Wausau School District elections (2015)
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Three seats on the Wausau Board of Education were up for general election on April 7, 2015. Three at-large board incumbents, Patrick McKee, Michelle Schaefer and Kathi Whalen-Geiger, were up for re-election. Schaefer, however, did not file for the race. McKee and Whalen-Geiger faced challengers Bart Hobson, Jeff Kocha and Beth Martin.[1] The incumbents retained their seats, and Martin won her first term on the board.[2]
A $30 million building plan and a technology referendum were also on the ballot. The building plan was approved while the technology referendum was narrowly defeated. Meanwhile, the district dealt with proposed state budget cuts to education and a debate over the release of student information to a school choice group.
One of the five candidates in this election, Jeff Kocha, participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 survey of school board candidates.
About the district
- See also: Wausau School District, Wisconsin
Wausau School District is located in Wausau, the county seat of Marathon County, in central Wisconsin. The county was home to approximately 135,416 residents in 2013, according to estimates by the United States Census Bureau.[3] In the 2011-2012 school year, Wausau School District was the 13th-largest school district by enrollment in Wisconsin and served 8,574 students.[4]
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 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 the county was 10.4 percent. It was 12.5 percent statewide for that same time period.[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 Wausau Board of Education consists of nine members who are elected at-large on a staggered basis to three-year terms. Because no more than two candidates filed for any board position, there was no primary election. The general election was held April 7, 2015.
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.[9] 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.[10]
Candidates had between December 1, 2014, and January 6, 2015, to collect at least 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.[11]
Voters could register to vote in the election at the polling place on the election day. Proof of residence was required when registering to vote.[12] In March 2015, the United States Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge to Wisconsin's voter ID law allowing it to take effect. However, Wisconsin officials stated they would not enforce the law until after the election on April 7, 2015. No photo identification was required to vote in this election.[13]
Elections
2015
Candidates
At-large
- Patrick McKee
- Incumbent, first elected in April 2012
- Vice president, Optum
- Kathi Whalen-Geiger
- Incumbent, first elected in April 2012
- Bart Hobson
- Physician, Marshfield Clinic
- M.D., University of Rochester School of Medicine
- Jeff Kocha
- Director of facilities, Interim Healthcare of Wausau
- Member, Rib Mountain Zoning Board of Appeals
- Beth Martin
- Library media specialist, D.C. Everest Middle School
Election results
| Wausau School District, At-Large General Election, 3-year term, 2015 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Kathi Whalen-Geiger Incumbent |
24.2% | 5,869 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jean Martin |
23% | 5,574 | |
| Nonpartisan | Patrick McKee Incumbent |
18.9% | 4,569 | |
| Nonpartisan | Bart Hobson | 17.3% | 4,198 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jeff Kocha | 16.6% | 4,028 | |
| Total Votes | 24,238 | |||
| Source: Wausau School District, "2015 Certificate of the Board of Canvassers - School Board," accessed May 28, 2015 | ||||
Endorsements
Hobson and Martin were endorsed by Wisconsin Progress.[14] Martin was also endorsed by the Marathon County Labor Council AFL-CIO.[15]
Campaign finance
No contributions or expenditures were reported in this election, according to the Wausau School District. All of the candidates in the election filed as "Exempt from Filing Campaign Finance Records" on their campaign registration statements.[16]
Candidates were only required to file campaign finance reports if they did one of the following:
- accepted contributions, made disbursements or incurred obligations in an aggregate amount of more than $1,000 in a calendar year
- accepted more than $100 from a single source in the calendar year, except contributions made by candidates to their own campaigns
Past elections
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What was at stake?
2015
Issues in the election
Building plans and technology referendum
- See also: Additional elections on the ballot
Residents of the Wausau School District voted on a $30 million school building plan as well as a technology referendum in the general election on April 7, 2015. The district's school board unanimously voted to put both the plan and the referendum before voters on January 12, 2015.[17] The building plan was approved while the technology referendum was defeated.
