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St. Louis Public Schools elections (2017)
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A 2007 decision made by the State of Missouri stripped the St. Louis Public Schools Elected Board of Education of its power and the district of its accreditation. The district earned its accreditation back in January 2017, but as of the 2017 school board race, the board still remained without control of the district. Oversight of the district instead rested in the hands of a three-member Special Administrative Board. However, the original school board has continued to hold elections for its seats. Click here to learn more.
Three seats on the St. Louis Public Schools Elected Board of Education were up for at-large general election on April 4, 2017. Susan Jones was successful in her bid for re-election and was joined in her victory by challengers Dorothy Rohde-Collins and Natalie Vowell. They defeated board member Bill Monroe and challengers David Jackson, Brian Wallner, and James Reece.[1][2]
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The St. Louis Elected Board of Education consists of seven members elected at large to four-year terms. Two seats were up for election in 2014 and 2015, respectively. The general election was held on April 4, 2017.
Missouri school board candidates had to be at least 24 years old, U.S. citizens, and Missouri residents for one year preceding the school board election. They were also required to physically reside in the district for which they ran.
To get on the ballot, candidates had to file a declaration of intent in person and in writing by January 17, 2017. Candidates also had to sign a statement that acknowledged their receipt of both a notice of their obligation to file a personal financial disclosure statement and a copy of the summary of laws from the Missouri Ethics Commission. Write-in candidates were allowed. The terms of candidates elected in the race began on April 18, 2017.[3]
To vote in Missouri, one had to be 18 years old, a U.S. citizen, and a Missouri resident. Voters in Missouri had to present identification at the polls. Valid forms of identification included the following: a driver's license or state-issued ID card, a U.S. passport, or a copy of a utility bill, bank statement, or paycheck. In order to vote in this election, voters had to register to vote by March 8, 2017.[4]
- See also: Voting in Missouri and Voter identification laws by state
Candidates and results
At-Large
Results
| St. Louis Public Schools, At-Large General Election, 4-year terms, 2017 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Susan Jones Incumbent |
24.55% | 26,439 |
| Dorothy Rohde-Collins |
20.70% | 22,295 |
| Natalie Vowell |
17.34% | 18,678 |
| Bill Monroe Incumbent | 11.39% | 12,268 |
| David Jackson | 9.11% | 9,815 |
| James Reece | 9.10% | 9,802 |
| Brian Wallner | 6.50% | 7,006 |
| Write-in votes | 1.31% | 1,410 |
| Total Votes | 107,713 | |
| Source: St. Louis City, "Election Summary Report," accessed May 25, 2017 | ||
Candidates
| Bill Monroe | Susan Jones
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David Jackson | |||
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| Dorothy Rohde-Collins
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Brian Wallner | ||
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| James Reece | Natalie Vowell
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Missouri elections, 2017
The St. Louis Public Schools general election shared the ballot with elections for the St. Louis mayor, comptroller, and board of aldermen.
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for this Missouri election in 2017:[4]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| January 17, 2017 | Last day to file nominating petitions |
| March 8, 2017 | Last day to register to vote |
| April 4, 2017 | General election day |
| April 18, 2017 | Latest day new terms of office begin |
Endorsements
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
School board candidates in Missouri were only required to file campaign finance reports if they spent or received more than $500, or if a single contributor other than the candidate gave more than $350 to the campaign. Exempt candidates had to file a sworn exemption statement stating they did not intend to exceed the $500 threshold limit.
If, after filing the exemption statement, a candidate exceeded the limit, he or she would have had to file a rejection of the exemption statement and a statement of organization. At that point, the candidate would have had to file reports of all contributions and expenditures.[5]
There were four campaign finance deadlines in 2017:[6]
- The 40 Day Before Report was due February 23, 2017,
- The committee organization deadline was due March 5, 2017,
- The 8 Day Before Report was due March 27, 2017, and
- The 30 Day After Report was due May 4, 2017.
What was at stake?
