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Theodore Collins
Theodore Collins was a candidate for at-large representative on the Cedar Rapids Community School District school board in Iowa. Collins was defeated in the at-large general election on September 12, 2017.
Collins participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 school board candidate survey. Click here to view his responses.
Elections
2017
Three of seven seats on the Cedar Rapids Community School District Board of Education in Iowa were up for general election on September 12, 2017. One seat is up for at-large election and two seats, District 2 and District 3, are up for by-district election. All three incumbents filed to retain their seats.[1]
At-large incumbent Gary Anhalt defeated newcomers Theodore Collins and Christopher Gehrke. District 2 incumbent Nancy Humbles was the only candidate to file for the seat and was re-elected. In District 3, newcomer Jennifer Borcherding defeated incumbent Keith Westercamp.[2]
| Cedar Rapids Community School District, At-large General Election, 4-year term, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Gary Anhalt Incumbent |
56.47% | 1,834 |
| Christopher Gehrke | 32.05% | 1,041 |
| Theodore Collins | 10.99% | 357 |
| Write-in votes | 0.49% | 16 |
| Total Votes | 3,248 | |
| Source: Linn County, Iowa, "9/12/17 School Elections - Linn County, State of Iowa - Official Results," accessed September 18, 2017 | ||
Campaign themes
2017
Ballotpedia survey responses
Theodore Collins participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of school board candidates.[3] In response to the question "What do you hope to achieve if elected to the school board?" the candidate stated on August 31, 2017:
| “ | I would work on communication between students, parents, and community members to school officials, and board members. Also, I would like to see the old technology go to good use by giving it to families that may not be able to afford a computer or laptop.[4][5] | ” |
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues based on how they should be prioritized by the school board, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. Each ranking could only be used once.
| Education policy |
|---|
 |
Click here to learn more about education policy in Iowa. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Improving relations with teachers | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer eight questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are highlighted in blue and followed by the candidate's responses. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions. The candidate was also provided space to elaborate on their answers to the multiple choice questions.
| Should new charter schools be approved in your district? (Not all school boards are empowered to approve charter schools. In those cases, the candidate was directed to answer the question as if the school board were able to do so.) |
|---|
| No. |
| Which statement best describes the ideal relationship between the state government and the school board? The state should always defer to school board decisions, defer to school board decisions in most cases, be involved in the district routinely or only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. |
| The state should only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. |
| Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement? |
| Yes. |
| How should the district handle underperforming teachers? Terminate their contract before any damage is done to students, offer additional training options, put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve or set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district? |
| Offer additional training options. Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district. |
| Should teachers receive merit pay? |
| Yes. |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| No. |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| expulsion shouldn't be used in the district as it been proven not to work in changing behavior. |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| Parent involvement. |
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Theodore Collins Cedar Rapids Community School District school board. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Cedar Rapids Community School District, Iowa
- Cedar Rapids Community School District elections (2017)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Marielle Bricker, "Email communication with Laurel Day, Cedar Rapids Community School District Board Secretary," August 4, 2017
- ↑ Linn County, Iowa, "9/12/17 School Elections - Linn County, State of Iowa - Unofficial Results," accessed September 12, 2017
- ↑ Note: The candidate's answers have been reproduced here verbatim without edits or corrections by Ballotpedia.
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2017, "Theodore Collins's responses," August 31, 2017
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
| Cedar Rapids Community School District elections in 2017 | |
| Linn County, Iowa | |
| Election date: | September 12, 2017 |
| Candidates: | At-large: Incumbent, Gary Anhalt • Theodore Collins • Christopher Gehrke District 2: Incumbent, Nancy Humbles District 3: Incumbent, Keith Westercamp • Jennifer Borcherding |
| Important information: | What was at stake? |
