Vancouver School District elections (2015)
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Three seats on the Vancouver School District Board of Directors were up for general election on November 3, 2015.
In the Position 1 race, incumbent Dale Rice defeated challenger Heather Lindberg. In the Position 5 race, Rosemary Fryer won without active opposition. Incumbent Nada Wheelock originally filed for re-election; however, she decided to accept a position as interim executive director with the Foundation for Vancouver Public Schools. She resigned from the board on July 15, 2015, to avoid a conflict of interest. Wheelock's name still appeared on the ballot because her resignation took place after the deadline to withdraw from the ballot.[1]
Position 4 incumbent Edri Geiger did not file for re-election and newcomer Michelle Giovannozzi won the seat without opposition.[2]
One of the four candidates in this election participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 school board candidate survey. Check out the "What was at stake?" section to see survey answers.
About the district
- See also: Vancouver School District, Washington
Vancouver School District is located in Clark County in southwestern Washington. The county is bordered by the Columbia River and is about 25 miles north of Portland, Ore. Vancouver is its county seat. Clark County was home to an estimated 443,817 residents in 2013, according to the United States Census Bureau.[3] Vancouver School District was the seventh-largest school district in Washington in the 2011-2012 school year, serving 22,713 students.[4]
Demographics
In 2013, Clark County underperformed in comparison to the state of Washington as a whole in terms of higher education achievement and median household income. The United States Census Bureau found that 26.0 percent of Clark County residents aged 25 and older had earned a bachelor's degree or higher in comparison to 31.9 percent statewide. The median household income in the county was $58,225, while the Washington average was $59,478. Clark County's rate of persons living below the poverty line was 12.4 percent, compared to the statewide rate of 13.4 percent. [3]
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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.
Voter and candidate information
The Vancouver Board of Directors consists of five members elected at-large to four-year terms. There was a general election on November 3, 2015, for Positions 1, 4 and 5. There would have been a primary election on August 4, 2015, if more than two candidates filed for any position.[6]
Elections in Washington require candidates to pay filing fees equal to one percent of a position's annual salary. Board members in Vancouver can be reimbursed up to $4,800 for district activities but do not receive salaries, which eliminates the filing fee. Candidates were required to file nominating petitions by May 15, 2015, to qualify for the November ballot.[7][8]
Elections
2015
Candidates
Position 1
Dale Rice 
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Heather Lindberg | ||
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Position 4
| Michelle Giovannozzi
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Position 5
| Nada Wheelock | Rosemary Fryer
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Election results
Position 1
| Vancouver School District Board of Directors, Position 1 General Election, 4-year term, 2015 | ||
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Dale Rice Incumbent |
56.5% | 13,563 |
| Heather Lindberg | 43.5% | 10,431 |
| Write-in votes | 0% | 0 |
| Total Votes | 23,994 | |
| Source: Clark County Auditor, "November 3, 2015 General Election," November 24, 2015 | ||
Position 4
| Vancouver School District Board of Directors, Position 4 General Election, 4-year term, 2015 | ||
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Michelle Giovannozzi |
100.0% | 20,361 |
| Write-in votes | 0% | 0 |
| Total Votes | 20,361 | |
| Source: Clark County Auditor, "November 3, 2015 General Election," November 24, 2015 | ||
Position 5
| Vancouver School District Board of Directors, Position 5 General Election, 4-year term, 2015 | ||
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Rosemary Fryer |
59.8% | 13,292 |
| Nada Wheelock | 40.2% | 8,947 |
| Write-in votes | 0% | 0 |
| Total Votes | 22,239 | |
| Source: Clark County Auditor, "November 3, 2015 General Election," November 24, 2015 | ||
Endorsements
Rosemary Fryer was endorsed by the H-Roc PAC.[9]
Campaign finance
No contributions or expenditures were reported in this election, according to the Washington Public Disclosure Commission.
The Washington Public Disclosure Commission is the regulatory body for campaign finance in Washington school board elections.
