10,000.00 and $5,485.87, respectively. The group did not contribute to any of the school board candidates at that time. The majority of its reported expenses were for postage and printing.

Organization	Contributions	Expenditures	Cash on hand
Smarter Solutions for Students (opposing opt-out)	$6,395.00	$6,318.20	$76.80
Support Our Schools RC (supporting opt-out)	$20,320.87	$7,235.40	$13,085.47
All South Dakota PAC (supporting opt-out)	$5,000.01	$3,000.00	$2,602.36

Past elections

Information about earlier elections can be found by clicking [show] at the right.

2014 See also: Rapid City Area School District elections (2014) Area 4 Incumbent Jim Hansen was unopposed and won re-election by default. Area 5 Incumbent Ed McLaughlin was unopposed and won re-election by default. 2013 Area 6 Rapid City Area School District, Area 6 General Election, 3-year term, 2013 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Nonpartisan Jeff Nelsen 72.5% 216      Nonpartisan Robert B. Cook 27.5% 82 Total Votes 298 Source: Pennington County, "Pennington County, South Dakota Municipal/School Election," accessed April 3, 2014

What was at stake?

2015

In addition to being more competitive than the 2014 elections, Rapid City's 2015 board of education elections included the defeat of a tax limit opt-out, which had created tension for the sitting board members, candidates, teachers and district residents heading into the 2015 election. The opt-out uncertainty led to an impasse in contract negotiations. On top of the budgetary turmoil, Superintendent Tim Mitchell announced he would resign from his position at the end of the 2015-2016 school year.

Issues in the election

Candidate forum

Candidates steered clear of making judgments about the divisive salary negotiations at a community forum during the second week of May 2015, but they did not shy away from discussing their views of the opt-out. While class sizes and school start dates were also discussed, budget issues drew attention from local media.

Area 1 incumbent Matthew Stephens and Area 7 incumbent Laura Schad expressed their support for the opt-out. Stephens' opponent, Richard Kriebel, vocally opposed the measure and argued that the solution lay in fixing the state's funding formula for education. He also indicated his belief that a lawsuit would be necessary to make that change. Area 7 challenger Katharine Thomas stated, "Personally, it is a burdensome tax, and I would have liked to have been asked to vote for it." She expressed gratitude for the petitioners who placed the matter on the ballot.

Opt-out on the ballot

See also: Additional elections on the ballot

Board approves tax levy increase
Driven by a tightening budget that required dipping into district reserves for the 2014-2015 school year, the Rapid City Area Board of Education approved a five-year, $6 million opt-out in March 2015. An opt-out allows the district to levy additional property taxes to increase its general fund. The term itself refers to the district opting out of the tax levying limit otherwise placed upon it by law. In this case, it would have allowed the district to collect an additional $6 million in property taxes each year for five years.

Board member Matthew Stephens stated the opt-out would increase the property tax levy by $72 a year for every $100,000 of a homeowner's property valuation. According to board member Ed McLaughlin, 60 of the state's 151 school districts operated with opt-outs.

While the board had the power to institute such an opt-out, state law allowed voters to gather signatures to put the board's decision to a vote of the general public. The decision was published 10 days later giving opponents of the opt-out 20 days from that date to gather 3,224 signatures in order for the matter to appear on the ballot with the school board race.

Opponents' signature gathering efforts certified
On April 27, 2015, petitions gathered by the group Citizens for Liberty were certified as sufficient to put the opt-out matter before voters. The next day, the board accepted the petitions and placed the question on the school board election ballot.

Citizens for Liberty states in its mission statement that they "will resist irresponsible tax and spend policies." The group additionally framed defeating the opt-out as a way to "defeat Common Core." The group's Facebook page stated in a call for signatures, "This is a serious issue facing tax payers and will help us defeat Common Core if it cannot be funded. ... If stopping the funding of Common Core is as important to you, PLEASE take a few hours and get these signatures." The post further stated, "Remember, if they can't fund Common Core-it's done!!"

Petition gatherers faced a snag due to a disagreement about their right to collect signatures on the sidewalks surrounding the post office. The post office cited a patron complaint, which others later claimed never existed, as their reason for asking the petitioners to move. One petition gatherer was arrested for failing to vacate after receiving notice. Opt-out supporters called the move a "degradation" of their First Amendment rights.

