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Wauwatosa School District elections (2017)
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Four of the seven seats on the Wauwatosa School District school board were up for by-district general election on April 4, 2017. In his bid for re-election to District 4, incumbent Stan Zurawski ran against challenger Leigh Anne Fraley. Zurawski resigned from the board in February 2017, but his name still appeared on the ballot. Fraley won election to the seat. District 5 incumbent Kristy Casey was defeated by challenger Michael Phillips. District 6 incumbent Sharon Muehlfeld ran unopposed and won another term on the board. District 7 incumbent Brian Bawden did not file to run for re-election, leaving the seat open for a newcomer. Steve Doman ran unopposed and won that seat.[1][2] Every winner in this election was endorsed by the Wauwatosa Education Association.[3]
With half the seats on the ballot seeing no opposition, the 2017 race had fewer unopposed seats than the district's 2016 election. Every seat on the ballot was unopposed that year. For more election trends, click here.
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The Wauwatosa school board consists of seven members elected to three-year terms. Elections are held on a three-year rotation. One year three seats are on the ballot, the next year four seats are on the ballot, and the third year no elections are held. Three seats—Seats 1, 2, and 3—were up for election on April 5, 2016, and four seats—Seats 4, 5, 6, and 7—were up for general election on April 4, 2017. A primary election could have been held on February 21, 2017, if more than two candidates had filed for a single seat.[4]
School board candidates had to be at least 18 years old, U.S. citizens, and residents of the school district for a minimum of 28 consecutive days before filing as a candidate. They also could not be disqualified from voting under Wisconsin law.[5]
To get on the ballot, school board candidates had to file nomination papers with the school district clerk by January 3, 2017. If incumbents whose terms were up for re-election did not file to run in the race and did not file written notification that they would not be running, the candidate filing deadline could have been extended until January 6, 2017. The terms of candidates elected in the race started on April 24, 2017.[5]
Candidates and results
Seat 4
Results
| Wauwatosa School District, Seat 4 General Election, 3-year term, 2017 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Leigh Anne Fraley |
78.48% | 5,312 |
| Stan Zurawski Incumbent | 21.21% | 1,436 |
| Write-in votes | 0.31% | 21 |
| Total Votes | 6,769 | |
| Source: City of Wauwatosa, "Summary Report: 2017 Spring Election," accessed May 2, 2017 | ||
Candidates
| Stan Zurawski | Leigh Anne Fraley 
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Seat 5
Results
| Wauwatosa School District, Seat 5 General Election, 3-year term, 2017 |
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|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Michael Phillips |
55.20% | 3,494 |
| Kristy Casey Incumbent | 44.47% | 2,815 |
| Write-in votes | 0.33% | 21 |
| Total Votes | 6,330 | |
| Source: City of Wauwatosa, "Summary Report: 2017 Spring Election," accessed May 2, 2017 | ||
Candidates
| Kristy Casey | Michael Phillips
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Seat 6
Results
| Wauwatosa School District, Seat 6 General Election, 3-year term, 2017 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Sharon Muehlfeld Incumbent (unopposed) |
98.79% | 4,001 |
| Write-in votes | 1.21% | 49 |
| Total Votes | 4,050 | |
| Source: City of Wauwatosa, "Summary Report: 2017 Spring Election," accessed May 2, 2017 | ||
Candidates
| Sharon Muehlfeld
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Seat 7
Results
| Wauwatosa School District, Seat 7 General Election, 3-year term, 2017 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Steve Doman (unopposed) |
98.93% | 3,986 |
| Write-in votes | 1.07% | 43 |
| Total Votes | 4,029 | |
| Source: City of Wauwatosa, "Summary Report: 2017 Spring Election," accessed May 2, 2017 | ||
Candidates
| Steve Doman
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Wisconsin elections, 2017
The Wauwatosa school board election shared the ballot with elections for the office of Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction and one seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court.[6]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for Wisconsin school board elections in 2017:[7][8]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| January 3, 2017 | Candidate filing deadline |
| January 16, 2017 | Campaign finance deadline for candidates registered before January 1 |
| February 13, 2017 | Pre-primary election campaign finance deadline |
| February 21, 2017 | Primary election day |
| March 27, 2017 | Pre-general election campaign finance deadline |
| April 4, 2017 | Election Day |
| April 24, 2017 | Board members take office |
| July 15, 2017 | Post-election campaign finance deadline |
Endorsements
The Wauwatosa Education Association endorsed District 4 candidate Leigh Anne Fraley, District 5 candidate Michael Phillips, District 6 incumbent Sharon Muehlfeld, and District 7 candidate Steve Doman.[3]
