Santa Rosa High School District elections (2016)
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Four of the seven seats on the Santa Rosa High School District Board of Education were up for at-large general election on November 8, 2016. In their bids for re-election, incumbents Laura Gonzalez and Jenni Klose ran against challengers Evelyn Anderson, Caroline Bañuelos, Laurie Fong, and Edward Sheffield.[1] Klose won re-election, and Fong, Sheffield, and Anderson won the other seats on the ballot.[2]
Gonzalez, Anderson, Bañuelos, and Fong participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 survey of school board candidates. Click here to read their responses.
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The Santa Rosa Board of Education consists of seven members elected to four-year terms. Elections are held at large on a staggered basis every November of even-numbered years. Three seats were up for election on November 4, 2014, and four seats were up for election on November 8, 2016. There was no primary election.[3]
To get on the ballot, school board candidates had to register with the county elections office by August 12, 2016. If incumbents did not file by that deadline, the filing deadline was extended for non-incumbent candidates until August 17, 2016. In order to qualify as candidates, they had to be at least 18 years old, citizens of California, residents of the school district, registered voters, and "not legally disqualified from holding civil office," according to the bylaws of the Santa Rosa Board of Education. Once they took office, school board members could not be employed by the school district.[4][5]
To vote in this election, residents of the school district had to register by October 24, 2016.[6] Photo identification was not required to vote in this election.[7]
Candidates and results
At-large
Results
| Santa Rosa High School District, At-large General Election, 4-year terms, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Laurie Fong |
23.40% | 49,998 |
| Jenni Klose Incumbent |
19.94% | 42,612 |
| Edward Sheffield |
15.64% | 33,412 |
| Evelyn Anderson |
15.45% | 33,020 |
| Laura Gonzalez Incumbent | 14.06% | 30,050 |
| Caroline Bañuelos | 11.50% | 24,561 |
| Total Votes | 213,653 | |
| Source: Sonoma County Registrar of Voters, "Final Results for Consolidated Election - November 8, 2016," accessed December 2, 2016 | ||
Candidates
| Laura Gonzalez | Jenni Klose 
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Evelyn Anderson
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| Caroline Bañuelos | Laurie Fong
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Edward Sheffield
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: California elections, 2016
The school district's election shared the ballot with a number of statewide ballot measures as well as elections for the following offices:
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for California school board elections in 2016:[8][9]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| August 1, 2016 | Semi-annual campaign finance report due |
| August 10, 2016 - November 8, 2016 | 24-hour campaign contribution reporting period |
| August 12, 2016 | Candidate filing deadline |
| August 17, 2016 | Extended filing deadline for non-incumbent candidates for open seats |
| September 29, 2016 | First pre-election campaign finance report due |
| October 24, 2016 | Voter registration deadline |
| October 27, 2016 | Second pre-election campaign finance report due |
| November 8, 2016 | Election Day |
| January 31, 2017 | Semi-annual campaign finance report due |
Endorsements
The Sonoma County Democratic Party endorsed incumbent Jenni Klose and challengers Caroline Bañuelos, Laurie Fong, and Edward Sheffield, and the Green Party of California endorsed incumbent Laura Gonzalez.[10][11] The Santa Rosa Teachers Association endorsed Bañuelos, Fong, and Gonzalez.[12] The community organization Evolve endorsed Gonzalez, Klose, and Fong.[13]
Do you know of an official or organization that endorsed a candidate in this race? Let Ballotpedia know by email at editor@ballotpedia.org.
Campaign finance
Candidates in this race were required to file two pre-election reports. The first was due on September 29, 2016, and the second was due on October 27, 2016. If candidates received more than $1,000 from a single source between August 10, 2016, and November 8, 2016, they had to file a campaign finance report within 24 hours of receiving the contribution.[9]
Candidates who did not raise or spend more than $2,000 on their campaigns had to file an exemption form by September 29, 2016. They did not have to file additional campaign finance reports.[9]
Candidates who had a remaining balance from previous campaigns or who had raised or spent money on their campaigns prior to the candidate filing deadline had to file a semi-annual campaign finance report by August 1, 2016. The next semi-annual campaign finance report was due January 31, 2017.[9]
Reports
Candidates received a total of $36,584.91 and spent a total of $27,779.08 as of November 4, 2016, according to the Sonoma County Registrar of Voters.[14]
| Candidate | Existing balance | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
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| Laura Gonzalez | $0.00 | $1,562.45 | $1,108.48 | $453.97 |
| Jenni Klose | $513.41 | $7,569.00 | $6,461.49 | $1,620.92 |
| Evelyn Anderson | $0.00 | $3,860.00 | $1,958.07 | $1,901.93 |
| Caroline Bañuelos | $0.00 | $3,100.00 | $1,200.00 | $1,900.00 |
| Laurie Fong | $0.00 | $9,591.46 | $9,591.46 | $0.00 |
| Edward Sheffield | $0.00 | $10,902.00 | $7,459.58 | $3,442.42 |
Past elections
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What was at stake?
Report a story for this election
Ballotpedia researches issues in school board elections across the United States, but information availability is a challenge for us in many school districts. Please contact us about the issues that impact your local school district. Note that not all submissions may meet Ballotpedia's coverage requirements for inclusion.
Candidate survey
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Ballotpedia invites school board candidates to participate in its annual survey. |
Survey responses
Four candidates in this race participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 survey of school board candidates. The following sections display the responses to the survey questions from incumbent Laura Gonzalez and challengers Evelyn Anderson, Caroline Bañuelos, and Laurie Fong.
