Sioux Falls School District elections (2015)
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Two seats on the Sioux Falls School District School Board were up for general election on April 14, 2015.
The seats of incumbents Kate Parker and Todd Thoelke were up for election.[1] Parker, Thoelke and challenger Randy Dobberpuhl competed for the two at-large seats.[2] Parker and Thoelke defeated Dobberpuhl to win re-election to their seats. The last incumbent to lose a re-election bid in Sioux Falls was Debbie D. Hoffman in 2011.
Notable issues in the election included a local referendum on the school year start date, low voter turnout and the recent appointment of a new district superintendent.
About the district
Sioux Falls School District is located in southeast South Dakota in Minnehaha County. The county seat is Sioux Falls. This county is home to 179,640 residents, according to the United States Census Bureau.[3] In the 2011-2012 school year, Sioux Falls School District was the largest school district in South Dakota and served 22,827 students.[4]
Demographics
Minnehaha County outperformed the rest of South Dakota in terms of higher education achievement in 2013. The United States Census Bureau found that 29.2 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree compared to 26.2 percent for South Dakota as a whole. The median household income in Minnehaha County was $52,345 compared to $47,380 for the state of South Dakota. The poverty rate was 10.9 percent compared to 14.1 percent for the entire state.[3]
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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.
Voter and candidate information
The Sioux Falls School Board consists of five members elected at-large to three-year terms. There was no primary election, and the general election was held on April 14, 2015. Two seats were up for election in 2015.[1]
School board candidates had to file with their county elections department during the candidate filing period, which began on January 30, 2015, and ended on February 27, 2015. To vote in the 2015 general election, residents had to register by March 30, 2015.[6]
Elections
2015
Candidates
At-large
- Kate Parker
- Incumbent
- Graduate, Bucknell University and American University
- Government programs manager, Sanford Health Plan
- Todd Thoelke
- Incumbent
- Real estate broker, Hegg Realtors
- Randy Dobberpuhl
- Graduate, Northern State University
- Case worker, Minnehaha County Human Services
Election results
| Sioux Falls School District, At-Large General Election, 3-year term, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Kate Parker Incumbent |
37.8% | 8,151 | |
| Nonpartisan | Todd Thoelke Incumbent |
35.5% | 7,653 | |
| Nonpartisan | Randy Dobberpuhl | 26.8% | 5,781 | |
| Total Votes | 21,585 | |||
| Source: Sioux Falls School District, "2015 Election Results," accessed June 9, 2015 | ||||
Endorsements
Incumbents Kate Parker and Todd Thoelke received endorsements from the Sioux Falls Education Association.[7][8]
Campaign finance
No contributions or expenditures were reported during the election, according to the South Dakota Secretary of State.[9]
Past elections
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What was at stake?
2015
Issues in the election
School year start date
A local referendum was on the ballot on April 14, 2015, which impacted the school year's start date in the district. Since voters did not approve the measure, the start date was set to the day after Labor Day. If voters had approved it, then the Sioux Falls school board would have had the ability to set the start date before Labor Day.[10]
Both incumbents, Kate Parker and Todd Thoelke, supported the referendum and opposed a delayed start to the district school year. Challenger Randy Dobberpuhl disagreed and argued that a compromise was necessary, although he did sign the initial petition that put the referendum on the ballot. He stated, "I've been telling folks I don’t agree with either start date. I am really disappointed that there wasn't a compromise."[11]
Parker denied that the board ignored community concerns about a later start date and insisted, "It’s not that we didn't listen. We felt it was best for our students to start when we start."[12]
Low voter turnout
In recent years, voter turnout in elections for the Sioux Falls school board fluctuated significantly depending on the election year. In even-numbered years when board elections were held simultaneously with municipal elections, turnout reached 32 percent of registered voters in 2010, 14.3 percent in 2012, and 32.9 percent in 2014. In odd-numbered years when only the board election was on the ballot, voter turnout plummeted to 3.6 percent in 2009, 4.3 percent in 2011, and 3.7 percent in 2013.
