West Bend School District elections (2015)
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Two seats on the West Bend Board of Education were up for general election on April 7, 2015. Two at-large board incumbents, Vinney Pheng and Therese Sizer, sought re-election against challenger Monte Schmiege.
Newcomer Schmiege won a seat on the board as the highest vote recipient in the election, while incumbent Pheng was defeated. He lost the election with fewer than 100 votes separating him Sizer's second place finish.[1]
This year's spring election came after 75 students were suspended, 23 were charged with disorderly conduct and another 23 were issued municipal citations for disorderly conduct following student protests in November 2014.
About the district
- See also: West Bend School District, Wisconsin
West Bend School District is located in West Bend, the seat of government for Washington County in southeastern Wisconsin. In 2013, the county was home to approximately 132,739 residents according to estimates by the United States Census Bureau.[2] During the 2011-2012 school year, West Bend School District was the 19th-largest school district in Wisconsin and served 7,008 students.[3]
Demographics
Washington County outperformed the rest of Wisconsin in terms of higher education achievement in 2012. The United States Census Bureau found that 27.6 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree compared to 26.8 percent for Wisconsin as a whole. From 2008 through 2012, the median household income in the county was $66,159, compared to $52,413 for the state of Wisconsin. The poverty rate in Washington County was 6.3 percent from 2008 through 2012. During that same time period, the poverty rate for the entire state was 13.0 percent.[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 West Bend School District Board of Education consists of seven members who are elected at large on a staggered basis to three-year terms. Because no more than two candidates filed for any one open board position, there was no primary election. The general election was held on 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.[4] 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.[5]
Candidates had between December 1, 2014, and January 6, 2015, to collect 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.[6]
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.[7] 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.[8]
Elections
2015
Candidates
At-large
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Election results
| West Bend School District, At-Large General Election, 3-year term, 2015 |
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| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Monty Schmiege |
35.9% | 3,702 | |
| Nonpartisan | Therese Sizer Incumbent |
32.5% | 3,355 | |
| Nonpartisan | Vinney Pheng Incumbent | 31.6% | 3,264 | |
| Total Votes | 10,321 | |||
| Source: West Bend Community Television, "School Board April 13 2015: Clerk's Report: Canvass Report from April 7 Spring election," April 14, 2015 | ||||
Endorsements
There were no official endorsements in this election.
Campaign finance
No contributions or expenditures were reported in this election, according to the school district. All three candidates filed as exempt from campaign finance reporting.[9]
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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2014
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2012
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What was at stake?
2015
Issues in the district
Student protest leads to one arrest and multiple misdemeanor charges
On November 20, 2014, administrators sat down with students from West Bend East and West Bend West high schools to discuss a new hall pass procedure. What started out as a peaceful meeting turned ugly when one student stood up on a lunch table and started "speaking his mind and swearing," according to one student at the meeting. When administrators tried to pull him off the table, a fight began. The student was arrested by police, but dozens of others started tearing through the halls, ripping down posters, flooding sinks and pushing furniture. Fifteen more police officers arrived to help contain the students, and the school went on soft lockdown until things settled down. No student or staff member was injured during the protest.[10]
The student protest led to 75 students receiving three-day suspensions from the school district. After reviewing video of the incident and interviewing administrators, staff and 137 students, the police then charged 23 of them with disorderly conduct, which is a criminal misdemeanor. Another 23 students were issued municipal citations for disorderly conduct. The misdemeanors were punishable by up to 90 days in jail, a fine of up to $1,000 or both, and the municipal citations ranged from $376 to $439, depending on the age of the student.[11][12]
Key deadlines
The following were key deadlines for West Bend School District 2015 elections:[6][13]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| December 1, 2014 | Candidate signature gathering period began |
| January 6, 2015 | Signature submission deadline |
| February 9, 2015 | Campaign finance report deadline |
| March 30, 2015 | Campaign finance report deadline |
| April 7, 2015 | General Election Day |
| July 20, 2015 | Last campaign finance report deadline |
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 Washington County Circuit Court was also scheduled for election, but incumbent James Muehlbauer was unopposed at the close of the candidate filing period. Statewide, a constitutional amendment question regarding the selection of the state's supreme court chief justice was on the ballot.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms West Bend School District. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| West Bend School District | Wisconsin | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Washington County, "Spring Election: April 7, 2015," accessed April 7, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 United States Census Bureau, "Washington County, Wisconsin," accessed September 24, 2014
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed January 27, 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
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 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
- ↑ Margaret Koenig, "Email correspondence with Deb Roensch, Executive Assistant to the Superintendent, West Bend School District," August 25, 2015
- ↑ Fox 6, "'It was actually scary:' One arrested after West Bend students become unruly over new," November 20, 2014
- ↑ Fox 6, "'There’s anxiety:' West Bend students suspended over protest that turned ugly," November 21, 2014
- ↑ Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Police take action against 46 students in West Bend high school dust-up," December 5, 2014
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "CAMPAIGN FINANCE REPORT DATES," accessed September 22, 2014
| 2015 West Bend School District Elections | |
| Washington County, Wisconsin | |
| Election date: | April 7, 2015 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Vinney Pheng • Incumbent, Therese Sizer • Monte Schmiege |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
