West Aurora Public School District 129 elections (2017)
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Three seats on the West Aurora Public School District 129 Board of Education were up for at-large election on April 4, 2017. Incumbent Valerie Dykstra and newcomers Christopher Sparks and Richard Kerns defeated Joseph Grisson in the race to win the seats.[1][2]
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The West Aurora School District 129 Board of Education consists of seven members elected at large to four-year terms on a staggered basis every odd-numbered year. A general election was held on April 4, 2017. There were three seats up for election.[3]
To get on the ballot, school board candidates had to file a notarized statement of candidacy and notarized nominating petitions with the Kane County Clerk's Office during the filing period. The filing period began December 12, 2016, and ended December 19, 2016. Candidates could also file an optional loyalty oath at that time. A statement of economic interests also had to be filed by December 19, 2016. The nominating petitions had to include the signatures of 50 voters residing in the school district and could not be circulated until September 20, 2016.[4]
Candidates and results
At-large
Results
| West Aurora Public School District 129, At-Large General Election, 4-year terms, 2017 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Valerie Dykstra Incumbent |
27.69% | 3,733 |
| Richard Kerns |
26.57% | 3,582 |
| Christopher Sparks |
23.91% | 3,223 |
| Joseph Grisson | 21.83% | 2,943 |
| Total Votes | 13,481 | |
| Source: Kane County Clerk, "2017 Consolidated Election Contest Results," accessed May 1, 2017Aurora Election Commission, "Aurora East 181 BRD," accessed May 1, 2017 | ||
Candidates
Valerie Dykstra 
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Joseph Grisson | ||
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| Richard Kerns
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Christopher Sparks
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Illinois elections, 2017
The West Aurora School District 129 Board of Education election shared the ballot with races for the regional school board, Aurora mayor, and Aurora alderman.[5][6]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for Illinois school board elections in 2017:[7]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| December 19, 2016 | Candidate filing deadline |
| February 27, 2017 | Initial campaign finance deadline |
| March 7, 2017 | Last day to register to vote by paper application |
| March 19, 2017 | Last day to register to vote by online application |
| April 3, 2017 | Final election campaign finance deadline |
| April 4, 2017 | Election Day |
Endorsements
The Daily Herald endorsed incumbent Valerie Dykstra and challengers Richard Kerns and Joseph Grisson.[8]
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 in Illinois were required to file campaign finance reports if they did one or both of the following:[9]
- Accepted contributions or made disbursements in an aggregate amount of more than $5,000 during the calendar year
- Accepted contributions or made disbursements in an aggregate amount of more than $5,000 during the calendar year for communication via television, radio, or internet in support of or in opposition to a candidate, political party, or public policy
The first campaign finance deadline was February 27, 2017, and the second campaign finance deadline was April 3, 2017.[10]
Reports
No contributions or expenditures were reported in the election, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections.[11]
Past elections
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What was at stake?
Report a story for this election
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About the district
West Aurora Public School District 129 is located in Kane County, Illinois.]] East Aurora School District 131 is located in Kane County in northeastern Illinois. The county seat is Geneva. Kane County was home to 530,847 residents in 2015, according to the United States Census Bureau.[12] The district was the 20th-largest school district in the state in the 2014-2015 school year and served 12,638 students.[13]
Demographics
Kane County outperformed the rest of Illinois in terms of higher education achievement in the years 2011 to 2015. The United States Census Bureau found that 31.6 percent of Kane County residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 32.3 percent of all state residents. The median household income for Kane County was $70,696, while it was $57,574 for the entire state. The poverty rate in Kane County was 10.8 percent, compared to 13.6 percent for the entire state.[12]
| Racial Demographics, 2015[12] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race | Kane County (%) | Illinois (%) | |
| White | 86.7 | 77.3 | |
| Black or African American | 6.1 | 14.7 | |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.0 | 0.6 | |
| Asian | 4.2 | 5.5 | |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | 0.1 | 0.1 | |
| Two or more races | 1.8 | 1.9 | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 31.5 | 16.9 | |
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 Aurora Public School District 129 Illinois election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| West Aurora Public School District 129 | Illinois | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Kane County Clerk, "2017 Consolidated Election Contest Results," accessed April 5, 2017
- ↑ Aurora Election Commission, "Aurora East 181 BRD," accessed April 5, 2017
- ↑ East Aurora School District 131, "Board of Education," accessed December 19, 2016
- ↑ Kane County Clerk, "Home," accessed December 19, 2016
- ↑ Kane County Clerk, "County Offices Up for Election," accessed December 20, 2016
- ↑ Aurora Election Commission, "Mayoral and Alderman Offices up for Election," accessed December 19, 2016
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Election and Campaign Finance Calendar," accessed December 19, 2016
- ↑ Daily Herald, "Endorsement: Dykstra, Kerns, Grisson III for West Aurora Unit District 129," March 15, 2017
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "A Guide to Campaign Finance Disclosure," accessed January 5, 2017
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Election and Campaign Finance Calendar 2017," accessed January 5, 2017
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Candidate Disclosure Search," accessed April 4, 2017
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 United States Census Bureau, "Kane County, Illinois," accessed December 29, 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 Aurora Public School District 129 elections in 2017 | |
| Kane County, Illinois | |
| Election date: | April 4, 2017 |
| Candidates: | At-large: Incumbent, Valeria Dykstra • Joseph Grisson • Richard Kerns • Christopher Sparks |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
