Teree Caldwell-Johnson
Teree Caldwell-Johnson was a member of the Des Moines Public Schools school board in Iowa, representing District 4. She assumed office in 2006. She left office on March 5, 2024.
Caldwell-Johnson ran for re-election to the Des Moines Public Schools school board to represent District 4 in Iowa. She won in the general election on November 2, 2021.
Biography
Caldwell-Johnson earned a B.A. in English from Spelman College along with an M.P.A. from the University of Kansas. She also completed post-graduate studies at Bucknell University. Caldwell-Johnson's work experience includes serving as CEO of Oakridge Neighborhood and Oakridge Neighborhood Services, a nonprofit dedicated to housing and human services, and as Polk County Manager from 1996 to 2003. She has served on the University of Kansas College of Liberal Arts and Sciences board, the Mid-Iowa Health Foundation board, and the Greater Des Moines Community Foundation board.[1][2]
Board membership
2015-2017
The Des Moines school board voted unanimously on 96.35 percent of its motions between the annual organization meeting on September 15, 2015, and the regular board meeting on July 11, 2017. The voting data indicated that Rob Barron, Connie Boesen, Cindy Elsbernd, Dionna Langford, and Teree Caldwell-Johnson were the governing majority on the board, and Natasha Newcomb was the sole member of a minority faction. Heather Anderson did not vote consistently enough with Newcomb or the majority to be considered part of either group.[3]
Elections
2021
See also: Des Moines Public Schools, Iowa, elections (2021)
General election
General election for Des Moines Public Schools School Board District 4
Incumbent Teree Caldwell-Johnson won election in the general election for Des Moines Public Schools School Board District 4 on November 2, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Teree Caldwell-Johnson (Nonpartisan) | 91.2 | 2,240 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 8.8 | 215 | ||
| Total votes: 2,455 | |||
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2017
Four of the seven seats on the Des Moines Public Schools school board in Iowa were up for nonpartisan general election on September 12, 2017. The race for the two at-large seats on the board included incumbent Rob Barron and challengers Louisa Dykstra and Kyrstin Delagardelle Shelley. Barron won another term on the board, and Shelley won the other at-large seat, which was left open by incumbent Connie Boesen, who instead ran for the Des Moines City Council. In their bids for re-election to the District 2 and District 4 seats, incumbents Dionna Langford and Teree Caldwell-Johnson ran unopposed and won additional terms on the board.[4][5][6]
Results
| Des Moines Public Schools, District 4 General Election, 4-year term, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Teree Caldwell-Johnson Incumbent (unopposed) |
95.12% | 663 |
| Write-in votes | 4.88% | 34 |
| Total Votes | 697 | |
| Source: Polk County Auditor and Commissioner of Elections, "School Election Tuesday, September 12, 2017: Official Results," accessed September 18, 2017 | ||
Funding
Caldwell-Johnson reported no contributions or expenditures to the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board in the election.[7]
Endorsements
Caldwell-Johnson was endorsed by the Des Moines Education Association and the AFSCME Iowa Council 61.[8][9]
2013
Teree Caldwell-Johnson defeated Darlene Blake and Joel Doyle for the new District 4 seat in the general election on September 10, 2013.[10]
Results
| Des Moines Public Schools, District 4 General Election, 4-year term, 2013 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Teree Caldwell-Johnson Incumbent |
41.7% | 522 | |
| Nonpartisan | Joel Doyle | 31.4% | 393 | |
| Nonpartisan | Darlene Blake | 26.1% | 327 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.7% | 9 | |
| Total Votes | 1,251 | |||
| Source: Polk County Auditor and Commissioner of Elections, "School Board Election," accessed September 14, 2013 | ||||
Funding
Caldwell-Johnson reported no campaign contributions or expenditures to the Iowa Secretary of State.[11]
Endorsements
Caldwell-Johnson was endorsed by the Des Moines Education Association and the local chapter of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees.[12][13]
2009
| Des Moines Public Schools, At-Large General Election, 4-year term, 2009 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Connie Boesen Incumbent |
19.1% | 5,627 | |
| Nonpartisan | Patty J. Link Incumbent |
18.5% | 5,449 | |
| Nonpartisan | Teree Caldwell-Johnson Incumbent |
16.2% | 4,767 | |
| Nonpartisan | Margaret M. Buckton |