Report a story for this election
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District takeover
In 2007, the St. Louis Board of Education was stripped of its control of the district. The state cited widespread instability in leadership, failing finances, and struggling academics as reasons for the takeover. At the time, the district had accrued $40 million of debt. The Missouri State Board of Education had also removed the district's accreditation.[7][8]
A special administrative board (SAB) was created to run the district. The governor, mayor, and city board of aldermen president each appointed one member to the SAB. The disempowered elected board remained in place. The SAB was set to serve until 2014, but the state education board extended that control for two more years in June that year. The plan was extended again in February 2016 to at least 2019. The state board also voted unanimously to return the district's accreditation in January 2017.
Education Commissioner Chris Nicastro said time was still needed to ensure improvements in the district's performance and financial status were being established for the long term. "At this point, our feeling is that allowing the transitional district to continue provides some stability going forward that would allow that trend to assert itself if in fact it's going to," said Nicastro.[9][10]
About the district
- See also: St. Louis Public Schools, Missouri
St. Louis Public Schools is located in St. Louis in Missouri. St. Louis is an independent city, meaning it is not part of any county. St. Louis was home to 315,685 residents between 2010 and 2015, according to the United States Census Bureau. The district was the largest school district in the state in the 2014-2015 school year and served 30,831 students.[11][12]
Demographics
St. Louis outperformed Missouri as a whole in terms of higher education achievement from 2011 to 2015. The United States Census Bureau found that 31.9 percent of city residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree or higher, compared to 27.1 percent for the state as a whole. The median household income in the city was $35,599, compared to $48,173 for the entire state. City residents lived below the poverty level at a rate of 27.1 percent, while that rate was 14.8 percent for the state as a whole.[12]
| Racial Demographics, 2010[12] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | St. Louis city (%) | Missouri (%) |
| White | 43.9 | 82.8 |
| Black or African American | 49.2 | 11.6 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.3 | 0.5 |
| Asian | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0.0 | 0.1 |
| Two or More Races | 2.4 | 2.1 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 3.5 | 3.5 |
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 St. Louis Public Schools Missouri election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| St. Louis Public Schools | Missouri | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Elisabeth Moore, "Email conversation with Susan Jones, President of the St. Louis Board of Education," January 20, 2017
- ↑ St. Louis City, "Election Summary Report," accessed April 4, 2017
- ↑ Missouri School Boards' Association, "A Candidate’s Guide to Running for the School Board," accessed February 20, 2017
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Missouri Secretary of State, "2017 Missouri Election Calendar," accessed February 20, 2017
- ↑ Missouri General Assembly, "Missouri Revised Statutes, Chapter 130, Campaign Finance Disclosure Law," accessed March 6, 2017
- ↑ Missouri Ethics Commission, "2017 Campaign Finance Filing Requirements and Dates," accessed March 6, 2017
- ↑ St. Louis Post-Dispatch, "St. Louis Public Schools fully accredited once again," January 11, 2017
- ↑ District Administration, "Superintendent Kelvin Adams turns around St. Louis schools," July 1, 2013
- ↑ St. Louis Public Radio, "Plans expected to transition St. Louis Public Schools back to control by elected board," February 16, 2016
- ↑ St. Louis Public Radio, "State Board Of Education Extends SAB Control Of St. Louis Public Schools For Two More Years," April 15, 2014
- ↑ U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, "Common Core of Data, file ccd_lea_052_1414_w_0216161a, 2014-2015," accessed November 16, 2016
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 United States Census Bureau, "St. Louis, Missouri," accessed February 22, 2017
| St. Louis Public Schools elections in 2017 | |
| St. Louis County, Missouri | |
| Election date: | April 4, 2017 |
| Candidates: | At-Large: Incumbent, Bill Monroe • Incumbent, Susan Jones • David Jackson • Dorothy Rohde-Collins • Brian Wallner • James Reece • Natalie Vowell |
| Important information: | What was at stake? |
