West Allis-West Milwaukee School District elections (2017)
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Three of the nine seats on the West Allis-West Milwaukee School District school board were up for at-large general election on April 4, 2017. In their bids for re-election to the board, incumbents Dan Bailey, Diane Narlock, and Gail Radonski ran against challengers Brian Keller and Noah Leigh.[1] Bailey won re-election to the board, and Keller and Leigh won the other two seats on the ballot.[2] In addition to choosing school board members in this election, citizens of the school district voted on a $12.5 million referendum. It was not approved.[3] The decision to put the referendum on the 2017 ballot was part of a plan to deal with the district's past overspending.[4]
With every incumbent running for re-election and no seats unopposed, the 2017 school board race followed a pattern from past elections in the district. Click here to read how this race compared to past elections in both the district and the state.
Keller and Leigh participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of school board candidates. Click here to read their responses. All five candidates in this race participated in candidate forums in February and March 2017.[5] At a school board meeting in January 2017, local activists voiced concerns about implementing a districtwide transgender bathroom policy. The district did not have a policy at the time of the meeting, but the school board held a workshop on the issue in December 2016.[6]
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The West Allis-West Milwaukee school board consists of nine members elected to three-year terms. Elections are held at large on a staggered basis every year in April. Three seats were up for election on April 5, 2016, and three seats were up for general election on April 4, 2017. A primary election could have been held on February 21, 2017, if more than six candidates had filed to run in the race.[7]
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.[8]
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.[8]
Candidates and results
At-large
Results
| West Allis-West Milwaukee School District, At-large General Election, 3-year terms, 2017 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Noah Leigh |
22.73% | 4,455 |
| Brian Keller |
22.61% | 4,431 |
| Dan Bailey Incumbent |
18.51% | 3,627 |
| Diane Narlock Incumbent | 18.23% | 3,573 |
| Gail Radonski Incumbent | 17.92% | 3,513 |
| Total Votes | 19,599 | |
| Source: West Allis-West Milwaukee School District, "School Board Election Results," accessed April 19, 2017 | ||
Candidates
Dan Bailey 
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Diane Narlock | Gail Radonski | |||
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| Brian Keller
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Noah Leigh
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Wisconsin elections, 2017
The West Allis-West Milwaukee 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. A referendum for the school district was also on the ballot.[3][9]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for Wisconsin school board elections in 2017:[10][11]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| January 3, 2017 | Candidate filing deadline |
| January 16, 2017 | Campaign finance deadline for candidates registered before January 1 |
| February 13, 2017 | Campaign finance deadline for districts holding primary elections |
| March 27, 2017 | Campaign finance deadline for general election |
| April 4, 2017 | Election Day |
| April 24, 2017 | Board members take office |
| July 15, 2017 | Post-election campaign finance deadline |
Endorsements
The Wisconsin AFL-CIO and the Wisconsin Alliance for Retired Americans endorsed incumbents Dan Bailey, Diane Narlock, and Gail Radonski.[12][13]
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:[14]
- 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.[15]
Candidates who filed before January 1, 2017, also had to file a continuing campaign finance report on January 16, 2017.[11]
Reports
All five candidates 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.[16]
Past elections
Information about earlier elections can be found by clicking [show] at the right. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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2016
2015
2014
2013Jeffrey Sikich, Patricia Ulwelling, and Susan Stalewski won election to the board without opposition on April 2, 2013.[17] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
What was at stake?
2017
Election trends
- See also: School boards in session: 2015 in brief
The 2017 election for the West Allis-West Milwaukee school board followed a pattern from the district's past three elections in which no seats were unopposed and every incumbent ran to retain his or her seat. The district's 2016 election was the only race from 2014 to 2017 that did not have every incumbent running for another term.