Hope to achieve
Gonzalez said she hoped to achieve the following if re-elected to the school board:
| “ | I want to bring an understanding of the struggles and issues of our students. Changing demographics requires an understanding of our students' realities.[15] | ” |
| —Laura Gonzalez (September 21, 2016)[16] | ||
When asked what she hoped to achieve if elected to the school board, Anderson stated:
| “ | I hope to bring a parent's proactive perspective, experience as an advocate for excellence in education, and a passion for improved communication with those most aware of what's happening with our students - the teachers, students and parents.[15] | ” |
| —Evelyn Anderson (September 13, 2016)[17] | ||
Bañuelos did not respond to the question about what she hoped to achieve if elected to school board.[18]
Fong said she hoped to achieve the following if elected to the school board:
| “ | The work coming up includes a deep understanding of equity and making decisions which promote the college and career readiness for all. This includes the allotment of resources, particularly the spending of the bond funds. My contribution will include the keen understanding of not only "how things work," but the foresight to see how things will play out with each decision, including the unintended consequences. I want to help make the Santa Rosa School District the premier district in Northern California - with the reputation that we provide exemplary programs that raise student achievement and provide for student success beyond our K-12 system.[15] | ” |
| —Laurie Fong (August 4, 2016)[19] | ||
Ranking the issues
The candidates were 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 their rankings:
| Issue importance ranking | ||||
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| Issue | Anderson's ranking | Fong's ranking | Bañuelos' ranking | Gonzalez's ranking |
| Expanding arts education | ||||
| Improving relations with teachers | ||||
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | ||||
| Improving post-secondary readiness | ||||
| Closing the achievement gap | ||||
| Improving education for special needs students | ||||
| Expanding school choice options | ||||
Positions on the issues
The candidates were asked to answer nine multiple choice and short answer questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. A link to their responses can be found below.
- Laura Gonzalez's survey responses
- Evelyn Anderson's survey responses
- Caroline Bañuelos' survey responses
- Laurie Fong's survey responses
About the district
The Santa Rosa High School District is located in Sonoma County in northwestern California. The county seat is Santa Rosa. Sonoma County was home to 502,146 residents in 2015, according to the United States Census Bureau.[20] The district was the 144th-largest school district in the state in the 2013–2014 school year and served 11,195 students.[21]
Demographics
Sonoma County outperformed California as a whole in terms of higher education achievement from 2010 to 2014. The United States Census Bureau found that 32.6 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 31 percent of state residents. The median household income for Sonoma County was $63,799, compared to $61,489 for the entire state. The percentage of people in poverty in the county was 11.3 percent, compared to 16.4 percent statewide.[20]
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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.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Santa Rosa High School District' 'California'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Santa Rosa High School District | California | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Abbey Smith, "Phone communication with Sonoma County Registrar of Voters," August 25, 2016
- ↑ County of Sonoma, "Current Election Results," accessed November 9, 2016
- ↑ Santa Rosa High School District, "Meet the School Board," accessed August 10, 2016
- ↑ Santa Rose City Schools, "BB 9220 Board Bylaws: Governing Board Elections," accessed August 10, 2016
- ↑ California Elections Code, “Part 5, Section 10600-10604: School District And Community College District Governing Board Elections,” accessed June 15, 2016
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Voter Registration," accessed June 13, 2016
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "California Online Voter Registration," accessed June 13, 2016
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "November 8, 2016, General Election Calendar," accessed July 27, 2016
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 California Fair Political Practices Commission, "Filing Schedule for Candidates and Controlled Committees for Local Office Being Voted on November 8, 2016," accessed July 27, 2016
- ↑ Sonoma County Democratic Party, "Official Endorsements for the November ballot," accessed October 17, 2016
- ↑ Green Party of California, "Greens in fall 2016 elections," accessed October 17, 2016
- ↑ Santa Rosa Teachers Association, "SRTA Proudly Endorses Gonzalez, Banuelos, and Fong for Santa Rosa School Board," accessed October 28, 2016
- ↑ Evolve, "Endorsements: November 8, 2016 General Election," accessed October 13, 2016
- ↑ Sonoma County Registrar of Voters, "Welcome to the CampaignDocs Web Public Access," accessed November 4, 2016
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Ballotpedia's school board candidate survey, "Laura Gonzalez's responses," September 21, 2016
- ↑ Ballotpedia's school board candidate survey, "Evelyn Anderson's responses," September 13, 2016
- ↑ Ballotpedia's school board candidate survey, "Caroline Bañuelos' responses," October 28, 2016
- ↑ Ballotpedia's school board candidate survey, "Laurie Fong's responses," August 4, 2016
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 United States Census Bureau, "Sonoma County, California," accessed August 10, 2016
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed November 16, 2015
- ↑ Sonoma County Registrar of Voters, "Final Results for Consolidated Primary Election – November 6, 2012," accessed August 6, 2014
- ↑ Sonoma County Registrar of Voters, "Official Results: Consolidated General Election 11/8/08," accessed August 6, 2014
- ↑ Sonoma County Registrar of Voters, "Consolidated General Election November 2, 2004," accessed August 6, 2014
| 2016 Santa Rosa High School District Elections | |
| Sonoma County, California | |
| Election date: | November 8, 2016 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Laura Gonzalez • Incumbent, Jenni Klose • Evelyn Anderson • Caroline Bañuelos • Laurie Fong • Edward Sheffield |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