15.4% | 4,526 | |
| Nonpartisan | Felipe Gallardo | 9.2% | 2,722 | |
| Nonpartisan | Veola Perry | 6.8% | 2,018 | |
| Nonpartisan | Zachary Lee Toillion | 5.4% | 1,596 | |
| Nonpartisan | Timothy Halsted | 4.9% | 1,431 | |
| Nonpartisan | Thalia D. Sutton | 4% | 1,189 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.5% | 149 | |
| Total Votes | 29,474 | |||
| Source: Polk County Auditor and Commissioner of Elections, "School Election Tuesday, September 8, 2009: Official Results," accessed July 19, 2017 | ||||
2006
| Des Moines Public Schools, At-Large General Election, 3-year term, 2006 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Connie Boesen Incumbent |
37.8% | 4,835 | |
| Nonpartisan | Teree Caldwell-Johnson |
33.6% | 4,292 | |
| Nonpartisan | Flossie Dusek | 27.6% | 3,527 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 1% | 131 | |
| Total Votes | 12,785 | |||
| Source: Polk County Auditor and Commissioner of Elections, "School Election Tuesday, September 12, 2006: Official Results," accessed July 19, 2017 | ||||
Campaign themes
2021
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Teree Caldwell-Johnson did not complete Ballotpedia's 2021 Candidate Connection survey.
2017
Ballotpedia candidate survey
Caldwell-Johnson participated in a survey created by Ballotpedia in partnership with USATalk and the Interactivity Foundation. The survey was created after online discussions of Des Moines voters and residents were conducted to discuss their ideas for the school district. The survey questions appear bolded, and Caldwell-Johnson's responses follow below.
Do you believe it is important to intentionally recruit with the aim of diversifying our faculty, staff, administration? If so, what would be your policy to achieve this?
| “ | With the increasing diversity of the Des Moines Schools the level of diversity in our staff ranks becomes even more important. I believe that having a racially, culturally, and linguistically diverse faculty, staff and administration provides students with multiple perspectives that allows them to gain a greater understanding of the world around them. I have, for many years, been an advocate for diversifying our faculty, staff and administration to better reflect the diversity of our student body. Improving the diversity of the district’s staff can help all students. Staff of color are positive role models, break down negative stereotypes and prepare students to live and work in a diverse and multicultural society. A more diverse workforce can also inform and support the culturally sensitive practices most effective with today’s diverse student populations. I believe that intentionally recruiting a diverse workforce that reflects the students being served in the district must be actively pursued and become a component of our board goals and the district’s operational and instructional strategies. With the support of a majority of the board policy can be developed. The board’s policy governance framework can be utilized to create a policy on diversity in staffing while establishing an annual monitoring schedule and regular monitoring report to track progress. Over the years individual board members have expressed a desire for greater diversity in our staff but we have not actualized that desire by gaining board consensus followed by the creation of board policy and monitoring. In my opinion, this should be a goal of the Board in the coming year and I am committed to working towards this.[14] | ” |
| —Teree Caldwell-Johnson (2017)[15] | ||
Teachers have lost their bargaining rights. Will you support the teacher’s union even as the budget tightens?
| “ | Chapter 20 was a bipartisan piece of legislation enacted in 1974, signed into law by Republican Governor Robert Ray. Fast forward to 2017 when Iowa’s Republican Governor and Legislature turned back the clock on collective bargaining in the state of Iowa. With the erosion of Chapter 20 collective bargaining in the state, the scope of negotiations is limited and public employees will have very few mandatory subjects of bargaining. Chapter 20 will impact all bargaining units of DMPS including DMEA and AFSCME that represent the vast majority of our represented employees. I have and will always been a supporter of individuals covered under our collective bargaining contracts. and while in tough times it may require some 'give and take' on both sides, I will do my best to balance the interests of the district while supporting the needs of all employees.[14] | ” |
| —Teree Caldwell-Johnson (2017)[15] | ||
Would you support more local control over (or creative use of) the budget? If so, how might you achieve this?