One incumbent was defeated and at least one newcomer was elected to the board in the district's 2014, 2015, and 2016 elections. In 2016, a second newcomer was elected to the board due to an open seat. The 2017 race also re-elected one incumbent and added two newcomers to the board, but the newcomers defeated incumbents to gain their seats.
| 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 | |
| West Allis-West Milwaukee School District | ||||||
| 2017 | 1.67 | 0.00% | 100.00% | 33.33% | 66.67% | |
| 2016 | 1.33 | 0.00% | 66.67% | 50.00% | 66.67% | |
| 2015 | 1.67 | 0.00% | 100.00% | 66.67% | 33.33% | |
| 2014 | 1.33 | 0.00% | 100.00% | 66.67% | 33.33% | |
| Wisconsin | ||||||
| 2015 | 1.38 | 38.24% | 73.53% | 84.00% | 35.29% | |
| 2014 | 1.40 | 46.67% | 86.67% | 88.46% | 23.33% | |
| United States | ||||||
| 2015 | 1.72 | 35.95% | 70.37% | 82.66% | 40.81% | |
| 2014 | 1.89 | 32.57% | 75.51% | 81.31% | 38.24% | |
Issues in the election
March candidate forum
The candidates in this race participated in a candidate forum hosted by the West Allis Youth Commission on March 22, 2017. A video of the forum can be found below.
February candidate forum
All five candidates who ran for a seat on the West Allis-West Milwaukee school board participated in a candidate forum for members of the West Allis-West Milwaukee Education Association on February 15, 2017. They discussed teacher turnover, performance pay, and the expansion of school vouchers.[5]
Incumbent Dan Bailey told teachers in the audience, "I don't think you have the voice you need to have." Both he and challenger Brian Keller discussed the need to appreciate that teachers know how to do their jobs. Keller also said that the district needed to make a stronger effort to retain teachers.[5]
"We need to get to the root of why teachers are leaving," Keller said. "Tackle those problems and get rid of them." He said reducing turnover would reduce costs.[5]
Incumbents Diane Narlock and Gail Radonski expressed hope that the April 4 referendum would pass and free up more funds for performance pay for teachers. Narlock also said the district "should have more simplified criteria" for performance pay, and Radonski said initial efforts to start a performance pay system had been difficult.[5]
Radonski and challenger Noah Leigh said that the board had little knowledge of what was going on in classrooms on a day-to-day basis. Leigh promised the teachers in the audience that he would "value you like the professionals you are."[5]
On the subject of school vouchers, Radonski said that "taxpayer money should stay in the public school system." Leigh agreed. He said vouchers were "siphoning off dollars we could use in our schools."[5]
Keller said, "Competition can be a good thing." He said district officials should look at what private schools were doing to improve their own schools and keep students.[5]
Referendum
In addition to choosing three school board members on April 4, 2017, citizens of the West Allis-West Milwaukee School District also voted on a $12.5 million referendum to be spread out in $2.5 million increments over school years 2017-2018 through 2021-2022. The referendum asked for the funding to cover rising costs of expenses, to retain staff, and to develop new programming, according to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.[18] Voters did not approve the referendum. A total of 55.68 percent of voters cast ballots against it, according to unofficial results.[19]
The decision to put the referendum on the 2017 ballot came after the district's leaders were informed in December 2015 that $14 million of district funds had been overspent. To replenish the funds, the district borrowed money and sold district buildings. West Allis-West Milwaukee Superintendent Marty Lexmond also said the district had tightened the budget.[3][4]
“But we’re still facing significant financial challenges,” Lexmond said. “We’ve gotten to the point where we’re going to have to start making cuts in the schools.”[3]
The school board voted unanimously on January 23, 2017, to put the referendum on the ballot. A district survey conducted in December 2016 that showed a majority of respondents were willing to pay up to $60 more annually in property taxes for the school district.[3]
Issues in the district
Local activists weigh in on district's transgender bathroom policy discussion
Local activists spoke at West Allis-West Milwaukee school board meetings in January and March 2017, imploring the district to not allow transgender students to use the bathrooms of their identified gender. As of the date of the March 2017 meeting, the district did not have a transgender bathroom access policy on the books, but in December 2016, the school board held a workshop on the issue.[6][20][21]
West Allis-West Milwaukee Superintendent Marty Lexmond said there were at least two students who identified as transgender attending school in the district in the 2016-2017 school year. He said those students were using private bathroom facilities. "When families ask for support, we offer a single use restroom," Lexmond said. "It's what almost every high school across the country has been doing until there is further legal guidance."[6]
Robert Braun, a conservative activist in West Allis, spoke during the public comment portion of both school board meetings. He told the board that if members changed the district's policy to allow transgender students to use the bathroom of the gender they identified with, he would start legal action.[6]
Prior to the board meeting in January 2017, Braun, along with the Christian Civil Liberties Union and the organization Stop the Violence, published a news release on the issue. “There is no law requiring schools to accommodate the special needs of a few sexually diverse students,” the news release said. “It is appalling that this is getting any attention whatsoever. We are all born either male or female, period.”[6]
School board members said they worked with teachers, parents, and students to ensure all needs were met. They did not comment directly on statements about transgender bathroom access as it was not included in the meetings' agendas.[6]
