Sara Hacken
Sara M. Hacken was a member of the Alpine School District in Utah, representing District 6. She assumed office on January 2, 2023. She left office on January 6, 2025.
Hacken ran for re-election to the Alpine School District to represent District 6 in Utah. She lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Elections
2024
See also: Alpine School District, Utah, elections (2024)
General election
General election for Alpine School District, District 6
Emily Peterson defeated incumbent Sara M. Hacken in the general election for Alpine School District, District 6 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Emily Peterson (Nonpartisan)  | 59.0 | 12,341 | |
| Sara M. Hacken (Nonpartisan) | 41.0 | 8,576 | ||
| Total votes: 20,917 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Nonpartisan primary election
The primary election was canceled. Incumbent Sara M. Hacken and Emily Peterson advanced from the primary for Alpine School District, District 6.
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Hacken in this election.
2020
See also: Alpine School District, Utah, elections (2020)
General election
General election for Alpine School District, District 7
Incumbent Sara M. Hacken won election in the general election for Alpine School District, District 7 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Sara M. Hacken (Nonpartisan) | 100.0 | 18,422 | |
| Total votes: 18,422 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
The primary election was canceled. Incumbent Sara M. Hacken advanced from the primary for Alpine School District, District 7.
2016
- See also: Alpine School District elections (2016)
Three of the seven seats on the Alpine School District school board were up for by-district general election on November 8, 2016. A primary election was held on June 28, 2016. In District 4, Mark Clement defeated Rachel Thacker for the open seat in the general election. Verlene West lost in the primary election, and Cristie Wood withdrew from the race. District 6 incumbent Scott Carlson won re-election to his seat after defeating Miriam Ellis in the general election and Karrie Wilbur in the primary election. David Cox and Chris Jones withdrew from the race. In District 7, Sara Hacken defeated Joe Rivest in the general election after defeating Kirby Glad in the primary election. John Todd Ashman dropped out of the race.[1]
Results
| Alpine School District, District 7 General Election, 4-year term, 2016 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Sara Hacken |
64.75% | 8,657 |
| Joe Rivest | 35.25% | 4,713 |
| Total Votes | 13,370 | |
| Source: Utah County, Utah, "Official Results," accessed December 5, 2016 | ||
Funding
Hacken reported $2,863.14 in contributions and $2,832.99 in expenditures to the Office of the Utah County Clerk, which left her campaign with $30.15 on hand as of November 2, 2016.[2]
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Sara M. Hacken did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
2020
Sara M. Hacken did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2016
Ballotpedia survey responses
Sara Hacken participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 survey of school board candidates. In response to the question "What do you hope to achieve if elected to the school board?" the candidate stated on October 12, 2016:
| “ | I hope to bring empathy for others, the ability to solve problems, a listening ear, and collaborative expertise. Since I taught in Alpine District for 30 years I feel that I have a deep understanding of the daily demands of teaching and the needs of students, parents, and teachers.[3][4] | ” |
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues based on how they should be prioritized by the school board, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. Each ranking could only be used once.
| Education policy |
|---|
 |
Click here to learn more about education policy in Utah. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Improving relations with teachers | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| “ | Alpine District spends less per/pupil than most districts in the state of Utah, including the least amount per/pupil in administrative costs. It is vital that we stretch our dollars through careful budgeting, especially allocating resources for teachers to do their job.[4] | ” |
| —Sara Hacken (October 12, 2016) | ||
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer nine questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are highlighted in blue and followed by the candidate's responses. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions. The candidate was also provided space to elaborate on their answers to the multiple choice questions.
| Should new charter schools be approved in your district? (Not all school boards are empowered to approve charter schools. In those cases, the candidate was directed to answer the question as if the school board were able to do so.) |
|---|
| Yes. Charter Schools in Utah are approved at the state level and have representatives at the Utah State Office of Education to oversee them. In Alpine District we have 17 charter schools that are meeting diverse needs, and they are always welcome. |
| Which statement best describes the ideal relationship between the state government and the school board? The state should always defer to school board decisions, defer to school board decisions in most cases, be involved in the district routinely or only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. |
| The state should defer to school board decisions in most cases. |
| Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement? |
| No. Standardized tests do have a place, but there may other factors that skew the results, such as test-taking phobia, illness, limited English proficiency, student attitudes, or keyboarding ability. |
| What is your stance on the Common Core State Standards Initiative? |
| Standards are necessary. It is up to the state, with input from parents and teachers, to create standards to assure consistent student performance across the state. |
| How should the district handle underperforming teachers? Terminate their contract before any damage is done to students, offer additional training options, put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve or set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district? |
| Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district. |
| Should teachers receive merit pay? |
| No. This is a very difficult issue because there are many factors involved in student achievement that are not possible for a teacher to control, such as inter-generational poverty, student motivation, conditions at home etc. A form of merit pay, not based on student test scores, can work, but should be very carefully crafted with input from teachers. |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| No. Students in Utah are guaranteed, by the Utah State Constitution, a free public education. Parents also may choose a Charter school. a private school. or home school, so there are many options for parents to meet the needs of their child. However, the obligation of the state does not include using tax dollars for private schools. |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| Expulsion should be a last resort, based on conduct that endangers others, or that involves illegal activity. There are cases where expulsion is appropriate and necessary. |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| Teachers A master teacher can reach children in a way that can meet their needs regardless of circumstance. Good teachers touch lives, motivate students, and encourage talent development. There is no substitute for a dedicated, experienced teacher. |
See also
2024 Elections
External links
|
Candidate Alpine School District, District 6 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Utah County, Utah, "2016 Local School Board Candidates," accessed March 18, 2016
- ↑ Utah County Clerk's Office, "2016 Candidate Financial Disclosures," accessed November 2, 2016
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2016, "Sara Hacken's responses," October 12, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Stacy Bateman |
Alpine School District, District 6 2023-2025 |
Succeeded by Emily Peterson |
| Preceded by - |
Alpine School District, District 7 2016-2023 |
Succeeded by Ada Wilson |