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
All school board candidates in Wisconsin were required to file a campaign registration statement with the Wisconsin Ethics Commission after qualifying as candidates. This statement declares their candidacy to the county clerk's office and allows them to claim exemption from reporting campaign contributions and expenditures. Candidates were only required to report campaign contributions and expenditures if they did one or both of the following:[9]
- Accepted contributions, made disbursements, or incurred debt in excess of $2,000 during the calendar year
- Accepted more than $100 from a single source during the calendar year, barring contributions made by candidates to their own campaigns
There were three campaign finance report deadlines in 2017:
- The pre-primary report was due February 13, 2017,
- The pre-election report was due March 27, 2017, and
- The post-election report was due July 15, 2017.[10]
Candidates who filed before January 1, 2017, also had to file a continuing campaign finance report on January 16, 2017.[11]
Reports
Candidates received a total of $14,481.00 and spent a total of $6,412.11 in the election, according to the Wauwatosa School District.[12]
All but one candidate in this race filed exemption statements detailing they would not spend or receive more than $2,000 toward their campaigns. Because of this, they did not have to file additional campaign finance reports.[12]
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| District 4 | |||
| Leigh Anne Fraley | $14,481.00 | $6,412.11 | $8,068.89 |
Past elections
Information about earlier elections can be found by clicking [show] at the right. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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2016Seat 1
Seat 2
Seat 3
2014Seat 4
Seat 5
Seat 6
Seat 7
2013Seat 1
Seat 2
Seat 3
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What was at stake?
2017
Election trends
- See also: School boards in session: 2015 in brief
The 2017 Wauwatosa school board election had a lower percentage of unopposed seats than the district's 2016 election. In 2017, two of the four seats up for election were unopposed. In 2016, all three of the seats on the ballot were unopposed.
One incumbent ran for re-election and won another term on the board in 2016, and two new members won open seats. Due to the unopposed seats, the district's 2017 election was guaranteed to add at least one newcomer to the board and to re-elect at least one incumbent. Newcomers won the other two seats on the ballot.
| School board election trends | ||||||
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| Year | Candidates per seat | Unopposed seats | Incumbents running for re-election | Incumbent success rate | Seats won by newcomers | |
| Wauwatosa School District | ||||||
| 2017 | 1.50 | 50.00% | 75.00% | 33.33% | 75.00% | |
| 2016 | 1.00 | 100.00% | 33.33% | 100.00% | 66.67% | |
| Wisconsin | ||||||
| 2015 | 1.38 | 38.24% | 73.53% | 84.00% | 35.29% | |
| United States | ||||||
| 2015 | 1.72 | 35.95% | 70.37% | 82.66% | 40.81% | |
Issues in the election
Incumbent resigns from school board
Appointed incumbent Stan Zurawski resigned from the Wauwatosa School Board effective February 27, 2017. He filed to run for re-election in the general election on April 4, 2017. His name still appeared on the ballot. If he had won the election, he would have had the option of rejoining the board or declining the position.[13]
Zurawski cited personal reasons for his resignation. "Stan served with honor and distinction during his time on the board," said Board President Michael E. Meier. "I was a better board member because Stan was in the room."[13]
Issues in the district
Advocacy group calls for more per-pupil funding
The advocacy group Support Our Schools (SOS) Wauwatosa called on Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) to raise per-pupil funding in January 2017 in response to a surplus of state funds. The state's Legislative Fiscal Bureau released a memo saying that the state had nearly $715 million more than expected due to higher revenue projects and lower Medicaid spending.[14]
“Our kids can have big dreams about their future when they’re confident about the present,” said Stacy Racine Lynch, president of SOS Wauwatosa. “We encourage Governor Walker to seize this unique moment and raise the revenue cap and increase state funding by at least $300 a year per pupil. We want all children in Wauwatosa and Wisconsin to be able to imagine and prepare for success.”[14]
In February 2017, Walker promised to add $649 million to the state's education funding for the 2017-2019 budget. His proposal included a $200 per-pupil increase for the 2017-2018 school year and a $204 per-pupil increase for the 2018-2019 school year.[15]
"What Walker has put in the budget he should be lauded for," said John Mack, director of business services for the Wauwatosa School District. "The $200-plus (per pupil) would be outstanding for Wauwatosa School District."[16]