Candidates who raised and spent no more than $5,000 in aggregate and who did not receive more than $500 from any one contributor, including themselves, could participate in "mini reporting." These candidates were required to file a candidate registration statement and keep a record of their contributors and expenditures, but they were not required to report them unless they exceed the stated thresholds. In those cases, they were required to switch their filing status from "mini" to "full" reporting by August 31, 2015.[10]
Contributions to school board candidate committees were subject to the following limits:[10]
- State parties or caucus political committees (separately): $0.95 per registered voter from January 1 to December 31
- County and legislative district parties (combined): $0.50 per registered voter from January 1 to December 31
- Individuals, PACS, unions, corporations or other entities (separately): $950 per primary and general election
School board candidate committees were prohibited from receiving contributions from other candidate committees. No contributors except state committees of political parties could give more than $5,000 in aggregate in the 21 days prior to the election.[10]
Past elections
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What was at stake?
2015
Ballotpedia survey responses
One candidate out of four total candidates in this race participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 survey of school board candidates. The following section displays the responses to the survey questions from Position 1 candidate Heather Lindberg.
Top priorities
When asked what her top priorities would be if elected, Lindberg stated:
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Certainly improving community-school board relations is a high priority. I'd also like to see board meetings and work sessions video recorded and released to the public. We should be working to provide that level of access to the public so they can feel confident that the board is working for the best interest of students and being good stewards of public money. [11] |
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| —Heather Lindberg, (2015), [12] | ||
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 the candidates' rankings from most to least important:
| Education policy |
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Click here to learn more about education policy in Washington. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
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| Issue | Lindberg |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Expanding career-technical education | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Improving college readiness | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
Positions on the issues
The candidates were asked to answer 10 multiple and short answer questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. A link to the candidates' responses can be found below.
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the 2015 Washington school board elections:[7][13]
| Deadline | Event |
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| May 11-15, 2015 | Candidate filing period |
| May 18, 2015 | Deadline for candidates to withdraw |
| October 13, 2015 | Pre-general campaign finance report due |
| October 26, 2015 | Voter registration deadline for general election |
| October 27, 2015 | Pre-general campaign finance report due |
| November 3, 2015 | Election Day |
| November 24, 2015 | Election results certified |
| December 10, 2015 | Post-general campaign finance report due |
| January 11, 2016 | End of election cycle campaign finance report due |
Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Washington elections, 2015
In addition to the school board elections, residents of Clark County elected a county council chair—the only at-large position on the council.[14]
Voters also decided on six statewide ballot measures.
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Vancouver + School + District + Washington"
See also
| Vancouver School District | Washington | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ The Columbian, "Vancouver school board member to lead foundation," June 25, 2015
- ↑ Clark County Auditor, "2015 Candidates Who Have Filed," accessed May 26, 2015
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 United States Census Bureau, "State & County QuickFacts: Clark County, Washington," accessed January 26, 2015
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed April 22, 2014
- ↑ Clark County Auditor's Office, "Election Results," accessed July 31, 2013
- ↑ South Kitsap School District, "School Board," accessed February 5, 2015
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Clark County Elections, "2015 Elections Calendar," accessed January 23, 2015
- ↑ Snohomish County, "2014 Election Information Guide," accessed February 5, 2014
- ↑ H-Roc PAC, "Endorsed Candidates," accessed August 6, 2015
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Washington Public Disclosure Commission, "Mini Campaign Reporting Disclosure Instructions," June 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2015, "Heather Lindberg's responses," August 30, 2015
- ↑ Washington Public Disclosure Commission, "2015 Key Reporting Dates for Candidates," accessed January 23, 2015
- ↑ The Columbian, "3 in council chair race aim to set themselves apart", accessed September 21, 2015
| 2015 Vancouver School District Elections | |
| Clark County, Washington | |
| Election date: | November 3, 2015 |
| Candidates: | Position 1: Incumbent, Dale Rice • Heather Lindberg Position 4: Michelle Giovannozzi |
| Important information: | Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