Supporters organize

Campaign logo for the campaign in favor of the opt-out led by Support our Schools RC

At the same time the petitions against the opt-out were certified, supporters of the opt-out gathered and formed their own group, Support Our Schools RC. The group stated on their website:

“	Almost half of the school districts in the state have opted-out, and we need to take this positive step forward. Vote YES on June 2 to support our teachers, our kids, and our community. We need to opt out now because our teachers and students deserve it. Teachers can make 20-45% more in our neighboring states with comparable costs of living. We cannot provide the same dynamic, top-notch education that was possible 15, 10, even 5 years ago without more quality teachers to join and strengthen the district. They need resources to help solidify beginnings in math and reading in manageable classrooms. They need support from their community who believe that educating our children is valuable work.	”
—Support Our Schools RC (2015)

The Rapid City Education Association also supported the opt-out. However, the uncertainty surrounding the opt-out vote led to a standoff over teacher salaries between the RCEA and the board.

Opposition organizes
On the opposing side, Citizens for Liberty was joined by a new group, Smarter Solutions for Students. The group, which includes Area 1 candidate Richard Kriebel, focused on the tax burden the opt-out could have placed on residents and businesses. Kriebel also pointed to the state's funding formula for public school districts as the real problem that needed to be fixed. He called the opt-out measure a "band-aid" solution to the funding formula, which "discriminates district to district."

Tonchi Weaver, co-founder of the Citizens of Liberty group, focused on the district's management of its current funding. "Why would you want to give more money to the people that have already mismanaged?" she asked.

Smarter Solutions for Students used quotations from the president and vice president of the Rapid City Education Association in its campaign literature. While both leaders and the teacher's group as a whole support the opt-out, Smarter Solutions for Students recast their statements on images advocating its defeat. The images below were taken from the Smart Solutions for Students Facebook page.

A campaign image from Smarter Solutions for Students quoting opt-out supporter and RCEA President Sue Podoll.

A campaign image from Smarter Solutions for Students quoting opt-out supporter and RCEA Vice President Fran Linn.

Public forum on opt-out
A week prior to the election, a public forum was held regarding the opt-out, where both supporters and opponents presented their views. Held at the Journey Museum and Learning Center, the forum was sponsored by Democracy in Action. A self-described progressive grassroots movement of women, Democracy in Action advocates for strengthening public schools.

Tonchi Weaver and Richard Kriebel were the main voices of the opposition. They described the opt-out as a short-term solution that would not provide a long-term plan for the district's budget. Weaver described it as playing "right into the hands of state government." He argued that passing an opt-out would make the district complicit in the failure to fund education through state legislative action.

Meanwhile, Support Our Schools RC members argued that the opt-out funds were needed to retain teachers, preserve smaller classes, and maintain busing and extra-curricular activities. They played a video that included a teacher who chose to leave the district for a better paying teaching position in Wyoming.

Candidate positions on the opt-out
Challengers Richard Kriebel in Area 1 and Katharine Thomas in Area 7 voiced their opposition to the opt-out championed by the board, including Area 1 incumbent Matthew Stephens and Area 7 incumbent Laura Schad. Thomas focused her critique on the matter that the decision was not automatically placed to a district-wide vote, while Kriebel argued that the opt-out was a short-term fix and that the district should, instead, sue the state to fix its education funding formula.

Kriebel accused the board of being unwilling to take the funding matters to the state, which would likely include a lawsuit. Stephens responded that a lawsuit would not fix the district's immediate problems. He stated, "I agree we have to change things in Pierre, but we can't gamble our children's future on a chance of winning something that could be years from fruition."

The candidates were similarly divided on the issue of Common Core. Both incumbents supported the standards and both challengers opposed them.

Response from legislators

Education policy
Click here to learn more about education policy in South Dakota.
Education on the ballot

At a press conference the day before the district election, State Sen. Phil Jensen (R-33) and State Reps. Lance Russell (R-30), Lynne DiSanto (R-35) and Blaine Campbell (R-35) held a press conference in which they stated their opposition to the opt-out and encouraged voters to defeated the measure due to rumors of a state tax increase in the coming year.

