Rosemary Demond
Rosemary Demond was a candidate for the Zone 5 seat on the West Ada Board of Trustees in Idaho. The seat was up for general election on May 19, 2015. Demond lost the seat to Russell Joki.[1]
Demond participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 survey of school board candidates.
Biography
At the time of her candidacy, Demond worked as an administrative assistant at the Idaho State Department of Education.[2] She attended Brigham Young University for two years.[3]
Elections
2015
Three of the five seats on the West Ada Board of Trustees were up for election in the general election on May 19, 2015. The seats represent five geographical zones.
In Zone 2, incumbent Mike Vuittonet faced challenger Christine Bitler Whited. Zone 4 incumbent Anne Ritter faced challenger Julie Madsen. The Zone 5 incumbent, Janet Calinsky, did not file for re-election. The candidates for the open Zone 5 seat were Gregory Deitchler, Rosemary Demond, Russell Joki and Louis Pifher.[4][1]
Results
Zone 5
| West Ada School District, Zone 5 General Election, 4-year term, 2015 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Russell Joki |
36.3% | 219 | |
| Nonpartisan | Rosemary Demond | 28.2% | 170 | |
| Nonpartisan | Louis Pifher | 19.1% | 115 | |
| Nonpartisan | Gregory Deitchler | 16.4% | 99 | |
| Total Votes | 603 | |||
| Source: Ada County, Idaho, "Consolidated Election May 19, 2015,," accessed June 2, 2015 | ||||
Funding
School board candidates in this election were not required to file any campaign finance reports, but the election in May 2015 was the last election for which there were no reporting requirements. On April 3, 2015, Gov. Butch Otter (R) signed SB 1072 into law which requires school board candidates in districts with an enrollment of 500 students or more to comply with campaign finance reporting requirements.[5] A majority of Idaho's school districts have an enrollment below this threshold. Of the 149 districts in the state tracked by the National Center for Education Statistics, 74 had an enrollment of 500 or greater in the 2012-2013 school year.[6] The law took effect on July 1, 2015.
Endorsements
Demond received no official endorsements for her campaign during the election.
Campaign themes
2015
Ballotpedia survey responses
Demond 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:
| “ | Greater transparency and openness to the parents and taxpayers of the district. I would work to bring a greater sense of local control back to the district.[7] | ” |
| —Rosemary Demond (2015)[8] | ||
Demond also included the following statement with her responses:
| “ | Whether it's common core standards, merit pay or blended learning it takes input from all stakeholders and proper support of the teachers to create exceptional learning opportunities. Most parents with concerns over common core are concerned about curriculum, not standards. As a local control state we, at the district level, have control over curriculum. Parents need to feel their voices are being heard when it comes to curriculum choice, over crowded schools and fiscal transparency.[7] | ” |
| —Rosemary Demond (2015)[8] | ||
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 | |
| Improving college readiness | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Expanding career-technical education | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
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" | |
| "Taxpayers should have the right to decide how their tax dollars are spent" | |
| "They are one tool among many to determine student growth" | |
| "Through school choice and individualized learning opportunities all students can find the education that fits them." | |
| "Expulsion should be used for serious offenses to ensure the safety of other students as well as the integrity of education at district schools." | |
| "A "failing" school is a school that needs the districts full attention. Everything from offering the opportunity for students to choose other schools or overhauling the administration at a "failing" school. These are extreme circumstances." | |
| "If it is in conjunction with a generous base salary" | |
| "A combination of all of the above" * | |
| "The taxpayers and patrons of the district must feel they have a voice. Idaho is a local control state which means that most of the decisions that effect students on a day to day basis are meant to be made at the district level. The purpose of an elected board is so that the electorate can run the district through them. I would work to implement either open forum's at every school board meeting or town hall style meetings every other month for parents, taxpayers and all stakeholders to have their say in the running of the district." | |
| *Note: The options Demond referred to were the following: 1.) Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district. 2.) Offer additional training options. 3.) Put underperforming teachers on a probationary period while they seek to improve. 4.) Terminate their contract before any damage is done to students. | |
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Rosemary Demond West Ada School District. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- West Ada School District, Idaho
- West Ada School District elections (2015)
- Embroiled incumbents see differing outcomes in May 19 school board elections across five states (May 21, 2015)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Ada County, Idaho, "May 19, 2015 Consolidated Election," accessed May 27, 2015
- ↑ LinkedIn, "Rosemary Demond," accessed April 28, 2015
- ↑ Information submitted through Ballotpedia's biographical submission form on April 30, 2015
- ↑ West Ada School District, "West Ada School District Board of Trustees," accessed February 25, 2015
- ↑ Open States, "64th Legislature, 1st Regular Session (2015): Idaho Senate Bill 1072," accessed April 24, 2015
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed April 24, 2015
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2015, "Rosemary Demond responses," April 29, 2015
| 2015 West Ada School District Elections | |
| Ada County, Idaho | |
| Election date: | May 19, 2015 |
| Candidates: | Zone 2: • Incumbent, Mike Vuittonet • Christine Bitler Whited Zone 4: • Incumbent, Anner Ritter • Julie Madsen |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
