Superior School District elections (2017)
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Two seats on the Superior School District school board were up for at-large general election on April 4, 2017. In their bids for re-election to the board, incumbents Steven Stupak and Mary Klun were defeated by challengers Laura Gapske and Mary Smith-Johnson.[1][2]
The 2017 election attracted twice as many candidates as the district's 2016 election attracted. Click here to see how else this race compared to past elections in both the district and the state.
Klun and Gapske participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 survey of school board candidates. Click here to read their responses.
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The Superior school board consists of seven members elected to three-year terms. Elections are held at large on a staggered basis every year in April. Two seats were up for election on April 5, 2016, and two seats were up for general election on April 4, 2017. A primary election could have been held on February 21, 2017, if more than four candidates had filed in the race.[3]
School board candidates had to be at least 18 years old, U.S. citizens, and residents of the school district for a minimum of 28 consecutive days before filing as a candidate. They also could not be disqualified from voting under Wisconsin law.[4]
To get on the ballot, school board candidates had to file nomination papers with the school district clerk by January 3, 2017. If incumbents whose terms were up for re-election did not file to run in the race and did not file written notification that they would not be running, the candidate filing deadline could have been extended until January 6, 2017. The terms of candidates elected in the race started on April 24, 2017.[4]
Candidates and results
At-large
Results
| Superior School District, At-large General Election, 3-year terms, 2017 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Laura Gapske |
33.73% | 2,897 |
| Mary Smith-Johnson |
23.91% | 2,053 |
| Steven Stupak Incumbent | 21.44% | 1,841 |
| Mary Klun Incumbent | 20.92% | 1,797 |
| Total Votes | 8,588 | |
| Source: Superior School District, "School Board Election: April 4, 2017 Spring Election," accessed May 2, 2017 | ||
Candidates
| Mary Klun | Steven Stupak | ||
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Laura Gapske 
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Mary Smith-Johnson
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Wisconsin elections, 2017
The Superior school board election shared the ballot with elections for the office of Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction and one seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court.[5]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for Wisconsin school board elections in 2017:[6][7]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| January 3, 2017 | Candidate filing deadline |
| January 16, 2017 | Campaign finance deadline for candidates registered before January 1 |
| February 13, 2017 | Campaign finance deadline for districts holding primary elections |
| March 27, 2017 | Campaign finance deadline for general election |
| April 4, 2017 | Election Day |
| April 24, 2017 | Board members take office |
| July 15, 2017 | Post-election campaign finance deadline |
Endorsements
The Wisconsin AFL-CIO, the Superior Federation of Labor, and the Wisconsin Alliance for Retired Americans (WIARA) endorsed challengers Laura Gapske and Mary Smith-Johnson.[8][9][10] Gapske was also endorsed by the organization Wisconsin Progress.[11]
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
All school board candidates in Wisconsin were required to file a campaign registration statement with the Wisconsin Ethics Commission after qualifying as candidates. This statement declares their candidacy to the county clerk's office and allows them to claim exemption from reporting campaign contributions and expenditures. Candidates were only required to report campaign contributions and expenditures if they did one or both of the following:[12]
- Accepted contributions, made disbursements, or incurred debt in excess of $2,000 during the calendar year
- Accepted more than $100 from a single source during the calendar year, barring contributions made by candidates to their own campaigns
There were three campaign finance report deadlines in 2017:
- The pre-primary report was due February 13, 2017,
- The pre-election report was due March 27, 2017, and
- The post-election report was due July 15, 2017.[13]
Candidates who filed before January 1, 2017, also had to file a continuing campaign finance report on January 16, 2017.[7]
Reports
All four candidates in this race filed exemption statements detailing they would not spend or receive more than $2,000 toward their campaigns. Because of this, they did not have to file additional campaign finance reports.[14]
Past elections
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2015
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What was at stake?
2017
Election trends
- See also: School boards in session: 2015 in brief
The 2017 Superior school board election attracted a higher number of candidates than the 2016 school board election attracted. In 2017, four candidates ran for two seats, while in 2016, two candidates ran for two seats.
Both incumbents whose terms were up for election sought additional terms in 2017, but they were defeated by newcomers. The two incumbents up for election in 2016 also ran to retain their seats. They won re-election unopposed.
| School board election trends | ||||||
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| Year | Candidates per seat | Unopposed seats | Incumbents running for re-election | Incumbent success rate | Seats won by newcomers | |
| Superior School District | ||||||
| 2017 | 2.00 | 0.00% | 100.00% | 0.00% | 100.00% | |
| 2016 | 1.00 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 0.00% | |
| Wisconsin | ||||||
| 2015 | 1.38 | 38.24% | 73.53% | 84.00% | 35.29% | |
| United States | ||||||
| 2015 | 1.72 | 35.95% | 70.37% | 82.66% | 40.81% | |
Candidate survey
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Ballotpedia invites school board candidates to participate in its annual survey. |
Survey responses
Two candidates in this race participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of school board candidates. The following sections display the responses to the survey questions from incumbent Mary Klun and challenger Laura Gapske.