The legislators called on Governor of South Dakota Dennis Daugaard (R) to “level with the voters of Rapid City prior to such a large property tax increase." An ongoing blue ribbon task force led to rumors that a statewide tax increase could be coming to improve state funding for education. Rep. Russell accused Gov. Daugaard of not being straightforward about the state's education funding status and possible changes. In the past, Daugaard had stated that opt-outs are a tool for local government to have more control over the programs they offer and their teacher salaries. Rep. DiSanto spoke pointedly to that position, saying the governor's approach to the issue was "not going about it the right way."

Referring to an upcoming statewide task force on education funding, senior staffer to the governor Ton Venhuizen said "that the governor would not try to prohibit the task force from discussing any particular funding source," according to Keloland TV.

State trends in education funding and teacher salaries
In the 2013 fiscal year, South Dakota spent 14.1 percent of its budget on K-12 education. Only five states spent a smaller percentage of their budget on primary and secondary education that year.

In the 2011-2012 school year, South Dakota spent $8,446 per pupil, ranking 41st out of the 50 states plus Washington, D.C. South Dakota teachers averaged the lowest pay among the 50 states plus Washington, D.C. in the 2009-2010, 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 school years.

Election trends

The 2015 election for the Rapid City Board of Education was more competitive than the 2014 election cycle. Five candidates filed for the three seats up for election, for an average of 1.67 candidates per seat up for election in 2015 compared to the 1.00 candidates per seat in the unopposed 2014 election. Both years, however, were below the 2014 national average of 1.90 candidates per seat for the 1,000 largest school districts.

The 2015 election featured three incumbents seeking re-election. With just one of them running unopposed, the school board could have seen as many as two new members join its ranks. In 2014, two incumbents won re-election without opposition, while the 2013 race saw only newcomers file for the one seat up for election.

Issues in the district

Teacher salary negotiations stagnate

Rapid City Education Association logo

While Board President Jim Hansen argued that the district offered teachers "what they've been asking for for years," the Rapid City Education Association declared they were at an impasse in contract negotiations with the board on May 13, 2015. The RCEA rejected the board's final offer over its contingency upon the opt-out vote.

The board's proposal included raises that would have advanced the salary scale to a level last seen before the district stopped offering raises based on education and experience. However, the proposed raises would have only taken effect if the opt-out vote passed. The RCEA refused to take the issue to its full membership for a vote. Board President Hansen responded to the move, saying:

“	It's mind-boggling. It is the offer they have asked for, for two years. They asked us to back and put everyone where they belonged six years ago. And they say 'no' and won't take it back to the membership.	”
—Rapid City Board of Education President Jim Hansen (2015)

RCEA members were similarly incredulous at what they saw as the district's failure to offer a competitive salary schedule. RCEA Vice President Fran Linn stated that the organization was concerned about what could happen to the district's salary schedule, already lagging behind Wyoming school districts, if the opt-out fails. She stated:

“	Teachers starting at $32,000, if they go up through their master's plus 30 credits, will only make $38,500. That is less than any salary in Wyoming. There is not a single salary in Wyoming that would be low enough to equal the top earning potential of a teacher in Rapid City. We've never been able to compete, but we can't compete with those sorts of levels.	”
—Rapid City Education Association Vice President Fran Linn (2015)

Linn's claims faced skepticism from some district officials, but like-minded teachers pointed out that at least 100 personnel would be leaving the district at the end of the 2014-2015 school year to due to retirements, attrition or finding better jobs elsewhere. At least one left to take a pay increase of over 30 percent by moving to a Wyoming school district.

RCEA leadership responds to Board President Hansen
At the board's meeting on May 19, 2015, over 100 district staff members came to express their displeasure at Hansen's characterization of the causes of the impasse in contract negotiations. Prior to that meeting, Hansen described the RCEA leadership's decisions as the "actions of a small handful of individuals." RCEA president Sue Podoll shot back at the meeting, saying, "We don't speak as a handful."

Podoll and Linn received a standing ovation from the many educators in attendance when Linn stated that they had brought them along to demonstrate they spoke for more than a few people. She further stated, "We know where our members stand, and we never speak unless we are 100 percent positive of where they're at."

