Waunakee Community School District elections (2016)
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Three of the seven seats on the Waunakee Community School District school board were up for at-large general election on April 5, 2016. The seats of Dave Boetcher, Gary Epping and Jack Heinemann were up for election. Though elected at large, Boetcher and Heinemann represent the Village of Waunakee while Epping represents the Towns of Dane and Springfield. All three incumbents filed for re-election and retained their seats with no opposition.[1]
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The Waunakee Community School Board consists of seven members elected at large to three-year terms representing particular areas. Although elected at large, candidates appear on separate tickets on the ballot, though some tickets allow more than one seat to be elected. The seats are divided among the Village of Waunakee, Towns of Dane/Springfield, the Town of Westport and the Town of Vienna. If more than one seat is up for election from an area, the seats appear on a joint ticket; otherwise they are on separate tickets. Two members are elected in each of two years and three members in the third year.[2]
To be elected to the board, candidates must reside in the boundaries of the school district for 28 days prior to the filing of a "Declaration of Candidacy" form. Furthermore, at the time of taking office, each candidate must be a resident of the apportioned area he or she is elected to represent.[3] Candidates must also be 18 years old and citizens of the United States. Unless pardoned, those who have been convicted of a felony are not eligible for election to office in Wisconsin.[4]
Candidates had until January 5, 2016, to collect between 20 and 100 signatures for their nomination papers. The signatures had to come from residents of the district where the candidate sought election, but the petition circulators were not required to reside in the district or municipality. Circulators were required to be U.S. citizens and 18 years or older.[5] The candidate filing deadline for this election was January 8, 2016. There was no primary election, and the general election for three seats was held April 5, 2016.
Candidates and results
Village of Waunakee
Results
| Waunakee Community School District, Village of Waunakee General Election, 3-year terms, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Jack Heinemann Incumbent |
52.25% | 4,776 |
| Dave Boetcher Incumbent |
47.25% | 4,319 |
| Write-in votes | 0.49% | 45 |
| Total Votes (100) | 9,140 | |
| Source: Dane County Clerk's Office, "2016 Spring Election and Presidential Preference Vote," accessed June 15, 2016 | ||
Candidates
Dave Boetcher 
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Jack Heinemann
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Towns of Dane/Springfield
Results
| Waunakee Community School District, Towns of Dane/Springfield General Election, 3-year term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Gary Epping Incumbent (unopposed) |
99.48% | 5,774 |
| Write-in votes | 0.52% | 30 |
| Total Votes (100) | 5,804 | |
| Source: Dane County Clerk's Office, "2016 Spring Election and Presidential Preference Vote," accessed June 15, 2016 | ||
Candidates
| Gary Epping
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Additional elections
- See also: Wisconsin elections, 2016
The Waunakee Community School District election shared the ballot with the state's presidential preference vote.[6] County residents also elected county board members.[7]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for Wisconsin school board elections in 2016:[8]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| January 5, 2016 | Candidate filing deadline |
| January 26, 2016 | Referendum submission deadline |
| March 28, 2016 | Pre-general election campaign finance deadline |
| April 5, 2016 | Election Day |
| April 25, 2016 | Board members take office |
| July 15, 2016 | Post-election campaign finance deadline |
Endorsements
Do you know of an official or organization that endorsed a candidate in this race? Let Ballotpedia know by email at editor@ballotpedia.org.
Campaign finance
School board candidates
Candidates were only required to file campaign finance reports if they accepted contributions, made disbursements or incurred obligations in an aggregate amount of more than $2,000 in a calendar year. [9] The pre-general election campaign finance deadline was on March 28, 2016.
What was at stake?
League of Women Voters Candidate Questionnaire
The following are the candidates' responses to the candidate questionnaire published by the League of Women Voters of Dane County. The league did not receive a response from Gary Epping.[10]
Dave Boetcher
1. What in your professional and community background qualifies you for this elective office?
My full-time employment is as a construction electrician. As such, I am very familiar with the inner workings of construction and bidding projects. Waunakee is currently in the middle of a major construction project while simultaneously addressing many smaller remodeling and maintenance needs in the District. My background allows me to share insight and guidance to the District when dealing with contractors and understanding the multitude of overlapping dependencies basic to construction projects. Additionally, my experience as a part-time teacher at MATC taught me to fully appreciate the skills required to teach as well as the importance of program development.
2. What is the most important issue facing your school district, and what are your ideas for addressing that issue?
Sustaining our programs and student success. Waunakee consistently ranks among the state's top academic programs, yet growing fiscal challenges facing most school districts make it increasingly difficult to sustain our great programs. We must prioritize student achievement while balancing our budget even as State Government reduces funding. We must resist using referendums to pay for operations as that is not a reliable long term plan. Local control of schools is essential to keep our priorities and budget in line with what the residents of Waunakee expect.
