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Tracy Brunnette
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Tracy Brunnette is an at-large representative on the South Washington County Schools school board in Minnesota. First elected in 1999, Brunnette won a new term in the at-large general election on November 7, 2017.
Biography
Brunnette earned a B.S. degree in accounting from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota and a ChFC designation from The American College. Brunnette spent a year as a bookkeeper for South Washington County Schools before beginning her career as a sales management assistant for American Family Insurance in 1998. In January 2005, she began serving on the Northeast Metro 916 Intermediate School District board.[1]
Elections
2017
Five of the seven seats on the South Washington County Schools school board in Minnesota were up for nonpartisan general election on November 7, 2017. Four seats were up for general election to regular four-year terms, and the fifth seat was up for special election to a two-year term due to a vacancy on the board.[2] In the race for the four-year terms, at-large incumbents Tracy Brunnette, Katie Schwartz, and Sharon H. Van Leer won re-election. Incumbent Katy McElwee-Stevens did not win re-election, as Patricia Driscoll won the fourth seat. Challengers Thor Halverson, Alexandra Hedberg, Douglas Hoffman, David Pyrz, and William Thurmes were defeated in that race. Heather Hirsch won the two-year term, defeating Wael Abdelkader, Sean Brown, Duane Girard, and Steve Lagoon.[3][4]
Results
| South Washington County Schools, At-large General Election, 4-year terms, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Patricia Driscoll |
11.96% | 4,353 |
| Katie Schwartz Incumbent |
11.07% | 4,031 |
| Tracy Brunnette Incumbent |
10.92% | 3,977 |
| Sharon H. Van Leer Incumbent |
10.91% | 3,970 |
| William Thurmes | 10.04% | 3,656 |
| Alexandra Hedberg | 9.84% | 3,582 |
| Katy McElwee-Stevens Incumbent | 9.53% | 3,471 |
| Douglas Hoffman | 9.19% | 3,345 |
| David Pyrz | 8.97% | 3,267 |
| Thor Halverson | 7.01% | 2,553 |
| Write-in votes | 0.55% | 199 |
| Total Votes | 36,404 | |
| Source: South Washington County Schools, "School Board Meeting Minutes November 16, 2017," accessed December 8, 2017 | ||
Funding
The South Washington County Schools does not publish and freely disclose school board candidate campaign finance reports. If you have any information regarding the campaign finance disclosures in this race, please contact the school board elections team at editor@ballotpedia.org.
2013
Tracy Brunnette, Katy McElwee-Stevens, Katie Schwartz, and Sharon H. Van Leer defeated ten other candidates to win four at-large seats with four-year terms in the general election on November 5, 2013.
Results
| South Washington County Schools, At-large General Election, 4-year terms, 2013 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Katie Schwartz |
11.5% | 3,239 | |
| Nonpartisan | Tracy Brunnette Incumbent |
10.6% | 2,990 | |
| Nonpartisan | Katy McElwee-Stevens Incumbent |
9.4% | 2,648 | |
| Nonpartisan | Sharon H. Van Leer |
8.7% | 2,464 | |
| Nonpartisan | Molly Lutz | 8.7% | 2,458 | |
| Nonpartisan | David G. Kemper Incumbent | 8% | 2,267 | |
| Nonpartisan | Mike Thissen | 6.7% | 1,900 | |
| Nonpartisan | Michael P. Edman | 6.7% | 1,880 | |
| Nonpartisan | Raj Gandhi | 6.4% | 1,803 | |
| Nonpartisan | Frederick E. Hess | 5.9% | 1,679 | |
| Nonpartisan | Leilani Holmstadt | 5.5% | 1,567 | |
| Nonpartisan | Wayne A. Johnson | 5.5% | 1,541 | |
| Nonpartisan | John P. Griffin, II | 4.7% | 1,323 | |
| Nonpartisan | Safiyyah Cummings | 1.2% | 339 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.6% | 163 | |
| Total Votes | 28,261 | |||
| Source: Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State, "Results for Selected Contests in School District No. 833 - South Washington County," accessed December 18, 2013 and South Washington County Bulletin, "Recount confirms Van Leer District 833 School Board victory," November 22, 2013 | ||||
Funding
Brunnette reported no contributions but $127.98 in expenditures to South Washington County Schools, which left her campaign with $127.98 in debt in the election.[5]
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify any official endorsements for Brunnette in the election.
2009
| South Washington County Schools, At-large General Election, 4-year terms, 2009 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | David G. Kemper |
13.8% | 1,614 | |
| Nonpartisan | Tracy Brunnette Incumbent |
13.5% | 1,579 | |
| Nonpartisan | Laurie Johnson |
12.4% | 1,453 | |
| Nonpartisan | Marsha C. Adou Incumbent |
11.9% | 1,391 | |
| Nonpartisan | Edward Nowak | 11.6% | 1,356 | |
| Nonpartisan | Alberder Gillespie | 10.1% | 1,184 | |
| Nonpartisan | Katy McElwee-Stevens | 9.4% | 1,100 | |
| Nonpartisan | Walt Lyszak | 6% | 707 | |
| Nonpartisan | Mike Thissen | 5.1% | 599 | |
| Nonpartisan | Gina Taft | 2.9% | 341 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 3.4% | 401 | |
| Total Votes | 11,725 | |||
| Source: Washington County, Minnesota, "Election Summary Report," accessed October 22, 2013 | ||||
Campaign themes
2017
Brunnette participated in the following survey conducted by the Twin Cities Pioneer Press. The survey questions appear bolded, and Brunnette's responses follow below.
What qualifies you to hold this position?
| “ | I am passionate about education! The MDE website says 91% of all students in Minnesota attend public schools. The education of those students is the most important investment we make! My experience with ECFE, PTA, district committees & being a school board member gives me the global perspective needed to make the best decisions for all students.[6] | ” |
| —Tracy Brunnette (2017)[7] | ||
What would your top priorities be if elected?
| “ | To continue to lobby the legislature for adequate, sustainable funding so we don’t have to rely so much on passing referenda to educate our students. Support the district’s strategic plan for personalized learning and improved climate and culture for all. Get our fund balance back within the board policy of 5-9%.[6] | ” |
| —Tracy Brunnette (2017)[7] | ||
What do you think is the primary role of government?
| “ | From a school board perspective, the role is to provide adequate, sustainable funding so districts can provide excellent education for all of Minnesota’s students without relying on passing referenda. Hold districts accountable for the quality of education provided by working with education to set standards of excellence.[6] | ” |
| —Tracy Brunnette (2017)[7] | ||
2013
In an interview with the local newspaper, Brunnette stated, "My main message has been my passion for education," and added that her focuses were student achievement, fiscal responsibility, and greater use of technology.[8]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Tracy Brunnette South Washington County Schools school board. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- South Washington County Schools, Minnesota
- South Washington County Schools elections (2017)
- South Washington County Schools elections (2013)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ LinkedIn, "Tracy Brunnette," accessed October 22, 2013
- ↑ South Washington County Bulletin, "Candidacy Filing Notice," June 26, 2017
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "Results for Selected Contests in School District No. 833 - SOUTH WASHINGTON COUNTY," accessed November 7, 2017
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "Candidate Filings: 2017 Municipal and School District Elections," accessed August 16, 2017
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through e-mail from the Communications department of South Washington County Schools on January 3, 2014
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Twin Cities Pioneer Press, "Minnesota elections: South Washington County school board candidates," October 24, 2017
- ↑ Woodbury Bulletin, "Candidate profile: Tracy Brunnette," October 22, 2013
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