West Bend School District elections (2016)
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Two of the seven seats on the West Bend School District school board were up for general election on April 5, 2016. A primary election was held on February 16, 2015. Incumbent Randy Marquardt ran for re-election, Incumbent Karen Betz did not file for re-election. Marquardt faced challengers Ken Schmidt, Jenn Donath, Robert Miller and Tiffany Larson in the primary election. All of the candidates, with the exception of Miller, advanced to the general election. Larson and Schmidt defeated Marquardt and Donath in the general election.[1]
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The West Bend School District School Board consists of seven at-large members elected to three-year terms. The primary election was held on February 16, 2016, and the general election was held on April 5, 2016. A primary election was necessary because the number of candidates who filed to run in the election was more than twice the number of open seats. The four candidates who received the most votes advanced to the general election. The board members elect a president, vice president, clerk and treasurer during an organizational meeting within 30 days of the fourth Monday in April.[2][3]
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 until January 5, 2016, to collect between 100 and 200 signatures for their nomination papers. The signatures had to come from residents of the district where the candidate sought election, 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]
Candidates and results
At-large
Results
| West Bend School District, At-Large General Election, 3-year terms, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Tiffany Larson |
27.56% | 7,790 |
| Ken Schmidt |
27.56% | 7,789 |
| Randy Marquardt Incumbent | 24.85% | 7,022 |
| Jenn Donath | 19.57% | 5,532 |
| Write-in votes | 0.46% | 129 |
| Total Votes (100) | 28,262 | |
| Source: Tiffany Rouse, "Email correspondence with Executive Assistant to the Superintendent Deb Roensch," June 13, 2016 | ||
| West Bend School District, At-Large Primary Election, 3-year terms, 2016 |
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|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Randy Marquardt Incumbent |
24.33% | 2,453 |
| Ken Schmidt Incumbent |
23.66% | 2,385 |
| Tiffany Larson |
23.45% | 2,364 |
| Jenn Donath Incumbent |
19.96% | 2,012 |
| Robert Miller | 8.18% | 825 |
| Write-in votes | 0.43% | 43 |
| Total Votes (100) | 10,082 | |
| Source: Tiffany Rouse, "Email correspondence with Executive Assistant to the Superintendent Deb Roensch," March 28, 2016 | ||
Candidates
General election candidates
| Jenn Donath | Tiffany Larson | ||
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| Randy Marquardt | Ken Schmidt | ||
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Defeated in primary election
| Robert Miller | |
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Additional elections
- See also: Wisconsin elections, 2016
The West Bend School District election shared the ballot with the state's presidential preference vote, There were also elections for a supreme court justice, a District 2 court of appeals judge and Washington County supervisors.[7][8]
Key deadlines
The following dates are key deadlines for Wisconsin school board elections in 2016:[9]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| January 5, 2016 | Candidate filing deadline |
| January 26, 2016 | Referendum submission deadline |
| February 8, 2016 | Pre-primary election campaign finance deadline |
| February 16, 2016 | Primary Election |
| March 28, 2016 | Pre-general election campaign finance deadline |
| April 5, 2016 | Election Day |
| April 25, 2016 | Board members take office |
| July 15, 2016 | Post-election campaign finance deadline |
District map
Endorsements
No official endorsements were made in this election.
Campaign finance
No contributions or expenditures were reported during the election, according to the West Bend School District. Any candidate spending or receiving less than $2,000 was not required to file a campaign finance report.[10][11]
Past elections
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What was at stake?
2016
Election trends
In the West Bend School District, a primary election is held if there are more than double the number of candidates that filed to run in an election than the number of seats up for election. The district has held three primary elections since 2010. The 2010 election had eight candidates vying for two seats (4 candidates per seat). The 2011 election had seven candidates running for three seats (2.33 candidates per seat), and the 2016 election had five candidates running for two seats (2.5 candidates per seat). The district has averaged 2.13 candidates per seat up for election in the years 2010 to 2016.