Hope to achieve
When asked what she hoped to achieve if elected to the school board, Klun stated:
| “ | I hope to create an environment where our students have the best opportunity to learn and grow. I believe that the classroom teacher who is well trained, experienced and dedicated to student achievement is our number one asset to reach that goal. Secondary to that, I believe we need to find ways to create the best student-teacher ratios we can afford, opportunities for varied learning opportunities at all levels, and finding ways to use student and teacher accountability to improve learning.[15] | ” |
| —Mary Klun (February 23, 2017)[16] | ||
When asked what she hoped to achieve if elected to the school board, Gapske stated:
| “ | My opponents have personal advances to being voted on the school board and have been unable to adhere to the Philosophy of the Board. In the past year, only three of the seven school board members maintained two way communication with myself as a citizen of the district. The philosophy states citizens should be urged to bring their aspirations and concerns about the district to attention. It’s been unclear to me if they are interested in meeting the desires of residents. Communication is essential. I sense the current school board does not represent our community. I have managed raising two boys with a lower income which furthers my understanding of the struggles of a large portion of our community. It’s time to bring more balance with a progressive perspective to our Superior School District Board. I am devoted to and passionate about contributing to the work involved in the growth of our strong school district with hopes to retain our amazing youth in this area. We should drive to motivate students to invest in our community. I would be honored to put my expertise, knowledge, and relationships to work for the School District of Superior.[15] | ” |
| —Laura Gapske (February 26, 2017)[17] | ||
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 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Issue | Klun's ranking | Gapske'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.
About the district
- See also: Superior School District, Wisconsin
The Superior School District is located in Douglas County in northern Wisconsin. The county seat is Superior. Douglas County was home to an estimated 43,601 residents in 2015, according to the United States Census Bureau.[18] The district was the 36th-largest school district in the state in the 2014-2015 school year and served 4,680 students.[19]
Higher education achievement
Douglas County underperformed compared to Wisconsin as a whole in terms of higher education achievement between 2011 and 2015. The United States Census Bureau found that 22.5 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 27.8 percent of state residents. During that same time period, 29.8 percent of residents nationwide had attained a bachelor's degree.[18]
Median household income
From 2011 to 2015, the median household income for Douglas County was $47,095. During that same time period, the median household income for Wisconsin was $53,357. For the United States, it was $53,889.[18]
Poverty rate
The poverty rate in Douglas County was 14.8 percent from 2011 to 2015. During that same time period, the poverty rate was 12.1 percent for the state of Wisconsin and 13.5 percent for the entire country.[18]
Racial Demographics
| Racial Demographics, 2015[18] | |||
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| Race | Douglas County (%) | Wisconsin (%) | |
| White | 93.0 | 87.6 | |
| Black or African American | 1.2 | 6.6 | |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 2.0 | 1.1 | |
| Asian | 1.0 | 2.8 | |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | 0.0 | 0.1 | |
| Two or more races | 2.8 | 1.8 | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 1.5 | 6.6 | |
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 Superior School District Wisconsin election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Superior School District | Wisconsin | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Superior School District, "APRIL 4, 2017 SPRING ELECTION," accessed January 5, 2017
- ↑ Dane County Clerk, "2017 Spring Election Unofficial Canvass," accessed April 4, 2017
- ↑ Superior School District, "School Board Members," accessed January 3, 2017
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Wisconsin Association of School Boards, "Guide for Candidates: 2017 Spring Election Edition," accessed December 16, 2016
- ↑ Wisconsin Election Commission, "Spring 2017 Election," accessed January 3, 2017
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Guided for Candidates," accessed December 16, 2016
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Wisconsin Ethics Commission, "Campaign Finance Checklist," accessed December 16, 2016
- ↑ Wisconsin AFL-CIO, "Spring Election Endorsed Candidates," March 9, 2017
- ↑ Superior Telegram, "Superior school race heats up," March 24, 2017
- ↑ Wisconsin Alliance for Retired Americans, "WIARA Spring Election Endorsements," March 17, 2017
- ↑ Wisconsin Progress, "Our Endorsements for Spring 2017," accessed March 30, 2017
- ↑ Wisconsin State Legislature, "11.0104 Reporting exemptions: limited activity," accessed December 15, 2016
- ↑ Wisconsin Ethics Commission, "Filing Deadlines and Reporting Periods," accessed December 15, 2016
- ↑ Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Joan Parenteau, Administrative Assistant/Deputy Clerk/School Board Secretary, Superior School District," March 28, 2017
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Ballotpedia's school board candidate survey, "Mary Klun responses," February 23, 2017
- ↑ Ballotpedia's school board candidate survey, "Laura Gapske responses," February 26, 2017
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 18.4 United States Census Bureau, "Douglas County, Wisconsin," accessed December 19, 2016
- ↑ 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
| Superior School District elections in 2017 | |
| Douglas County, Wisconsin | |
| Election date: | April 4, 2017 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Mary Klun • Incumbent, Steven Stupak • Laura Gapske • Mary Smith-Johnson |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
