Sandusky Community Schools, Michigan, elections

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Sandusky Community Schools
District details
School board members: 7
Students: 979 (2022-2023)
Schools: 2 (2022-2023)
Website: Link

Sandusky Community Schools is a school district in Michigan (Sanilac County). During the 2023 school year, 979 students attended one of the district's two schools.

This page provides information regarding school board members, election rules, finances, academics, policies, and more details about the district.

Jump to a section:

Elections School board Location Budget Academic performance Students Staff Schools

Elections

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• 2024
• 2023

Per our coverage scope, Ballotpedia does not provide election results for this particular race. Check your city or county government's election website for vote totals.

Sandusky Community Schools Board of Education, At-large

General election

General election for Sandusky Community Schools Board of Education, At-large (2 seats)

Daniel Gerstenberger, David Heberling, Tabitha Jensen, and Katie Tovar ran in the general election for Sandusky Community Schools Board of Education, At-large on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Daniel Gerstenberger (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	David Heberling (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Tabitha Jensen (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Katie Tovar (Nonpartisan)

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	There are no incumbents in this race.
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Sandusky Community Schools Board of Education, At-large

General election

Special general election for Sandusky Community Schools Board of Education, At-large

David Heberling defeated incumbent Jason Trepkowski in the special general election for Sandusky Community Schools Board of Education, At-large on November 7, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	David Heberling (Nonpartisan)	53.0	814
	Submit photo	Jason Trepkowski (Nonpartisan)	46.8	719
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	2

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,535
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Sandusky Community Schools Board of Education, At-large

General election

Special general election for Sandusky Community Schools Board of Education, At-large

Katherine Tovar defeated incumbent Daniel Gerstenberger in the special general election for Sandusky Community Schools Board of Education, At-large on November 7, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Katherine Tovar (Nonpartisan)	50.8	778
	Submit photo	Daniel Gerstenberger (Nonpartisan)	49.1	752
		Other/Write-in votes	0.2	3

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,533
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Sandusky Community Schools Board of Education, At-large

General election

Special general election for Sandusky Community Schools Board of Education, At-large

Kelly Trowhill defeated incumbent Jane Jacobson in the special general election for Sandusky Community Schools Board of Education, At-large on November 7, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Kelly Trowhill (Nonpartisan)	57.2	872
	Submit photo	Jane Jacobson (Nonpartisan)	42.4	646
		Other/Write-in votes	0.4	6

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,524
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Election rules

View election rules

 

Election dates and frequency

See also: Rules governing school board election dates and timing

School board general elections in Michigan are held on the first Tuesday after the First Monday in November every two years in even-numbered years.

See law: Michigan Statute Section 380.384

Recent or upcoming election dates for all local school districts in the state

Below are the recent/upcoming dates for all local school districts in the state. There may be exceptions to these dates for specific districts because of local charters and district-specific exceptions and carve-outs.

• Filing deadline date: July 21, 2026
• General election date: November 3, 2026

Election system

School board members in Michigan are elected through nonpartisan general elections without primaries.

See law: Michigan Statute Section 380.384

Party labels on the ballot

See also: Rules governing party labels in school board elections

School board elections in Michigan are nonpartisan, which means party labels do not appear on the ballot for school board candidates. Michigan Election Law on school board candidate nominating petitions states, "(2)The nominating petition must be substantially in the form prescribed in section 544c, except that the petition must be nonpartisan." It also states, "At any regular election, the names of the several nonpartisan offices to be voted for shall be placed on a separate portion of the ballot containing no party designation in the following order: [...], and in a year in which an election for the office is held, local school district board member, metropolitan district officer, and district library board member."

See law: Michigan Statute Section 168.303 and Section 168.699

Winning an election

The candidate or candidates that receive the most votes in the nonpartisan general election are elected to office.

See law: Michigan Statute Section 168.307

Term length and staggering

All school districts other community school districts in Michigan have board member terms of either four or six years depending on the board by-laws. As of 2022, 60% of school districts in Michigan had six-year board member terms, and 40% -- including community school districts -- had four-year board member terms.

Community school districts in Michigan have four-year board member terms. Initial terms for the first board members of newly organized community school districts are two, four, or six years to stagger elections.

See law: Michigan Statute Section 380.11a and Michigan Statute Section 380.384

For community school districts in Michigan, as close to half of school board members as possible for each district are elected every two years, which means either three or four seats are up for election at each even-year election. At the first board member election after community school districts are first organized, all seven board member seats are elected. Two members are elected to two-year terms, three members are elected to four-year terms, and two members are elected to six-year terms, with higher vote totals dictating longer initial terms. After initial terms, all board members have four-year terms, which results in staggered elections: four seats up in one election and three seats up in the next election.