Though he said he was appreciative of the governor's proposed budget, Mack also said it was not enough to cover the school district's facility costs from aging buildings and maintenance. "It's not a long-term solution. It doesn't give us enough operating revenue to make the necessary changes in the classroom," Mack said. "It's enough to give us operational dollars in the short term."[16]
Wauwatosa Alderman Dennis McBride said that efforts by groups like SOS Wauwatosa helped the governor decide to add more funding for education. "Governor Walker responded to the groundswell of support for public education," McBride said. "If we had not started advocating in 2015, this budget would not have been favorable for public schools."[16]
In September 2017, the Wisconsin State Legislature passed a budget that included an increase of $639 million for public education funding.[17]
Candidate survey
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About the district
- See also: Wauwatosa School District, Wisconsin
The Wauwatosa School District is located in Milwaukee County in southeastern Wisconsin. The county seat is Milwaukee. Milwaukee County was home to 957,735 residents in 2015, according to the United States Census Bureau.[18] The district was the 17th-largest school district in the state in the 2014-2015 school year and served 7,227 students.[19]
Higher education achievement
Milwaukee County outperformed Wisconsin as a whole in terms of higher education achievement between 2011 and 2015. The United States Census Bureau found that 29.1 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 27.8 percent of state residents.[18]
Median household income
From 2011 to 2015, the median household income for Milwaukee County was $43,873. During that same period, the median household income for Wisconsin was $53,357. For the United States, it was $53,889.[18]
Poverty rate
The poverty rate in Milwaukee County was 22 percent between 2011 and 2015. During that same period, the poverty rate for the entire state was 12.1 percent, and it was 13.5 percent for the entire country.[18]
Racial demographics
| Racial Demographics, 2015[18] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race | Milwaukee County (%) | Wisconsin (%) | |
| White | 65.1 | 87.6 | |
| Black or African American | 27.1 | 6.6 | |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.0 | 1.1 | |
| Asian | 4.2 | 2.8 | |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | 0.0 | 0.1 | |
| Two or more races | 2.7 | 1.8 | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 14.5 | 6.6 | |
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 Wauwatosa School District Wisconsin election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Wauwatosa School District | Wisconsin | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Abbey Smith, "Phone communication with Wauwatosa School District Superintendent's Office," January 5, 2017
- ↑ Milwaukee County Election Commission, "Summary Report: Unofficial Results," accessed April 4, 2017
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Michael Phillips," March 19, 2017
- ↑ Wauwatosa School District, "Board Members," accessed January 3, 2017
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Wisconsin Association of School Boards, "Guide for Candidates: 2017 Spring Election Edition," accessed December 16, 2016
- ↑ Wisconsin Election Commission, "Spring 2017 Election," accessed January 3, 2017
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Guided for Candidates," accessed December 16, 2016
- ↑ Wisconsin Ethics Commission, "Campaign Finance Checklist," accessed December 16, 2016
- ↑ Wisconsin State Legislature, "11.0104 Reporting exemptions: limited activity," accessed December 15, 2016
- ↑ Wisconsin Ethics Commission, "Filing Deadlines and Reporting Periods," accessed December 15, 2016
- ↑ Wisconsin Ethics Commission, "Campaign Finance Checklist," accessed December 16, 2016
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Connie Galante, Administrative Assistant to Superintendent, Wauwatosa School District," March 28, 2017
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Wauwatosa Now, "Stan Zurawski resigns from the Wauwatosa School Board," March 1, 2017
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 WisBusiness.com, "Wisconsin Advocates: Restore funding to K-12 public schools," January 21, 2017
- ↑ Leader-Telegram, "Walker vows big K-12 funding boost," February 5, 2017
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Wauwatosa Now, "State budget to provide some relief for Wauwatosa Schools," February 21, 2017
- ↑ Wisconsin State Journal, "A quick primer on what's in the 2017-19 Wisconsin state budget," September 19, 2017
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 18.4 United States Census Bureau, "Milwaukee County, Wisconsin," accessed December 19, 2016
- ↑ U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, "Common Core of Data, file ccd_lea_052_1414_w_0216161a, 2014-2015," accessed November 16, 2016
| Wauwatosa School District elections in 2017 | |
| Milwaukee County, Wisconsin | |
| Election date: | April 4, 2017 |
| Candidates: | District 4: • Incumbent, Stan Zurawski • Leigh Anne Fraley District 5: • Incumbent, Kristy Casey • Michael Phillips District 6: • Incumbent, Sharon Muehlfeld District 7: • Steve Doman |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
