Rick Ingram
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Rick Ingram was an at-large representative on the Lawrence Public Schools Board of Education in Kansas. He was first elected to the board in April 2011. Ingram won re-election in the general election on April 7, 2015.
Ingram participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 survey of school board candidates.
Biography
Ingram is a professor of clinical psychology at Kansas University, where he also earned his Ph.D. in 1983. He earned his bachelor's degree from San Diego State University.[1]
Elections
2015
Five seats were up for general election on April 7, 2015. Because more than three candidates filed for one position, a primary election was held on March 3, 2015.
Incumbents Bob Byers, Rick Ingram, Shannon Kimball, and Randy Masten were up for regular election. Masten was the only incumbent not to file to run for re-election. Byers, Ingram, and Kimball faced challengers Lindsey Frye, Ronald Gordon-Ross, Jessica Beeson, and Jill Fincher for the four-year terms up for election.[2] Ingram, Kimball, Beeson, and Fincher won the regular election.
An additional seat appeared on the ballot due to a vacancy on the board that was filled by appointment in 2014. Adina Morse resigned from the board in August to serve as the executive director of the Lawrence Schools Foundation. Marcel Harmon was appointed on September 8, 2014, to fill that vacancy.[3]
Because the seat would not have been up for regular election in 2015, the election for this seat was for the two years left on its unexpired term. Harmon ran to remain in the seat against challengers Mary Loveland, Kelly Spurgeon, and Norine Spears. Because more than three candidates filed for the race, a primary election was held. Harmon and Loveland advanced to the general election, where Harmon won his first full-term in the seat.[2]
Results
| Lawrence Public Schools, At-Large General Election, 4-year term, 2015 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Shannon Kimball Incumbent |
18.9% | 5,418 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jessica Beeson |
17.6% | 5,050 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jill Fincher |
17.3% | 4,951 | |
| Nonpartisan | Rick Ingram Incumbent |
16.6% | 4,758 | |
| Nonpartisan | Bob Byers Incumbent | 14% | 4,015 | |
| Nonpartisan | Lindsey Frye | 9.3% | 2,669 | |
| Nonpartisan | Ronald Gordon-Ross | 6.3% | 1,819 | |
| Total Votes | 28,680 | |||
| Source: Douglas County, "Online Election Results (official)," accessed April 16, 2015 | ||||
Funding
Ingram reported no contributions or expenditures to the Douglas County Clerk in this election, which left his campaign with $1.59 on hand from his previous campaign.[4]
Endorsements
Ingram received no official endorsements in this election.
2011
| Lawrence Public Schools, At-Large General Election, 4-year term, 2011 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Rick Ingram |
14.9% | 3,688 | |
| Nonpartisan | Shannon Kimball |
14.4% | 3,548 | |
| Nonpartisan | Randy Masten |
14.3% | 3,537 | |
| Nonpartisan | Keith Diaz Moore |
14.2% | 3,496 | |
| Nonpartisan | Marlene Merrill Incumbent | 12.7% | 3,126 | |
| Nonpartisan | Ola Faucher | 8.8% | 2,178 | |
| Nonpartisan | Bill Roth | 6.2% | 1,532 | |
| Nonpartisan | James W. Clark | 6% | 1,476 | |
| Nonpartisan | Diane Lindeman | 4.8% | 1,176 | |
| Nonpartisan | Tyler Palmer | 3.1% | 769 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.6% | 154 | |
| Total Votes | 24,680 | |||
| Source: Douglas County Elections, "2011 General Election Results," April 11, 2011 | ||||
Campaign themes
2015
Ballotpedia survey responses
Ingram participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 survey of school board candidates. The following sections display his responses to the survey questions. When asked what his top priority would be if elected, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | To help all children achieve while also helping to overcome achievement gaps. To provide an equatable learning environment in each classroom so that all kids have an opportunity. And, if we need to cut budgets to do so in a way that does not harm children.[5] | ” |
| —Rick Ingram (2015)[6] | ||
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 Kansas. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Expanding career-technical education | |
| Improving college readiness | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| 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." | |
| "We have programs that target kids at the 'high' and 'low' ends. The blended learning model we recently implemented helps the teacher to meet kids where they are, and allows for better differentiated instruction. The college and career readiness center we are building will provide expanded opportunities for those headed to college and for those going right into a career.The programs we have put in place help ensure that all kids have en equal opportunity to achieve." | |
| "Expulsion cases must be viewed on a case-by-case basis rather than the district having an overarching policy." | |
| "We do not have 'failing' schools in Lawrence." | |
| "No." | |
| "If one can adequately define what an underperforming teacher is, an improve plan can be crafted to help that teacher become effective." | |
| "We always try to maintain an open dialogue, and we seek input from the community. For example, we created a budget advisory committee to help us deal with budget cuts. We it was time to change boundaries, we sought out stakeholders to serve on this committee. We have also made our website more user friendly and now have a facebook page to help communicate what is going on in the district." |
See also
- Lawrence Public Schools, Kansas
- Lawrence Public Schools, Kansas elections (2015)
- Hot tub Gatorade, turnout in Peoria and the Wisconsin state budget... (April 8, 2015)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Kansas University, "Rick Ingram," accessed February 10, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Douglas County Clerk, "Unofficial City/School Candidate Filings To Date," January 27, 2015
- ↑ Lawrence Journal World, "Marcel Harmon appointed to Lawrence school board," September 8, 2014
- ↑ Douglas County Clerk, "Candidate Reports," accessed May 28, 2015
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2015, "Rick Ingram's responses," February 12, 2015
| 2015 Lawrence Public Schools Elections | |
| Douglas County, Kansas | |
| Election date: | Primary: March 3, 2015
General: April 7, 2015 |
| Candidates: | At-large, 4-year terms (Four seats): • Incumbent, Bob Byers • Incumbent, Rick Ingram • Incumbent, Shannon Kimball • Lindsey Frye • Ronald Gordon-Ross • Jessica Beeson • Jill Fincher
At-large, 2-year term (One seat): • Incumbent, Marcel Harmon • Mary Loveland • Kelly Spurgeon • Norine Spears |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