Michigan statute requires that at least one board member must be elected every two years at each regular even-year election. Specific seat staggering details for school districts other than community school districts are determined at the local level by the district board's bylaws. Most districts with four-year board member terms elect as close to half of board members as possible every two years. Most districts with six-year board member terms elect as close to one-third of board members as possible every two years.

See law: Michigan Statute Section 380.384 and Michigan Statute Section 168.301

Representation: at large vs. by sub-district

School board members in Michigan are elected at large by all voters in the district.

See law: Michigan Statute Section 168.303, Section 168.307, and Section 380.384 (3)

Filing deadlines and swearing-in dates

School board candidates must file affidavits and nomination petitions or candidate filing fees by 4 p.m. on the 15th Tuesday before the November election. This means that the school board candidate filing deadline is in late July every even-numbered year.

See law: Michigan Statute Section 168.303

Newly elected school board members in Michigan officially take office on January 1 of the year following the election.

See law: Michigan Statute Section 380.384 and Section 168.302

 

About the district

School board

Sandusky Community Schools consists of seven members serving six-year terms. To find information about school board meetings, click here.

List of school board members

Name	Year assumed office	Year term ends
Norah Harding
Robert Hassler
Justin Radloff
Carolyn Stoutenburg
Dan Gerstenberger	2025
David Heberling	2023
Kelly Trowhill	2023

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District map

School district map

Overlapping state house districts

Sandusky Community Schools

Office Name	Current Officeholder	Party	% School District Covered	% Other District Covered
Michigan House of Representatives District 98	Gregory Alexander	Republican Party	100%	4%

The table was limited to the lower chamber because it provides the most granularity. State house districts tend to be more numerous and therefore smaller than state senate or U.S. House districts. This provides an impression of the partisan affiliations in the area.

Budget

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.

• Revenue
• Expenditures

Revenue, 2020-2021

SOURCE	AMOUNT	AMOUNT PER STUDENT	PERCENT
Federal:	$1,561,000	$1,520	12%
Local:	$3,248,000	$3,163	24%
State:	$8,764,000	$8,534	65%
Total:	$13,573,000	$13,216

Expenditures, 2020-2021

TYPE	AMOUNT	AMOUNT PER STUDENT	PERCENT
Total Expenditures:	$11,350,000	$11,051
Total Current Expenditures:	$10,820,000	$10,535
Instructional Expenditures:	$6,655,000	$6,480	59%
Student and Staff Support:	$631,000	$614	6%
Administration:	$1,465,000	$1,426	13%
Operations, Food Service, Other:	$2,069,000	$2,014	18%
Total Capital Outlay:	$383,000	$372
Construction:	$0	$0
Total Non El-Sec Education & Other:	$0	$0
Interest on Debt:	$125,000	$121

Academic performance

Each year, state and local education agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency. Although the data below was published by the U.S. Department of Education, proficiency measurements are established by the states. As a result, proficiency levels are not comparable between different states and year-over-year proficiency levels within a district may not be comparable because states may change their proficiency measurements. To protect student privacy, percentages are reported as ranges for groups of 300 students or fewer. If five or fewer students were included in a data set, the data will display as "PS."

• Mathematics
• Reading/language arts
• Graduation rates

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year	All (%)	Asian/Pacific Islander (%)	Black (%)	Hispanic (%)	Native American (%)	Two or More Races (%)	White (%)
2020-2021	40	PS		21-39	PS	PS	40
2018-2019	49	PS	PS	40-59	PS	PS	50
2017-2018	40	PS	PS	21-39	PS	PS	40
2016-2017	42	PS	PS	<50	PS	PS	42
2015-2016	41	PS		<50	PS	PS	41
2014-2015	44	PS	PS	>=50	PS	PS	44
2013-2014	43	PS	PS	21-39	PS	PS	44
2012-2013	42	<50	PS	21-39	PS		44
2011-2012	35	PS	PS	21-39	PS	PS	36
2010-2011	84	PS	PS	60-79	PS	PS	85