| “ | The ability of Des Moines Public Schools to effectively execute on its mission and its promise to our students and graduates is inextricable tied to our ability to fund our operations. I have been and will always be an advocate for a sustainable funding approach that at some point may require the State to rethink its school funding formula. Until that happens we will be challenged to develop a balanced budget that meets the many and varied needs of our district while at the same time holding the line on taxes. Reviewing solvency ratios and evaluating other budget strategies that maximize all levies and funds within the limits of the law will be key to our ability to meet the demands of the largest school district in the state of Iowa. As school districts throughout the state work to keep pace with the growing costs of doing business it is clear that the state’s School Aid Funding Formula, developed in the 1970s, is not working and needs to be overhauled. Unlike municipalities that are governed by Home Rule, school boards operate under Dillon’s Rule. Under the rule, school boards are allowed to use only those powers and abilities that are specifically allowed by law. The use of categorical funds are subject to strict interpretations based on Iowa Code and administrative rule, and school districts are bound by the narrowest interpretation of law. With nearly 80% of the district’s budgeted allocated to personnel and modest to low/no increases in state aid, the district’s cost of doing business is outpacing the funds available. I have long been a proponent of greater flexibility over categorical funding and the opportunity for local elected official to make decisions about how funds can be allocated in an effort to better support all of the district’s needs. I believe that there are three paths to increased flexibility for local school districts.
Approval of any and/or all of the aforementioned options would provide more local control and or increased creativity in use of existing budgeted resources.[14] |
” |
| —Teree Caldwell-Johnson (2017)[15] | ||
Data suggests harsher disciplinary actions are being taken against nonwhite students. How do you make sense of this data? What sort of policies would you implement to improve racial equality and fair treatment of all students? What sort of professional development programs would you implement in support of this effort?
| “ | While we have made strides in the disproportionate treatment of minorities, the board has be vigilant in not only monitoring the trends to determine progress on this front, we have also adopted policy focused on equity and one specifically focused on males of color. The board has established its policy and expectations on both fronts and now it will be our job to monitor the Superintendents progress in addressing the issues of disproportionality and increased academic achievement of males of color. We receive student achievement monitoring reports throughout the year with disaggregated data to include a breakout by race/ethnicity, gender, FRL, ELL and SPED. The Males of Color monitoring report is provided twice annually and again, provides disaggregated data to help us track trends and progress towards closing the gap in achievement and addressing the disproportionate treatment of students.[14] | ” |
| —Teree Caldwell-Johnson (2017)[15] | ||
The Des Moines Register questionnaire
Caldwell-Johnson participated in the following questionnaire conducted by The Des Moines Register. The questions provided by the newspaper appear bolded, and Caldwell-Johnson's responses follow below. Caldwell-Johnson intentionally submitted the same answer for the third and fourth questions, according to The Des Moines Register.[16]
What is the biggest challenge facing Des Moines Schools?
| “ | Our budget and overall financial position pose the greatest challenge for our students and district. The state’s outdated school funding formula is not allowing districts to keep pace with operational costs. The governor and legislature must make increased funding for public education a priority.[14] | ” |
| —Teree Caldwell-Johnson (2017)[16] | ||
What are your top three priorities if elected?
| “ | DMPS is a complex organization facing many challenges and opportunities. The following are the priorities I will focus on if reelected:
|
” |
| —Teree Caldwell-Johnson (2017)[16] | ||
What is your view on the proposal to change school start times in Des Moines?
| “ | Research supports the district’s proposed bell time changes. Any future proposal must consider the impact of the change on all student groups, budget neutral and consistent with Management Limitation 2.1 thus not causing or allowing conditions or procedures that are inequitable or unfair.[14] | ” |
| —Teree Caldwell-Johnson (2017)[16] | ||
What is your view on the proposal to change school start times for Smouse and Van Meter schools?