3. How should your school district improve its efforts to meet the diverse needs of its students?
Understanding and respecting the variety of families and individuals that comprise the Waunakee community. We need to ensure that all students and their families feel welcome to attend our schools and encouraged to participate in school-sponsored sports and activities. Students of all ethnic, religious, and gender identity backgrounds need to be treated as valuable members of the school community. We must constantly monitor academic performance to ensure that all minority groups are succeeding. Our facilities and environment must support all students, no matter their gender identity or ethnicity, so they can equally participate and succeed in the Waunakee Schools.
Jack Heinemann
1. What in your professional and community background qualifies you for this elective office?
This is my third run for a board seat. My wife of 27 years Lorrie, our four daughters Katie, Sarah, Maggie and Ali moved to Waunakee in 2007. I have been involved in a number of kid’s activities: Boy Scouts, volunteer coach, President of Elementary PTO, etc. As a business owner, I have a strong interest in working with the district to develop programs that provide students with a well-rounded educational experience. Students should leave our system with a desire to pursue life-long learning.
2. What is the most important issue facing your school district, and what are your ideas for addressing that issue?
Mandates and funding uncertainty for public education, make it difficult for efficient budget planning. To address these issues the district is developing a flexible strategic plan to better react to the number of dictated changes. I will work to educate parents on the effects of the state budget and legislation on local control. The State should modify the school funding formula, so that districts have the ability to better manage school budgets. The State should embrace public education and develop a more responsible budget for public education. Embracing public education and responsible State budgeting would be a great step forward.
3. How should your school district improve its efforts to meet the diverse needs of its students?
Through the use of data, learning gaps are identified. Once identified, administration looks at people/process to determine where investment needs to be made to improve learning outcomes. Administration works well with the board to develop funding strategies that supports all student learning outcomes. The district uses Professional Learning Community concepts to continual monitor and improve student learning experience.
About the district
The Waunakee Community School District lies in Dane County. Located in south-central Wisconsin, the county was home to approximately 516,284 residents, according to the United States Census Bureau.[11] Madison is the seat of its government. The district was the 44th-largest school district in the state in the 2013–2014 school year and served 4,042 students.[12]
Demographics
Higher education achievement
Dane County outperformed Wisconsin as a whole in terms of higher education achievement in 2013. The United States Census Bureau found that 46.6 percent of Dane County residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 26.8 percent for the state as a whole.[11]
Median household income
From 2009 through 2013, the median household income in the county was $61,721, compared to $52,413 for the state of Wisconsin.[11] During that same period, the median household income for the entire United States was $53,046.[13]
Poverty rate
The poverty rate in Dane County was 12.9 percent from 2009 through 2013. During that same period, the poverty rate was 13.0 percent statewide, and it was 15.4 percent for the country as a whole.[11][13]
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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.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Waunakee Community School District' 'Wisconsin'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Waunakee Community School District | Wisconsin | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ The Waunakee Tribune, "Area candidates unopposed in local elections," accessed January 12, 2016
- ↑ Waunakee Community School District, "School Board Elections," accessed January 12, 2016
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Wisconsin Candidate Eligibility," accessed September 22, 2014
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Candidates: Getting on the Ballot," accessed September 22, 2014
- ↑ Wisconsin State Legislature, "State Statutes: CHAPTER 8," accessed September 22, 2014
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "2016 Spring Election and Presidential Preference Vote," accessed January 12, 2016
- ↑ Dane County Government Clerk's Office, "2016 Spring Election Candidates," accessed January 26, 2016
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Campaign Finance Report Dates 2016, 2017 and 2018," accessed January 25, 2016
- ↑ Wisconsin State Legislature, "11.0104 Reporting exemptions: limited activity," accessed January 26, 2016
- ↑ League of Women Voters of Dane County, Inc., "Verona Area School Board," accessed April 4, 2016
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 United States Census Bureau, "Dane County, Wisconsin," accessed July 6, 2015
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed November 16, 2015
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 United States Census Bureau, "State & County QuickFacts: USA," accessed July 6, 2015
- ↑ Dane County Clerk's Office, "Election Results," accessed January 27, 2014
| 2016 Waunakee Community School District Elections | |
| Election date: | April 5, 2016 |
| Candidates: | Incumbent, Dave Boetcher • Incumbent, Gary Epping • Incumbent, Jack Heinemann |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines |
