Richland School District elections (2013)

2015 →
2013 Richland School District Elections
General Election date:
November 5, 2013
Table of Contents
About the district Method of election Elections What was at stake? Key deadlines Additional elections External links References
See also
Washington Richland School District

Two seats on the Richland School Board were up for election on November 5, 2013. Seats 1 and 2 were on the ballot. Heather Cleary defeated Ron Higgins to win Seat 1 while Rick Jansons overcame Lloyd Becker to win Seat 2. Major issues in the campaign included implementation of Common Core Curriculum standards and dealing with a 9.6% growth in enrollment over the past five years.

About the district

See also: Richland School District, Washington

Richland School District is located in Benton County, Washington

The City of Richland is located in Benton County in south-central Washington. The county is surrounded by tributaries of the Columbia River with the Yakima and Columbia Rivers connecting in Richland. The population of Richland was 48,109 according to the 2010 U.S. Census.

Demographics

Richland outperforms state averages for median income, higher education achievement and poverty rate. The percentage of city residents over 25 years old with undergraduate degrees (41.0%) is above the state average (31.4%). The 2010 U.S. Census calculated Richland's median income at $67,666 while the state median income was $58,890. Richland had a poverty rate of 8.4% in the 2010 U.S. Census while the state rate was 12.5%.

Racial Demographics, 2012
Race	Richland (%)	Washington (%)
White	87.0	77.3
Black or African American	1.4	3.6
American Indian and Alaska Native	0.8	1.5
Asian	4.7	7.2
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	0.1	0.6
Two or More Races	3.2	4.7
Hispanic or Latino	7.8	11.2

Presidential Voting Pattern
Year	Democratic Vote (%)	Republican Vote (%)
2012	35.4	62.2
2008	36.1	62.2
2004	-	-
2000	-	-

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.

Method of board member selection

The Richland School Board consists of five members elected at-large to four-year terms. There was a primary election on August 6, 2013 for Seat 1 while Seat 2 did not have a primary as only two candidates filed for the seat. Two seats were up for election on November 5, 2013.

Elections in Washington require candidates to pay filing fees equal to 1% of a position's annual salary. Board members in Richland can be reimbursed up to $4,800 for district activities but do not receive salaries, which eliminates the filing fee. Candidates were required to file nominating petitions by May 17, 2013 to qualify for the November ballot. Each candidate could also submit a photo and statement of 100 words or less by May 31, 2013 for the county's local voter pamphlet.

Seat 1

• Heather Cleary
  • Incumbent
  • Graduate, Montana State University
  • Retired
• Ron Higgins
  • Graduate, California Polytechnic State University and University of Washington
  • Retired
  • Veteran, U.S. Marine Corps

Seat 2

• Rick Jansons
  • Incumbent
  • Business owner
  • Veteran, U.S. Navy
• Lloyd Becker
  • Graduate, Columbia Basin College and Colorado Technical University
  • Business owner

Results

General election

Richland School Board, Four-year term, Seat 1, 2013
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Heather Cleary Incumbent	55.3%	8,571
	Nonpartisan	Ron Higgins	44.7%	6,934
Total Votes				15,505
Source: Benton County Auditor, "Election Results," November 26, 2013

Richland School Board, Four-year term, Seat 2, 2013
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Rick Jansons Incumbent	74.4%	11,231
	Nonpartisan	Lloyd Becker	25.6%	3,861
Total Votes				15,092
Source: Benton County Auditor, "Election Results," November 26, 2013

Primary

A primary was held on August 6, 2013 for Seat 1 on the Richland School Board. Incumbent Heather Cleary and challenger Ron Higgins advanced to the November 5, 2013 general election.

Richland School Board, Primary, Seat 1, 2013
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Heather Cleary Incumbent	55.4%	4,355
	Nonpartisan	Ron Higgins	34.9%	2,741
	Nonpartisan	Jimmie D. Chastain	9.7%	765
Total Votes				7,861
Source: Benton County Auditor

Endorsements

The Tri-City Herald endorsed Heather Cleary and Rick Jansons on October 15, 2013.

Campaign finance

No contributions or expenditures were reported during the election, according to the Washington Public Disclosure Commission.

Past elections

2011

Richland School Board, Seat 3, 2011
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Rick Donahoe	55%	8,359
	Nonpartisan	Gordon Comfort	45%	6,833
Total Votes				15,192
Source: Benton County Auditor

Richland School Board, Seat 4, 2011
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Mary Guay Incumbent	51%	7,686
	Nonpartisan	Brian Barth	49%	7,396
Total Votes				15,082
Source: Benton County Auditor

Richland School Board, Seat 5, 2011
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Phyllis Strickler Incumbent	53%	8,087
	Nonpartisan	Brett Amidan	47%	7,168
Total Votes				15,255
Source: Benton County Auditor

What was at stake?

Heather Cleary sought a third term in Seat 1 against challenger Ron Higgins. Rick Jansons ran for a fourth term on the board from Seat 2 against challenger Lloyd Becker.

Issues

A major issue in the primary election for Seat 1 was the implementation of Common Core Curriculum standards in district schools. Higgins actively opposed Common Core implementation ahead of the August 6 primary. Another issue facing the district is growing enrollment in schools and related stresses on the budget. In early August 2013, current members of the board cited the introduction of impact fees and the expansion of all-day kindergarten as priorities for the 2013-2014 school year.

Key deadlines

The following dates were key deadlines for the Richland School Board election in 2013:

Deadline	Event
May 13, 2013	First day to file nominating petitions online or in-person
May 17, 2013	Last day to file nominating petitions
May 31, 2013	Last day to submit candidate materials for voter pamphlet
August 6, 2013	Primary day
November 5, 2013	Election day
November 26, 2013	Certification of vote results

Additional elections on the ballot

The Richland School Board elections shared the ballot with city and county elections. Voters in Richland cast ballots for four seats on the City Council. The West Richland ballot featured races for Mayor and two seats on the City Council. Additional elections at the county level included a special election for District 8 in the Washington State Senate as well as seats on the Superior Court and Court of Appeals. The ballot also featured two state initiatives and five advisory votes.

See also

• Washington
• Richland School District, Washington
• Benton County, Washington ballot measures
• List of school board elections in 2013
• Financial policies, education standards at stake in November school board elections
• School board election wrap-up: Incumbents re-elected overwhelmingly in November 5 elections
• School board elections review: Voters opt for experience over new blood in nation's largest school districts

External links

Suggest a link

• District page
• Benton County Elections page