| “ | Research supports the district’s proposed bell time changes. Any future proposal must consider the impact of the change on all student groups, budget neutral and consistent with Management Limitation 2.1 thus not causing or allowing conditions or procedures that are inequitable or unfair.[14] | ” |
| —Teree Caldwell-Johnson (2017)[16] | ||
Why are you running for Des Moines School Board?
| “ | Public schools deserve individuals that are invested in them. Public education is under siege and now, more than ever, our schools need committed, knowledgeable and experienced Boards at the helm. I want to utilize my expertise and passion for public education to support the achievement of our district’s 33,000 students.[14] | ” |
| —Teree Caldwell-Johnson (2017)[16] | ||
Candidate website
Caldwell-Johnson highlighted the following issues on her campaign website:
| “ | Budget And Finances
The budget and overall financial position pose the greatest challenge for DMPS. The state's outdated school funding formula is not allowing the district keep pace with operational costs. My Top Priorities If Re-elected: 1. Student Achievement across all subgroups and specifically students of color and minority males |
” |
| —Teree Caldwell-Johnson (2017)[17] | ||
2013
When asked about her legislative priorities, Caldwell-Johnson answered, "I think the whole notion around student achievement and the minority achievement gap is something that is critically important to me. I also think the whole notion around how we better adapt our systems to meet the growing needs of students in poverty and also our large ELL population."[18]
See also
2021 Elections
External links
|
Candidate Des Moines Public Schools School Board District 4 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Des Moines Public Schools, "Teree Caldwell-Johnson," accessed August 5, 2013
- ↑ The University of Kansas, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, "Teree Caldwell-Johnson," accessed August 5, 2013
- ↑ Des Moines Public Schools, "Meetings," accessed August 8, 2017
- ↑ Des Moines Public Schools, "2017 School Board Candidates," accessed August 4, 2017
- ↑ The Des Moines Register, "Longtime Des Moines school board member Connie Boesen to challenge Skip Moore for at-large City Council seat," May 31, 2017
- ↑ Polk County Auditor and Commissioner of Elections, "School Election Tuesday, September 12, 2017: Unofficial Results," accessed September 12, 2017
- ↑ Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board, "IECDB State/Local Campaign Disclosure Reports," accessed January 22, 2018
- ↑ Facebook, "Teree4DMSchools post August 18, 2017," accessed August 23, 2017
- ↑ Facebook, "Teree4DMSchools post September 1, 2017," accessed September 1, 2017
- ↑ Des Moines Register, "10 vie for seats on Des Moines school board," August 2, 2013
- ↑ IECDB Web Reporting System, "IECDB State/Local Campaign Disclosure Reports," accessed September 9, 2013
- ↑ Mary Stegmeir, Des Moines Register, "Teachers union endorses candidates in Des Moines school board race," August 8, 2013
- ↑ Mary Stegmeir, Des Moines Register, "AFSCME endorses four candidates in Des Moines school board race," August 20, 2013
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 14.6 14.7 14.8 14.9 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 Ballotpedia's 2017 Des Moines School Board Candidate Survey, "Teree Caldwell-Johnson's responses," August 28, 2017
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 16.5 The Des Moines Register, "Teree Caldwell-Johnson: Des Moines School Board candidate," August 31, 2017
- ↑ Facebook, "Teree4DMSchools Issues," accessed August 23, 2017
- ↑ WHOtv.com 13, "SCHOOL BOARD: Three Incumbents Running," September 5, 2013
| Des Moines Public Schools elections in 2017 | |
| Polk County, Iowa | |
| Election date: | September 12, 2017 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Rob Barron • Louisa Dykstra • Kyrstin Delagardelle Shelley District 2: • Incumbent, Dionna Langford District 4: • Incumbent, Teree Caldwell-Johnson |
| Important information: | What's at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
| ||||||||||