Issues in the district
District adds virtual education program
The Wausau School District announced in February 2015 that it would begin offering a virtual education program for students in sixth through 12th grade starting in the 2015-2016 school year. Wausau Area Virtual Education (WAVE) lets students take classes from locations outside of school. District officials said they planned to first target students who are home-schooled and students living in the district who take online classes from other virtual schools.[18]
"What we're shooting for here is anytime, anywhere learning," said Thom Hahn, the district's director of secondary education. He said the virtual education program was developed to try to attract students who left the district through Wisconsin's open enrollment program. According to Hahn, WAVE was not supposed to cost the district any additional funds as per-pupil funding follows students wherever they go to school. If the district attracted students outside of the district, it could have even produced new revenue. WAVE courses are offered through the statewide online school Wisconsin Virtual School.[18]
Superintendent sends letter to families referencing proposed budget cuts
In response to state education funding cuts proposed by Gov. Scott Walker (R), Wausau School District Superintendent Kathleen Williams sent a letter to families in the district. In the letter, she informed the community of the impact such funding cuts could have on students in the district.[19]
Walker's proposed funding cuts included a reduction in per-student funding by $150 for the 2015-2016 school year. In her letter, Williams explained that such cuts would result in a decrease of $2,500,000 from the district's budget for the 2015-2016 school year. She urged anyone with questions to contact their legislators.[20][21]
"There is no question that should the budget proposal remain unchanged, the financial impact on the Wausau School District will be significant and have ramifications for both short- and long-term planning," Williams said in her letter.[20]
Student information requested from school choice group
School Choice Wisconsin, a school choice advocacy group, requested information on all students attending the Wausau School District in February 2015, and under state law, the district was required to provide it. The group filed an open records request for student names, addresses, phone numbers, grade levels and schools from a total of 30 school districts in the state. The request came after Gov. Walker proposed lifting the enrollment cap on the statewide voucher program. Jim Bender, president of School Choice Wisconsin, said the gathered information would be used to educate parents on their school choice options and would likely be shared with private and parochial schools that are part of the state's voucher program. He likened the requests to other marketing efforts, such as billboards and mailings, and said the same information is provided in student directories and to college and military recruiters.[22][23][24][25]
Some state officials, however, saw the request as an infringement on student privacy. State Sen. Dave Hansen (D-30) and State Rep. Eric Genrich (D-90) expressed concern over the student data request.[22] "As a parent and lawmaker, I'm outraged by this request for personal student information," said Genrich.[24]
Together, Hansen and Genrich proposed a bill to protect students’ personal information. They planned to allow access to student information only “to advance a school’s educational mission but keep it out of the hands of those who might seek to harm children.”[22]
Wausau School District Superintendent Kathleen Williams said she was a little taken aback by the request. She had the district send out an email informing parents about the request. Williams said she was not concerned about what School Choice Wisconsin would do with the information, but she wanted to let parents know they have the ability to make their student's information private.[26]
Ballotpedia survey responses
One of the five candidates in this election had participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 survey of school board candidates. The following sections display the responses to the survey questions from Jeff Kocha.
Top priorities
When asked what his top priorities would be if elected, Kocha stated:
| “ | Providing appropriate facilities are on the top of the list. Our schools currently cannot support the numbers of students in our district, and currently the upcoming referendum seems to best address the issue, so I support that. I don't see the voucher system impacting greatly any outstanding school district, so instead of focusing on the symptom (vouchers), I intend to focus on the cause (dissatisfaction). Part of the reason Wausau hasn't seen more problems with the vouchers is because it currently offers a very good product, and we need to ensure we continue on the same path or it will become our problem.[27] | ” |
| —Jeff Kocha (2015)[28] | ||
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 candidate's rankings, which can be sorted from most to least important:
| Issue | Kocha's ranking |
|---|---|
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Improving college readiness | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Expanding career-technical education | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
Positions on the issues
The candidates were asked to answer 10 multiple choice and short answer questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. Links to the candidate's responses can be found below.
Key deadlines
The following were key deadlines for Wausau School District 2015 elections:[11][29]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| December 1, 2014 | Candidate signature gathering period began |
| January 6, 2015 | Signature submission deadline |
| February 9, 2015 | Campaign finance report due |
| March 30, 2015 | Campaign finance report due |
| April 7, 2015 | General Election Day |
| July 20, 2015 | Campaign finance report due |
Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Wisconsin elections, 2015
One seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court was up for election on April 7, 2015. One seat on the Marathon County Circuit Court was also scheduled for election, but incumbent Jill N. Falstad was unopposed at the close of the candidate filing period. Statewide, voters determined whether or not to approve a constitutional amendment question regarding the selection of the state's supreme court chief justice.
WSD ballot questions
| WXCO, "Interview with Board President Lance Trollop," March 8, 2015 |
In addition to board of education seats, Wausau district residents voted upon a $30 million building plan and a technology referendum on April 7, 2015. The questions were placed on the ballot by a unanimous vote of the school board on January 12, 2015.[30] The building plan was approved while the technology referendum was narrowly defeated.[2]
In an article to the Wausau Daily Herald, Board President Lance R. Trollop described the proposals and emphasized that the money would allow the district to expand and enhance its curriculum in its manufacturing and automotive facilities. "Developing student employability skills is a high priority," Trollop stated.[31] In a similar vein, Supterintendent Kathleen Williams wrote an article explaining the goals of the technology referendum. She stated that the plan was "not just about 'devices,' such as iPads, Chromebooks, or laptops," but that it would also address the "aging, and in some cases not repairable, district infrastructure."[32]
The Wausau Daily Herald editorial board endorsed the two measures, saying:
| “ | The district did its homework. These proposals are carefully designed, aligned with specific and important priorities, and they come after literally years of public input and careful study of facilities needs and educational needs.