Northern State University political scientist Jon Schaff suggested that the presence of the school year start date referendum on the ballot could increase turnout. Board President Kent Alberty agreed but suggested that the effect would be minimal, arguing, "I don't think that's going to boost the turnout anywhere near where I'd like to see. My guess is we're probably going to be in the 4-to-maybe-5-percent range, and I might be guessing high there."[13] Turnout in the 2015 election ultimately exceeded Alberty's prediction with approximately 15.6 percent of registered voters casting ballots, which more than quadrupled the voter turnout rate in 2013.[14]
Issues in the district
New superintendent hired
After a search that featured nearly 30 applicants and five finalists, the Sioux Falls school board unanimously appointed Brian Maher as the new district superintendent to replace outgoing leader Pam Homan in March 2015. Homan spent 11 years as the superintendent before she announced her intention to retire at the end of the 2014-2015 school year. Maher, who spent eight years as the superintendent of Kearney Public Schools in Nebraska, stated, "It truly is a new challenge, and Sioux Falls has so much going for it. The school system is a reflection of what's going on in the community, with so much growth and excitement. There's a great base to build upon." Incumbent Todd Thoelke noted that the board spent weeks on candidate interviews before making its selection and added, "We did our homework."[15]
In an interview with the Argus Leader, Maher indicated that he did not intend to make sweeping changes in the district shortly after taking office. He created a plan for his first 100 days as superintendent, which included community outreach and intensive study of individual schools within the district. When describing his approach, he stated, "I'm not coming in thinking I need to be a change agent." Maher took office on July 1, 2015.[16]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the Sioux Falls School District election in 2015:[6]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| January 30, 2015 | First day for candidates to file nomination documents |
| February 27, 2015 | Last day for candidates to file nomination documents or to withdraw |
| March 30, 2015 | Last day to register to vote in the general election and first day for absentee voting |
| April 7, 2015 | Last day to file pre-election campaign finance report |
| April 14, 2015 | Election Day |
| May 26, 2015 | Last day to file post-election campaign finance report |
| July 13, 2015 | Swearing-in ceremony |
Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: South Dakota elections, 2015
This election shared the ballot with a local referendum regarding the annual start date for the Sioux Falls School District. If the referendum had passed, the Sioux Falls School Board would have been able to set the start date before Labor Day.[17] Since the measure failed with approximately 52 percent of voters rejecting it, the school year start date was automatically set to the day after Labor Day.[10]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Sioux Falls School District South Dakota. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Sioux Falls School District | South Dakota | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sioux Falls School District, "Sioux Falls School Board," accessed January 21, 2015
- ↑ Argus Leader, "3 vying for 2 Sioux Falls School Board seats," February 28, 2015
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 United States Census Bureau, "Minnehaha County, South Dakota," accessed February 24, 2015
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed April 22, 2014
- ↑ South Dakota Secretary of State, "Search for historical election data," accessed February 24, 2015
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Sioux Falls School District, "2015 Election Timeline," accessed January 21, 2015
- ↑ Facebook, "Kate Parker, Sioux Falls School Board," accessed April 2, 2015
- ↑ Facebook, "Todd Thoelke for School Board," accessed April 2, 2015
- ↑ South Dakota Secretary of State, "Donation Search," accessed March 26, 2015
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Argus Leader, "Results: Post-Labor Day start wins; Thoelke, Parker re-elected," April 14, 2015
- ↑ Argus Leader, "Candidates differ on school start date," April 3, 2015
- ↑ Argus Leader, "Candidates differ on school start date," April 3, 2015
- ↑ Argus Leader, "School elections: Another year of 'awful' turnout?" April 14, 2015
- ↑ Argus Leader, "New school start date: Sept. 8," April 14, 2015
- ↑ Argus Leader, "New superintendent for Sioux Falls was a unanimous pick," March 31, 2015
- ↑ Argus Leader, "New schools chief coming in with a plan," April 4, 2015
- ↑ Keloland, "Ballot Language For Sioux Falls School Start Date," February 20, 2015
| 2015 Sioux Falls School District Elections | |
| Minnehaha County, South Dakota | |
| Election date: | April 14, 2015 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Kate Parker • Incumbent, Todd Thoelke • Randy Dobberpuhl |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
