Wausau School District elections (2014)
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Three seats on the Wausau Board of Education were up for general election on April 1, 2014. The filing deadline for candidates to submit the required 20 signatures was January 7, 2014. Three at-large board incumbents were up for re-election. Yvonne Henning, Robb A. Shepherd and Lance R. Trollop terms were set to expire in April 2014. Shepherd did not file to run for re-election.
Trollop and Henning faced challengers Chad Dennis, A.J. Gordon, Jeff Leigh and Mary Kowatch in the general election. Both incumbents retained their seats and Leigh joined the board to take Shepherd's open seat.[1]
This was the first election following the eruption of the religious music in school concerts controversy. The three candidates backed by the community organization Wausau School District Cancels Christmas were all defeated.
About the district
- See also: Wausau School District, Wisconsin
Wausau School District is located in Marathon County in central Wisconsin. The county seat is Wausau. Marathon County was home to approximately 135,416 residents in 2013, according to estimates by the United States Census Bureau.[2]
Demographics
Marathon County residents underperformed compared to the rest of Wisconsin in terms of higher education achievement in 2012. The United States Census Bureau found that 21.9 percent of Marathon County residents aged 25 years or older had attained a bachelor's degree compared to 26.4 percent for Wisconsin as a whole. The median household income for Marathon County between 2008 and 2012 was $53,762. During that same time period, the median household income for the entire state was $52,627. From 2008 to 2012, the poverty rate in Marathon County was 10.4 percent. It was 12.5 percent statewide for that same time period.[2]
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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 Wausau Board of Education consists of nine members who are elected at-large on a staggered basis to three-year terms. If more than two candidates had filed for any board position, the primary election would have been held on February 18, 2014. However, only six candidates filed for the three seats up for election. Thus, the general election held on April 1, 2014.
To be elected to the board, candidates had to reside in the boundaries of the school district for 28 days prior to the filing a Declaration of Candidacy. They must further have been a resident of the apportioned area they are elected to at the time of taking office.[7] They were also required to be 18 years old and citizens of the United States. Unless pardoned, persons convicted of a felony were not eligible for election to office in Wisconsin.[8]
Candidates had between December 1, 2013, and January 7, 2014, to collect a minimum of 20 signatures for their nomination papers. The signatures had to come from residents of the district which the candidate sought election to represent, 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.[9]
Voters could register to vote in the primary or general election at the polling place on the election day. Proof of residence was required when registering to vote, and a photo ID required at polling places.[10]
Elections
2014
Candidates
At-large
- Yvonne Henning
- Incumbent
- Lance R. Trollop
- Incumbent
- Chad Dennis
- A.J. Gordon
- Jeff Leigh
- Mary Kowatch
Election results
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Lance R. Trollop Incumbent |
23.7% | 3,463 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jeff Leigh |
19.8% | 2,885 | |
| Nonpartisan | Yvonne Henning Incumbent |
19.5% | 2,843 | |
| Nonpartisan | A.J. Gordon | 12.9% | 1,881 | |
| Nonpartisan | Chad Dennis | 12.2% | 1,775 | |
| Nonpartisan | Mary Kowatch | 12% | 1,757 | |
| Total Votes | 14,604 | |||
| Source: Wausau School District, "2014 School Board Election: Certificate of the Board of Canvassers," April 8, 2014 | ||||
Endorsements
Gordon, Dennis and Kowatch were all endorsed by Wausau School District Cancels Christmas, a parent organization in the district.[11] The Wausau Daily Herald also endorsed Gordon, as well as Leigh and Trollop.[12]
Past elections
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2013
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What was at stake?
