South Kitsap School District elections (2013)

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2013 South Kitsap School District Elections
General Election date:
November 5, 2013
Table of Contents
About the district Method of election Elections What was at stake? Key deadlines Additional elections External links References
See also
Washington South Kitsap School District

Two seats were up for election on the South Kitsap Board of Directors. Seats in Districts 3 and 4 were on the November 5, 2013 general election ballot. Christopher Lemke defeated Jeff Lakin for the District 3 seat while Rebecca Diehl ran unopposed and won the District 4 seat.

The district has experienced decreasing enrollment and reduced the number of teachers, leading to an ongoing debate in the summer of 2013 about class sizes.

About the district

See also: South Kitsap School District, Washington

South Kitsap School District is located in Kitsap County, Washington

South Kitsap School District in Port Orchard is located in Kitsap County along the western banks of the Puget Sound. The population of Port Orchard was 11,144 according to the 2010 U.S. Census.

Demographics

Port Orchard outpaced the state poverty rate while lagging behind in median income and higher education achievement. The city had a poverty rate of 9.8% in the 2010 U.S. Census while the state rate was 12.5%. The 2010 U.S. Census calculated Port Orchard's median income at $51,593 while the state median income was $58,890. The percentage of city residents over 25 years old with undergraduate degrees (24.1%) is below the state average (31.4%).

Racial Demographics, 2012
Race	Port Orchard(%)	Washington (%)
White	80.8	77.3
Black or African American	3.4	3.6
American Indian and Alaska Native	1.3	1.5
Asian	5.8	7.2
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	1.4	0.6
Two or More Races	6.4	4.7
Hispanic or Latino	6.6	11.2

Presidential Voting Pattern
Year	Democratic Vote (%)	Republican Vote (%)
2012	54.2	42.6
2008	54.9	42.6
2004	51.2	46.9
2000	48.9	45.1

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.

Method of board member selection

The South Kitsap Board of Directors consists of five members elected to four-year terms. There were no primaries on August 6, 2013 as each seat did not have more than two candidates. Two seats were up for election on November 5, 2013.

Elections in Washington require candidates to pay filing fees equal to 1% of a position's annual salary. Board members in Port Orchard can be reimbursed up to $4,800 for district activities but do not receive salaries, which eliminates the filing fee. Candidates were required to file nominating petitions by May 17, 2013 to qualify for the November ballot. Each candidate could also submit a photo and statement of 100 words or less by June 18, 2013 for the county's local voter pamphlet.

District 3

• Christopher Lemke
  • Incumbent
  • Retired
• Jeff Lakin
  • General manager, King County Water District 19

District 4

• Rebecca Diehl
  • Stay-at-home mom

Results

South Kitsap Board of Directors, Four-year term, District 3, 2013
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Christopher Lemke Incumbent	62%	10,252
	Nonpartisan	Jeff Lakin	36.7%	6,069
	Nonpartisan	Write-in votes	1.2%	202
Total Votes				16,523
Source: Kitsap County Auditor, "Official Results for Election," accessed December 13, 2013

South Kitsap Board of Directors, Four-year term, District 4, 2013
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Rebecca Diehl	97.7%	13,962
	Nonpartisan	Write-in votes	2.3%	336
Total Votes				14,298
Source: Kitsap County Auditor, "Official Results for Election," accessed December 13, 2013

Campaign finance

No contributions or expenditures were reported during the election, according to the Washington Public Disclosure Commission.

Past elections

2011

South Kitsap Board of Directors, District 1, November 8, 2011
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Patty Henderson	97.6%	15,021
	Nonpartisan	Write-in votes	2.4%	367
Total Votes				15,388
Source: Kitsap County Auditor

South Kitsap Board of Directors, District 2, November 8, 2011
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Keith Garton	97.8%	14,764
	Nonpartisan	Write-in votes	2.2%	330
Total Votes				15,094
Source: Kitsap County Auditor

South Kitsap Board of Directors, District 5, November 8, 2011
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Greg Wall	55.4%	9,739
	Nonpartisan	J. Adele Macomber LaCombe	44.6%	7,838
Total Votes				17,577
Source: Kitsap County Auditor

What was at stake

Incumbent Christopher Lemke ran for a second term in District 3 against challenger Jeff Lakin. Newcomer Rebecca Diehl ran unopposed for the District 4 seat previously held by Kathryn Simpson, who did not file for re-election.

Key deadlines

The following dates were key deadlines for the South Kitsap Board of Directors elections in 2013:

Deadline	Event
April 29, 2013	First day to file nominating petitions by mail
May 13, 2013	First day to file nominating petitions online or in-person
May 17, 2013	Last day to file nominating petitions
May 20, 2013	Last day to withdraw from fall elections
June 18, 2013	Last day to submit candidate materials for voter pamphlet
August 6, 2013	Primary day
November 5, 2013	Election day
November 26, 2013	Certification of vote results

Additional elections on the ballot

The Board of Directors elections shared the ballot with other city and county measures. Voters chose four members of the Port Orchard City Council and two members of the South Kitsap Fire and Rescue Commission. The general election ballot also featured a one-year unexpired term in District 26 seat of the Washington State Senate, two statewide initiatives and five advisory votes on changes to state tax policy.

See also

• Washington
• Washington school districts
• South Kitsap School District, Washington
• Financial policies, education standards at stake in November school board elections
• School board election wrap-up: Incumbents re-elected overwhelmingly in November 5 elections
• School board elections review: Voters opt for experience over new blood in nation's largest school districts

External links

Suggest a link

• District page
• Kitsap County Auditor