Timothy Pope
Timothy Pope was a candidate for an at-large seat on the Dubuque Community School District School Board in Iowa. The seat was up for general election on September 8, 2015. Tom Barton, Mike Donohue, Tami Ryan and Lisa Wittman won the four seats.[1][2]
Upon the initial count of the votes, candidates Pope and Wittman tied for the open seat left by incumbent Otto Kreuger.[3] After an error was corrected in the original totals and the absentee ballots were counted, Wittman was determined the winner of the open seat. Pope did not ask for a recount.[2]
Pope participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 survey of school board candidates.
Biography
Pope is a former teacher and current curriculum director with Kendall Hunt Publishing Company. He also serves on the board of Teachers 2 Teachers International. Pope obtained his bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan. He went on to earn his master's degree from the University of Dayton.[4]
Elections
2015
Four of the seven seats on the Dubuque Community School District Board of Education were up for election on September 8, 2015. All seats on the board of education represent the district at-large.
Incumbents Tom Barton, Mike Donohue and Tami Ryan won re-election to their seats. Incumbent Otto Kreuger did not run for re-election. Upon the initial count of the votes, candidates Timothy Pope and Lisa Wittman tied for the open seat left by incumbent Otto Kreuger.[5] After an error was corrected in the original totals and the absentee ballots were counted, Wittman was determined the winner of the open seat.[2] Pope did not ask for a recount. Candidates Bert Ament and R.R.S. Stewart were also defeated in the election.[6][7][8]
Results
This election was held September 8, 2015.
| Dubuque Community School District, At-Large, 4-Year Term, General Election, 2015 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Tom Barton Incumbent |
22.2% | 2,865 |
| Mike Donohue Incumbent |
20.1% | 2,590 |
| Tami Ryan Incumbent |
19.9% | 2,573 |
| Lisa Wittman |
12.8% | 1,654 |
| Timothy Pope | 12.3% | 1,589 |
| R.R.S. Stewart | 7.4% | 951 |
| Bert Ament | 5.2% | 677 |
| Total Votes | 12,899 | |
| Source: Tiffany Rouse, "Email correspondence with Dubuque County Auditor's Office Jenny Hillary," December 3, 2015 | ||
Funding
Pope reported no contributions or expenditures to the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board during the election.[9] Any candidate spending, receiving or incurring debt in the amount of $1,000 or less was not required to file the disclosure form for campaign finances.[10]
Endorsements
Pope received an official endorsement from the Dubuque Federation of Labor in cooperation with Working Iowa Neighbors (WIN).[11]
Campaign themes
2015
Ballotpedia survey responses
Pope participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 survey of school board candidates. The following sections display his responses to the survey questions. When asked what his top priority would be if elected, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | Given the success already experienced in other portions of the district strategic plan, my top priority would be working with district leadership to ensure student achievement continues to improve during the transition to the Iowa Core Curriculum, Next Generation Science Standards, and the SMARTER Balanced assessments.[12] | ” |
| —Timothy Pope (2015)[13] | ||
Ranking the issues
The candidate was 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 this candidate's rankings from most to least important:
| Education policy |
|---|
 |
Click here to learn more about education policy in Iowa. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Improving college readiness | |
| Expanding career-technical education | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer 10 questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are in the left column, and the candidate's responses are in the right column of the following table:
| Question | Response |
|---|---|
| "They should be implemented." | |
| "Yes" | |
| "No" | |
| "No" | |
| "Schools need to have the resources needed to meet the needs of all learners. Unfortunately, the current system motivates the best teachers to go to the best schools. As a result, although campuses may get the same expense budget, more money per student is spent at the better schools.
Resources should be weighted to where the need is. Our best teachers should be incentivized to accept schools that need their expertise and not be afraid of the consequences of test results. The district should also ensure that those students who are high-achieving are provided the opportunity to continue to grow. This is an area that, through K-8 programming, AP courses, and dual enrollment opportunities, the district already excels." | |
| "Expulsion cases must be viewed on a case-by-case basis rather than the district having an overarching policy." | |
| "1) Define failure; the district has a well-written strategic plan with tools for measurement but has not set specific quantitative goals.
2) Ensure every student has access to a rigorous curriculum using research-based instructional strategies. 3) Ensure school staff not only understands how success is being measured but has access to the support needed (training, materials, etc...) to meet those goals." | |
| "Yes, but not solely limited on test scores" | |
| "1-3 but with measurable accountability" | |
| "Continuing the community meetings and effort the board has already undertaken is important. Social media tools allow the easy sharing of information and ability to get feedback.
That said, relationships are not built in meetings or on Facebook. They are built at band concerts, plays, football games, and other community events. My family is already very active in the community and I will continue to build these relationships to make sure the community feels it is being heard and has the knowledge needed to make the best decisions for our students." |
Campaign videos
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Timothy Pope' 'Dubuque Community School District'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Dubuque Community School District, Iowa
- Dubuque Community School District elections (2015)
- Newcomers and incumbents share the victories in Iowa's largest school district elections (September 9, 2015)
- Analysis of incumbency advantage in the 2014 school board elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Tiffany Rouse, Email correspondence with Dubuque County Auditor's Office Becky Griebel," August 11, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 The Herald Online, "With corrected vote total, Lisa Wittman easily wins Dubuque school board seat," September 13, 2015
- ↑ The Herald Online, "Incumbents re-elected to Dubuque School Board; challengers tie for fourth seat," September 8, 2015
- ↑ LinkedIn, "Timothy Pope," accessed August 19, 2015
- ↑ The Herald Online, "Incumbents re-elected to Dubuque School Board; challengers tie for fourth seat," September 8, 2015
- ↑ Dubuque County, Iowa, "School Board Election Results," accessed September 8, 2015
- ↑ Dubuque Community School District, "School Board," accessed June 23, 2015
- ↑ Tiffany Rouse, "Email correspondence with Dubuque County Auditor's Office Becky Griebel," August 11, 2015
- ↑ Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board, "IECDB State/Local Campaign Disclosure Reports," accessed February 2, 2016
- ↑ Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board, "Reporting Dates," accessed August 13, 2015
- ↑ Dubuque Federation of Labor AFL-CIO, "2015 Elections," accessed September 1, 2015
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2015, "Timothy Pope responses," August 24, 2015
| 2015 Dubuque Community School District Elections | |
| Dubuque County, Iowa | |
| Election date: | September 8, 2015 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Tom Barton • Incumbent, Mike Donohue • Incumbent, Tami Ryan • Bert Ament • Timothy Pope • R.R.S. Stewart • Lisa Wittman |
| Important information: | Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