2014
Issues in the district
Religious music in concerts
A controversy erupted in the Wausau School District following a decision to limit the amount of religious music allowed in December music programs. A decision reached by school administration in consultation with an attorney for the school district, Frank Sutherland, provided the following options for the use of religious music in school concerts in December 2013:[13]
- Perform five secular songs for every one religious song
- No holiday music at all
- Postpone the concerts
This decision led to the postponement of all of the elementary schools' holiday concerts and the temporary disbandment of Wausau West High School's Master Singers choir group.[13]
In response to these events, the Wausau School District Cancels Christmas group was founded. The group described itself as a group of parents, students and teachers "concerned that our children can no longer sing Christmas songs in school concerts that are funded by us, the taxpayers."[14] Additionally, the school board met to discuss the administrative decision on October 10, 2013. The board elected to give school principals back the authority to schedule winter concerts and voted to develop a new policy regarding holiday concerts in 2014.[15]
An investigation into the decision making process that had lead to the administrative rule changes was also ordered by the school board. However, prior to the investigation being completed, board members Patrick McKee and Matthew Young tried to require Superintendent Kathleen Williams to apologize for the situation. The rest of the board did not support the motion. While Williams defended the decision to limit religious music, she stated she would not apologize for something that had not yet been established. She reported receiving a number of phone calls and emails with obscenities and even death threats. She did not report them to the police, saying that she believed the messages were just people venting their anger and not serious threats.[16][17]
Ruder Ware law firm was hired by the school board in October 2013 to provide an objective time line of the controversy. Their investigation's results can be read here. On December 16, 2013, the board met in closed session for almost two hours to discuss the issue.[18]
Key deadlines
The following were key deadlines for Wausau School District 2014 elections:[19][9]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| December 1, 2013 | Candidate signature gathering period began |
| January 7, 2014 | Signature submission deadline 5 p.m. |
| February 10, 2014 | Campaign finance report due |
| March 24, 2014 | Campaign finance report due |
| April 1, 2014 | General election day |
Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Wisconsin elections, 2014
Wausau City Council elections were also held on April 1, 2014. Three incumbents and one newcomer were elected to the council.[20]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Wausau + School + District + Wisconsin"
See also
- Wisconsin
- Wausau School District, Wisconsin
- Wisconsin school board elections, 2014
- List of school board elections in 2014
- School board elections, 2014
- Marathon County, Wisconsin ballot measures
- Local ballot measures, Wisconsin
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Wausau School District, "2014 School Board Election: Certificate of the Board of Canvassers," April 8, 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 United States Census Bureau, "Marathon County, Wisconsin," accessed September 22, 2014
- ↑ Politico, "2012 Wisconsin Presidential Results," accessed September 22, 2014
- ↑ City-Data, "2008 Presidential Elections Results in Marathon County, Wisconsin," accessed September 22, 2014
- ↑ U.S. Election Atlas, "2004 Presidential General Election Results - Marathon County, WI," accessed September 22, 2014
- ↑ U.S. Election Atlas, "2000 Presidential General Election Results - Marathon County, WI," accessed September 22, 2014
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Wisconsin Candidate Eligibility," accessed September 22, 2014
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Candidates: Getting on the Ballot," accessed September 22, 2014
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Wisconsin State Legislature, "State Statutes: CHAPTER 8," accessed September 22, 2014
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Voter Registration," accessed September 22, 2014
- ↑ Facebook, "Wausau School District Cancels Christmas," April 1, 2014
- ↑ Wausau Daily Herald, "For Wausau School Board, we endorse Trollop, Gordon, Leigh: Our View," March 22, 2014
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Wausau Daily Herald, "Wausau schools limit religious music," October 4, 2013
- ↑ Facebook, "Wausau School District Cancels Christmas: About," accessed September 23, 2014
- ↑ Wausau Daily Herald, "Packed crowd fights Wausau religious-music rules (video added)," October 11, 2013
- ↑ Wausau Daily Herald, "Wausau School Board rejects effort to force superintendent's apology," November 12, 2013
- ↑ KSAW, "EXCLUSIVE: Violent Threats Made in Wake of Wausau Music Controversy," November 1, 2013
- ↑ Wausau School District: Board of Education, "Minutes of SPECIAL MEETING," accessed September 23, 2014
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "CAMPAIGN FINANCE REPORT DATES," accessed September 22, 2014
- ↑ Wausau Daily Herald, "All Wausau council incumbents re-elected, Neal only newcomer," April 1, 2014
| 2014 Wausau School District Elections | |
| Marathon County, Wisconsin | |
| Election date: | April 1, 2014 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Yvonne Henning • Incumbent, Lance R. Trollop • Chad Dennis • A.J. Gordon • Jeff Leigh • Mary Kowatch |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections |