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year	All (%)	Asian/Pacific Islander (%)	Black (%)	Hispanic (%)	Native American (%)	Two or More Races (%)	White (%)
2020-2021	48	PS		40-59	PS	PS	47
2018-2019	52	PS	PS	60-79	PS	PS	51
2017-2018	36	PS	PS	40-59	PS	PS	36
2016-2017	47	PS	PS	<50	PS	PS	46
2015-2016	49	PS		<50	PS	PS	50
2014-2015	57	PS	PS	>=50	PS	PS	57
2013-2014	69	PS	PS	60-79	PS	PS	69
2012-2013	65	<50	PS	40-59	PS		67
2011-2012	63	PS	PS	40-59	PS	PS	64
2010-2011	85	PS	PS	60-79	PS	PS	86

The following table shows the graduation rate of district students each school year:

School year	All (%)	Asian/Pacific Islander (%)	Black (%)	Hispanic (%)	Native American (%)	Two or More Races (%)	White (%)
2019-2020	80-89	PS		PS	PS		80-89
2018-2019	>=95			PS			90-94
2017-2018	85-89	PS	PS	PS			90-94
2016-2017	85-89			PS			85-89
2015-2016	85-89		PS	PS			85-89
2014-2015	85-89	PS	PS	>=50	PS	PS	85-89
2013-2014	85-89	PS		PS			85-89
2012-2013	85-89			PS	PS		85-89
2011-2012	90-94	PS		>=50			90-94
2010-2011	85-89		PS	PS			85-89

Students

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.

• Enrollment
• Demographics

Year	Enrollment	Year-to-year change (%)
2022-2023	979	-2.8
2021-2022	1,006	-2.1
2020-2021	1,027	-0.3
2019-2020	1,030	1.3
2018-2019	1,017	-3.7
2017-2018	1,055	3.3
2016-2017	1,020	-1.6
2015-2016	1,036	3.2
2014-2015	1,003	-0.2
2013-2014	1,005	0.2
2012-2013	1,003	-7.7
2011-2012	1,080	-5.9
2010-2011	1,144	-2.2
2009-2010	1,169	-6.4
2008-2009	1,244	-4.3
2007-2008	1,297	-4.9
2006-2007	1,360	2.4
2005-2006	1,327	-2.9
2004-2005	1,366	-3.7
2003-2004	1,417	-2.7
2002-2003	1,455	2.8
2001-2002	1,414	-2.6
2000-2001	1,451	-2.3
1999-2000	1,484	0.0

Racial Demographics, 2022-2023

RACE	Sandusky Community Schools (%)	Michigan K-12 STUDENTS (%)
American Indian/Alaska Native	0.4	0.6
Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander	0.6	3.6
Black	0.1	18.1
Hispanic	3.7	8.9
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	0.0	0.1
Two or More Races	1.5	5.1
White	93.7	63.6

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.

Staff

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.

• Teachers
• Administrators
• Other staff

As of the 2022-2023 school year, Sandusky Community Schools had 53.85 full-time classroom teachers. The student-teacher ratio was 18.18.

Teachers, 2022-2023 school year

TYPE	NUMBER OF TEACHERS
Prekindergarten:	0.00
Kindergarten:	3.00
Elementary:	25.00
Secondary:	21.87
Total:	53.85

Sandusky Community Schools employed 4.00 district administrators and 4.00 school administrators as of the 2022-2023 school year.

Administrators, 2022-2023 school year

TYPE	NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATORS
District Administrators:	4.00
District Administrative Support:	0.00
School Administrators:	4.00
School Administrative Support:	7.82

Other staff, 2022-2023 school year

TYPE	NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF
Instructional Aides:	9.68
Instruc. Coordinators & Supervisors:	0.00
Total Guidance Counselors:	2.07
Elementary Guidance Counselors:	1.00
Secondary Guidance Counselors:	1.07
Librarians/Media Specialists:	0.00
Library/Media Support:	1.20
Student Support Services:	9.31
Other Support Services:	30.89

Schools

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.

Sandusky Community Schools operates two schools. They are listed below in alphabetical order.

List of schools

SCHOOL NAME	NUMBER OF STUDENTS	GRADES
Sandusky Elementary School	511	PK-6
Sandusky Juniorsenior High School	468	7-12

About school boards

Education legislation in Michigan

Bills are monitored by BillTrack50 and sorted by action history.

See also

School Boards	Education Policy	Local Politics	Michigan
List of school districts in Michigan Michigan school board elections, 2025 School board elections, 2025 School board recalls School board authority in Michigan	Michigan Department of Education Public education in Michigan	Municipal government Local courts Local ballot measures Recalls	Michigan Michigan elections, 2025 Michigan State Legislature Michigan state executive offices

External links

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