The quality of our schools can be a community asset for Wausau and a recruiting tool for helping aid future growth. But that requires investment, and the proposals laid out here are wise investments. We endorse a yes vote on both Wausau School District referendum questions.[27] |
” |
| —Wausau Daily Herald (2015)[33] | ||
Question 1: Building plan question
The building plan, Question 1, focused on two major problems in the district: overcrowding and costly maintenance renovations to the district's A.C. Kiefer Educational Center. To deal with these problems, the plan provided funds to demolish the center building and build four new district sites in its place. The plan also included building 10 new classrooms for elementary schools, expanding early childhood education in the district, adding on to the technical education areas at the district's high schools and conducting maintenance projects on existing buildings. The cost for this plan came to approximately $29.6 million, raising property taxes by $58 per year per $100,000 property value.[34]
Text of measure
Question 1 appeared on the ballot as follows:
| “ | Question 1
Shall the Wausau School District, Marathon County, Wisconsin be authorized to issue pursuant to Chapter 67 of the Wisconsin Statutes, general obligation bonds in an amount not to exceed $29,565,000 for the public purpose of paying the cost of: capital maintenance projects throughout the District; constructing additions to and making related facility renovations and site improvements (including play area, athletic field and parking improvements) at G.D. Jones Elementary School, Hawthorn Hills Elementary School, Riverview Elementary School, Thomas Jefferson Elementary School, Wausau East High School and Wausau West High School; demolition of A.C. Kiefer Educational Center and restoration of the related site; and acquiring related fixtures, furnishings and equipment?[27] |
” |
| —Wausau School District (2015)[35] | ||
Results
| Wausau School Referendum #1 (2015) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
 Yes | 5,484 | 54.25% | ||
| No | 4,624 | 45.75% | ||
Question 2: Technology referendum
The technology referendum, Question 2, asked voters to allow the district to exceed state-imposed tax revenue limits in order to upgrade technology systems. The district asked to exceed the limits by $2 million per year for five years, which would have cost taxpayers $34 per year per $100,000 property value.[34]
Text of measure
Question 2 appeared on the ballot as follows:
| “ | Question 2
Shall the Wausau School District, Marathon County, Wisconsin be authorized to exceed the revenue limit specified in Section 121.91. Wisconsin Statutes by $2,000,000 per year for a period of five years on a non-recurring basis beginning with the 2015-2016 school year and ending with the 2019-2020 school year, for the purpose of funding the District-approved technology plan?[27] |
” |
| —Wausau School District (2015)[35] | ||
Results
| Wausau School Referendum #2 (2015) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
 No | 5,226 | 50.80% | ||
| Yes | 5,062 | 49.20% | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Wausau School District Wisconsin. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Wausau School District | Wisconsin | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Margaret Koenig, "Email correspondence with Cassie Peck, Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent of Wausau School District," January 7, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Marathon County, "Election Results," April 7, 2015
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 United States Census Bureau, "Marathon County, Wisconsin," accessed September 22, 2014
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed January 27, 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
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Wisconsin State Legislature, "State Statutes: CHAPTER 8," accessed September 22, 2014
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Voter Registration," accessed September 22, 2014
- ↑ The New York Times, "Wisconsin Decides Not to Enforce Voter ID Law," March 23, 2015
- ↑ Wisconsin Progress, "OUR ENDORSEMENTS FOR SPRING 2015," accessed February 25, 2015
- ↑ Facebook, "Beth Martin for Wausau School Board: Wall Post," March 5, 2015
- ↑ Margaret Koenig, "Email correspondence with Cassie Peck, Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent of Wausau School District," August 25, 2015
- ↑ Biz Times, "WAUSAU – School Board will put $30 million building plan to April vote," January 13, 2015
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Wausau Daily Herald, "Wausau School District plans to offer virtual school," February 24, 2015
- ↑ School Administrators Alliance, "Williams Sends Budget Letter to Wausau Families," February 18, 2015
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Wausau School District, "Letter from Dr. Kathleen Williams, Superintendent of Schools," February 16, 2015
- ↑ NBC 15, "Superintendents send letter to lawmakers over budget concerns," February 18, 2015
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 ABC 2, "Green Bay lawmakers want law to protect student information," February 13, 2015
- ↑ Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "School choice group seeks personal data on students," February 13, 2015
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 Green Bay Press Gazette, "Voucher group requests student info from public schools," February 13, 2015
- ↑ Fox 11, "School districts differ on giving up student information," February 13, 2015
- ↑ My FOX Wausau, "Schools required to give out "extensive" student information," February 13, 2015
- ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 27.3 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2015, "Jeff Kocha's responses," March 24, 2015
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "CAMPAIGN FINANCE REPORT DATES," accessed September 22, 2014
- ↑ Biz Times, "WAUSAU – School Board will put $30 million building plan to April vote," January 13, 2015
- ↑ Wausau School District, "Explaining Wausau schools referendum," accessed March 27, 2015
- ↑ Wausau School District, "Why the Wausau school referendum is needed," February 27, 2015
- ↑ Wausau Daily Herald, "To help Wausau grow, vote yes on school referendums," March 22, 2015
- ↑ 34.0 34.1 Wausau Daily Herald, "Wausau schools will put $30M building plan to April vote," January 14, 2015
- ↑ 35.0 35.1 Wausau School District, "Referendum 2015," accessed March 27, 2015
| 2015 Wausau School District Elections | |
| Marathon County, Wisconsin | |
| Election date: | April 7, 2015 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Patrick McKee • Kathi Whalen-Geiger • Bart Hobson • Jeff Kocha • Beth Martin |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