Linn lamented the turn negotiations had taken, as well as the overall health of the district. She stated at that time that she would be resigning as a high school biology teacher in the district. She stated a number of reasons that factored into her decision, but her main criticism focused on the board's failure to make decisions that gave staff time to make personal decisions. She claimed that recent actions created an uncertain and fearful climate. "This is not about cuts, we have been through cuts before, this is about messaging," Linn stated.

The comments from Podoll and Linn came during the meeting's open-forum segment. Board members do not respond to comments during those portions. Hansen was not in attendance at the meeting due to a nephew's graduation.

Superintendent resignation in 2016

Superintendent Tim Mitchell

District Superintendent Tim Mitchell announced on May 12, 2015, that he would be resigning from that post effective June 30, 2016. He stated that he was resigning in order to seek employment closer to his family, and further stated, “I’m making this announcement at this time to allow a smooth transition so the board of education, the staff, and the community to take time to select a new superintendent to lead the district for the 2016-2017 school year."

Mitchell became the district's superintendent in July 2010. Prior to joining Rapid City Area Schools, Mitchell served for 13 years as the superintendent of Chamberlain School District. He earned a bachelor's degree from Yankton College and master's and doctoral degrees from the University of South Dakota.

Key deadlines

The following dates were key deadlines for the Rapid City Area School District election in 2015:

Deadline	Event
March 31, 2015	Last day to file nominating petitions
June 2, 2015	Election Day

Additional elections on the ballot

See also: Opt-out on the ballot and South Dakota elections, 2015

Elections for mayor and Ward 3, 4 and 5 aldermen of Rapid City were held on the same day as the board of education elections. The school district tax limit opt-out was also up for a vote on June 2, 2015, but was defeated. A sample ballot of all the elections held in Pennington County on June 2, 2015, may be viewed here.

Text of opt-out measure

The opt-out question appeared on the ballot as follows:

“	TAX LEVY OPT-OUT 51-4 The following tax levy opt-out was passed by the governing body and submitted to the voters. The tax levy opt-out will not become effective unless approved by majority vote. REFERRED MEASURE OF RAPID CITY AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT 51-4 DECISION TO OPT-OUT OF CURRENT TAX LIMITATION A REFERRED MEASURE REGARDING THE RAPID CITY AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT 51-4 DECISION TO OPT-OUT OF THE CURRENT PROPERTY TAX LIMITATION AND RAISE ADDITIONAL GENERAL FUND PROPERTY TAX REVENUES IN THE AMOUNT OF $6,000,000 PER YEAR. STARTING WITH THE CALENDAR YEAR 2015, TAXES WILL BE PAYABLE IN THE CALENDAR YEAR 2016, AND EVERY YEAR THEREAFTER FOR FIVE YEARS THROUGH 2020. ATTORNEY'S EXPLANATION: The Rapid City Area School District 51-4 through its Board of Education has decided in accordance with SDCL § 10-12-43 that the Rapid City Area School District 51-4 is unable to operate under the property tax limitation measure currently in statute. It has therefore deemed it essential to OPT-OUT of such property tax limitation in the amount of $6,000,000 per year, starting with the calendar year 2015. Taxes for 2015 will be payable in the calendar year 2016, and last for five years, with final taxes due in the calendar year 2020. This action has been taken by the Board and approved by at least two-thirds vote of the Board. This decision was referred to a vote of the registered voters of the District. Yes A vote "YES" will increase the tax levy by the amount of the opt-out. No A vote "NO" will leave the tax levy as it is without the amount of the opt-out.	”
—Pennington County Official Combined Election Ballot for June 2, 2015

Opt-out measure results

Rapid City Area School District Tax Levy Opt-Out (2015)
Result		Votes	Percentage
d No		11,103	58.15%
Yes		7,992	41.85%

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Rapid City Area School District South Dakota. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Rapid City Area School District elections (2015) - Google News

See also

Rapid City Area School District	South Dakota	School Boards
Rapid City Area School District elections (2014) List of school districts in South Dakota	South Dakota school board elections, 2015 Public education in South Dakota Local ballot measures, South Dakota	School board elections, 2015 School board elections, 2014 School board election data analysis, 2015 School board election data analysis, 2014

External links

Suggest a link

• Rapid City Area School District
• Rapid City, South Dakota
• Pennington County Election and Voting Information
• Sample ballot
• Campaign finance forms submitted to the Rapid City Area School District as of June 1, 2015