This is more than the 2015 averages of 1.72 candidates per seat in America's largest school districts by enrollment and the 1.38 candidates per seat in Wisconsin's largest schools.
Issues in the district
Teacher placed on leave after circulating petition
West Bend High School social studies teacher Tanya Lohr was placed on administrative leave by the district for three weeks after circulating a petition opposing a new testing system the district implemented in 2015. She was allowed back into the classroom after her supporters attended a crowded school board meeting on January 11, 2016.
The district was the first in Wisconsin to implement the new testing system, Galileo, in 2015. As teachers in the district began to have concerns about the new system, Lohr began circulating a petition opposing Galileo. In addition to her role as a teacher, Lohr is also the communications chairwoman for the West Bend Education Association. She met with the administration as a union representative to discuss the petition. After the meeting, she received an email placing her on paid administrative leave. Due to district policy, the district was unable to give any information regarding the situation as it was a personnel issue.
Supporter Kim Roemer began another petition calling for the reinstatement of Lohr that garnered 1,100 signatures. Roemer spoke at the board meeting on January 11, 2016. After the meeting, the board decided to immediately reinstate Lohr.[12]
Candidate survey
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About the district
- See also: West Bend School District, Wisconsin
The West Bend School District is located in Washington County in southeastern Wisconsin. The county seat is West Bend. Washington County was home to 133,251 residents in 2014, according to the United States Census Bureau.[13] The district was the 19th-largest school district in the state in the 2013–2014 school year and served 7,008 students.[14]
Demographics
Higher education achievement
Washington County outperformed the state of Wisconsin as a whole in terms of higher education achievement in 2013. The United States Census Bureau found that 27.6 percent of Washington County residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 26.8 percent of state residents.[13]
Median household income
Between 2009 to 2013, the median household income in Washington County was $66,159. During that same time period, the median household income for Wisconsin as a whole was $52,413, and for the entire United States it was $53,046.[13][15]
Poverty rate
The poverty rate in Washington County was 6.3 percent from 2009 to 2013, while it was 13.0 percent statewide.[13] During that same time period, the poverty rate for the country as a whole was 15.4 percent.[15]
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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.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'West Bend School District' 'Wisconsin'. 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
- ↑ Tiffany Rouse, "Email correspondence with West Bend School District Board Clerk Therese Sizer," January 11, 2016
- ↑ De Pere School District, "Board Policies," accessed January 13, 2016
- ↑ Wisconsin State Legislature, "School District Government," accessed January 11, 2016
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Wisconsin Candidate Eligibility," accessed September 22, 2014
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Candidates: Getting on the Ballot," accessed September 22, 2014
- ↑ Wisconsin State Legislature, "State Statutes: CHAPTER 8," accessed September 22, 2014
- ↑ Washington County, "Offices to be Elected," accessed January 26, 2016
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "2016 Spring Election and Presidential Preference Vote," accessed January 12, 2016
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Campaign Finance Report Dates 2016, 2017 and 2018," accessed January 25, 2016
- ↑ Wisconsin State Legislature, "Campaign Financing," accessed January 25, 2016
- ↑ Tiffany Rouse, "Email correspondence with West Bend School District Board Secretary Deb Roensch," February 12, 2016
- ↑ Fox 6 Now, "Feud over new testing system: West Bend teacher placed on leave headed back to the classroom," January 11, 2016
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 United States Census Bureau, "Washington County, Wisconsin," accessed July 6, 2015
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed November 16, 2015
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 United States Census Bureau, "State & County QuickFacts: USA," accessed July 6, 2015
- ↑ Washington County Clerk's Office, "Election Results," accessed January 16, 2015
| 2016 West Bend School District Elections | |
| Washington County, Wisconsin | |
| Election date: | April 5, 2016 |
| Candidates: | Incumbent, Randy Marquardt • Jenn Donath • Tiffany Larson • Robert Miller • Ken Schmidt |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional measures on the ballot |