In May 2016, the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Justice sent a guidance letter to school districts throughout the country saying that transgender students should be able to use the bathroom of their chosen gender. The letter said that not allowing students to do so could be considered a violation of Title IX.[22] In February 2017, another joint letter from those two departments rescinded that guidance. In the new letter, officials said that "there must be due regard for the primary role of the States and local school districts in establishing educational policy."[23]
District deals with overspending
The West Allis-West Milwaukee School District sold its administrative offices in January 2017 in order to recoup some of the $14 million that the district spent over budget in the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 school years. Due to the sale, the district had to relocate its central offices, night school, and Learning Center.[4]
District officials proposed moving central office staff to any available space in the district and rehoming the night school and Learning Center to Lincoln Intermediate School. Doing so, however, required moving the sixth through eighth grade students who would have attended the school in the 2017-2018 school year. The students had to be split among three other intermediate schools. The plan was met with opposition from some parents in February 2017.[24][25]
"None of this is fair to kids. It's unfortunate that we have to face this moment, but with declining enrollment, overspending and not enough revenue coming from the state, we have to make hard decisions and this happens to be one of them," said Superintendent Marty Lexmond.[24]
The school board discussed the relocation in a special meeting on February 6, 2017, and they approved the relocation plan at their board meeting on February 27, 2017.[26][27]
The district's leaders were informed through an accounting study about the $14 million that had been spent over what was originally budgeted in December 2015. The additional expenses came from "employee benefits and investment payments to school operations and athletics facility improvements," according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Members of the school board expressed surprise at the total amount that had been spent over budget, which was higher than administrators had warned. The accounting study revealed no misconduct in the report. The overspending was determined to have been from unexpected expenses that had not been included in the budget.[4][28]
Because of the overspending, the district's reserve funds were depleted. The district borrowed money to replenish those funds. Lexmond said the district had a tighter control of the budget in the 2015-2016 school year.[28]
The school board also placed a referendum on the ballot along with the school board election on April 4, 2017, to help pay for increased expenses.[3] Voters did not approve the referendum.[19]
Candidate survey
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Ballotpedia invites school board candidates to participate in its annual survey. |
Survey responses
Two candidates in this race participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of school board candidates. The following sections display the responses to the survey questions from challengers Brian Keller and Noah Leigh.
Hope to achieve
When asked what he hoped to achieve if elected to the school board, Keller stated:
| “ | I have a few goals. I want to increase communication and transparency between the district and its stakeholders. I want to work on new and creative ways to attract and retain great teachers. It's important to me to look at ways to reduce the achievement gap and work to improve post secondary readiness. Finally, and just as important, I want to make sure that our budget issues are correct and that we are making smart financial decisions.[29] | ” |
| —Brian Keller (March 26, 2017)[30] | ||
When asked what he hoped to achieve if elected to the school board, Leigh stated:
| “ | I am running for school board because I want to ensure that our children have the same access to quality education that I had, while adding more vocational training so that our children can find a profession that is best for them. I also believe that recruiting and retaining qualified teachers to the district is vital to the district’s long term success. In addition, careful planning for the direction of the district, fiscal responsibility to the taxpayers, and celebrating our diversity are key tenets to ensuring our district can thrive. Lastly, as a member of the school board, I will ensure that the level of transparency and communication that community member's demand is met, and pledge that I will seek community input regarding board items to ensure that ALL of my decisions keep the best interests of the entire district in the forefront. As a parent of children in the district, a husband to a teacher, and a taxpayer I think I can bring a unique perspective to the school board that is currently lacking. I am committed to the success of the district and will work hard to make the district’s potential a reality.[29] | ” |
| —Noah Leigh (February 26, 2017)[31] | ||
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 their rankings:
| Issue importance ranking | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Issue | Keller's ranking | Leigh's ranking | ||
| Expanding arts education | ||||
| Improving relations with teachers | ||||
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | ||||
| Improving post-secondary readiness | ||||
| Closing the achievement gap | ||||
| Improving education for special needs students | ||||
| Expanding school choice options | ||||
Positions on the issues
The candidates were asked to answer nine multiple choice and short answer questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. A link to their responses can be found below.
