Rebecca Cornelius
Rebecca Cornelius was a candidate for District 5 representative on the Olympia School District school board in Washington. Cornelius was defeated in the by-district primary election on August 1, 2017.
This candidate participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 school board candidate survey. Click here to view her responses.
Elections
2017
- See also: Olympia School District elections (2017)
Three of the five seats on the Olympia School District school board in Washington were up for at-large election on November 7, 2017. Two seats were up for regular election and one seat (District 4) was up for a special election for a two-year unexpired term. A primary election for District 5 was held on August 1, 2017, showing that board member Mark Campeau and Scott Clifthorne could defeat Rebecca Cornelius. Clifthorne went on to oust Campeau from his seat in the general.
Newcomer Leslie Huff defeated fellow newcomer Katie Bridges for the open District 3 seat. In District 4, Hilary Seidel defeated Ann Heitkemper.[1]
Results
| Olympia School District, District 5 Primary Election, 4-year term, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Scott Clifthorne |
47.50% | 5,419 |
| Mark Campeau Incumbent |
38.85% | 4,432 |
| Rebecca Cornelius | 13.65% | 1,557 |
| Total Votes | 11,408 | |
| Source: Thurston County, "August 1, 2017 Primary," accessed August 15, 2017 | ||
Funding
Cornelius opted for mini reporting in this election, according to the Washington Public Disclosure Commission.[2] Candidates who opted for this had to keep a record of their contributors and expenditures, but were not required to report them. If they raised and spent more than $5,000 in aggregate or received more than $500 from any one contributor, including themselves, they would have had to switch their filing status from mini to full reporting.[3]
Campaign themes
2017
Ballotpedia survey responses
Rebecca Cornelius participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of school board candidates.[4] In response to the question "What do you hope to achieve if elected to the school board?" the candidate stated on June 5, 2017:
| “ | Being part of the Olympia School Board of Directors I hope and have a drive to bring fresh ideas to improve our state ranking for Olympia Schools, encourage strong candidates for teachers & staff to want to work in our schools, and increase more community & parent involvement with our students in the schools.[5][6] | ” |
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 Washington. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Improving relations with teachers | |
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| “ | I feel that working closely with teachers we can close the achievement gap & improve education for special needs children. While working closely we on the board will have a clear understanding of the teacher & student needs which will help with balancing the district budget.[6] | ” |
| —Rebecca Cornelius (June 5, 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. |
| 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 defer to school board decisions in most cases. |
| Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement? |
| Yes. I do feel that standardized test can help give an accurate measure of a students & schools performance. However I do feel that we need to stand by one test and work with that. Over the years we have changed from one type to another in standardized test and that makes it hard to track progress. |
| 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? |
| Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district. |
| Should teachers receive merit pay? |
| No. I do believe that teachers pay should be based on a few criteria’s and merit is not one of them. Every grade level has a different challenge, structure, & expectation to what is being taught & the level at which students are retaining the information. I feel that the level of observation that Principles and other staff would have to put in to review teachers for merit is not time spent wisely nor a productive investment in the schools, teachers, or students. |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| No. |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| Expulsion should be taken very serious with parents, school staff, and district board involvement. Before it makes it to the board for review I want to see supporting documents that parents have been involved along with teachers & other school staff. I want to see proactive and positive reinforcement attempted before getting to the level of expulsion. |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| The curriculum I feel that a well-educated & trained teacher can deliver in a productive way a strong curriculum. We need to look at what we are teaching our children & how that develops into higher education and life. This needs to start in elementary school and progress as the child moved forward to middle then high school. The curriculum needs to connect to the students, build on top of each other, and reflect life skills. |
Voters' guide statement
Cornelius submitted the below statement to the Thurston County voters' guide:[7]
| “ | I am seeking election to the Olympia School Board with the goal of helping take Olympia schools to another level of excellence. I believe increased transparency and community involvement strongly help and encourage students to find their individual successes. A collaboration of local businesses, citizens, administrators, teachers, and parents who work together will propel our children into bright futures.
I have lived in Olympia for seven years and am a proud parent of four children who have enjoyed individual achievements due to the strong academic curriculum and role models in Olympia schools. I enjoy being active in the schools and parent organizations. I will work diligently to bring new ideas to the board by participating in parent organizations. With these understandings, I am determined to help with and make transparent district goals, budgets, and policies. Currently, I volunteer at schools and am energized by teachers, administration, and staff. The Board is tasked with making vital decisions impacting schools and students. I feel a solid education is the catalyst that makes any career possible. Increased partnerships between parents, teachers, and businesses will safeguard our children can learn, grow, and develop into successful adults who contribute positively to our community.[6] |
” |
| —Rebecca Cornelius (2017)[7] | ||
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Thurston County, "Candidates Who Filed," accessed May 25, 2017
- ↑ Washington Public Disclosure Commission, "Local Candidates," accessed October 12, 2017
- ↑ Washington State Public Disclosure Commission, "New Candidates," accessed June 22, 2017
- ↑ Note: The candidate's answers have been reproduced here verbatim without edits or corrections by Ballotpedia.
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2017, "Rebecca Cornelius's responses," June 5, 2017
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Thurston County, "Voters' Guide," accessed June 26, 2017
| Olympia School District elections in 2017 | |
| Thurston County, Washington | |
| Election date: | Primary: August 1, 2017 General: November 7, 2017 |
| Candidates: | District 3: Katie Bridges • Leslie Huff District 4: Ann Heitkemper • Hilary Seidel |
| Important information: | What was at stake? |