About the district
The West Allis-West Milwaukee 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.[32] The district was the 11th-largest school district in the state in the 2014-2015 school year and served 9,890 students.[33]
Demographics
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.[32]
Median household income
From 2011 to 2015, the median household income for Milwaukee County was $43,873. During that same time period, the median household income for Wisconsin was $53,357, and it was $53,889 for the entire United States.[32]
Poverty rate
The poverty rate in Milwaukee County was 20.3 percent from 2011 to 2015. During that same time period, the poverty rate for the entire state was 12.1 percent, and it was 13.5 percent for the country as a whole.[32]
| Racial Demographics, 2015[32] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 West Allis-West Milwaukee School District Wisconsin election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| West Allis-West Milwaukee School District | Wisconsin | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Suzette Zimmerman," January 4, 2017
- ↑ West Allis-West Milwaukee School District, "School Board Election Results," accessed April 19, 2017
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Greenfield West Allis Now, "WAWM to place $2.5 million school referendum on April ballot," January 24, 2017
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "After over spending by $14 million, West Allis sells school district offices," January 11, 2017
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 Greenfield-West Allis Now, "School board candidates express support for teachers," February 21, 2017
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 Greenfield West Allis Now, "Conservative activists threaten legal action on transgender issue at WAWM board meeting," January 24, 2017
- ↑ West Allis-West Milwaukee School District, "Board Members," accessed January 3, 2017
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 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
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Wisconsin Ethics Commission, "Campaign Finance Checklist," accessed December 16, 2016
- ↑ Wisconsin AFL-CIO, "Spring Election Endorsed Candidates," March 9, 2017
- ↑ Wisconsin Alliance for Retired Americans, "WIARA Spring Election Endorsements," March 17, 2017
- ↑ 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
- ↑ Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Suzette Zimmerman, Executive Assistant to the Board and the Superintendent of the West Allis-West Milwaukee School District," March 28, 2017
- ↑ West Allis Now, "Three West Allis School Board races will be unopposed," January 3, 2013
- ↑ Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, "Custom Referenda Reports," accessed February 16, 2017
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Milwaukee County Election Commission, "Summary Report: Unofficial Results," accessed April 4, 2017
- ↑ WISN, "Group fights transgender bathroom accommodations in West Allis-West Milwaukee schools," January 24, 2017
- ↑ Greenfield West Allis Now, "Following federal ruling, conservative group urges WA-WM to back away from transgender student accommodations," March 20, 2017
- ↑ U.S. Department of Education, "Dear Colleague Letter on Transgender Students," May 13, 2016
- ↑ StarTribune, "Dear Colleague Letter," February 22, 2017
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 Fox 6 Now, "'What’s going to happen?' Parents concerned about plan to consolidate Lincoln Intermediate in West Allis," February 1, 2017
- ↑ Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Cash-strapped West Allis-West Milwaukee plans school closure," January 25, 2017
- ↑ West Allis-West Milwaukee School District, "Special Board Of Education Work Session Meeting Minutes," February 6, 2017
- ↑ West Allis-West Milwaukee School District, "APRROVED – FEBRUARY 27, 2017: Building Relocation and Transition Plan," accessed March 1, 2017
- ↑ 28.0 28.1 West Allis Now, "Reasons found for $14 million in red ink in West Allis-West Milwaukee," December 3, 2015
- ↑ 29.0 29.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Ballotpedia's school board candidate survey, "Brian Keller responses," March 26, 2017
- ↑ Ballotpedia's school board candidate survey, "Noah Leigh responses," February 26, 2017
- ↑ 32.0 32.1 32.2 32.3 32.4 United States Census Bureau, "Milwaukee County, Wisconsin," accessed December 16, 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
| West Allis-West Milwaukee School District elections in 2017 | |
| Milwaukee County, Wisconsin | |
| Election date: | April 4, 2017 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Dan Bailey • Incumbent, Diane Narlock • Incumbent, Gail Radonski • Brian Keller • Noah Leigh |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
