Widefield School District 3 elections (2017)
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Four of the five seats on the Widefield School District 3 Board of Education in Colorado were up for nonpartisan election on November 7, 2017. Three of the seats were up for general election to regular four-year terms. The fourth seat on the ballot was up for special election to an unexpired two-year term due to a vacancy on the board.[1] Incumbents Susan Graham, Charron Schoenberger, and Theresa Watson ran unopposed and won re-election to the four-year terms, and appointed incumbent Neil Nelson ran unopposed and won election to the two-year term.[2][3] Two questions for the school district were also on the ballot.[4]
With incumbents guaranteed to win every seat, the 2017 election contrasted with the district's 2015 election in which newcomers won every seat. For information on election trends in the district, click here.
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The Widefield School District 3 Board of Education consists of five members elected at large to four-year terms. Elections are held on a staggered basis so that two or three seats are up for general election every odd-numbered year in November. Special elections can be held in tandem with general elections.[5]
To qualify to run for school board, candidates had to be residents of the school district and registered voters for a minimum of 12 consecutive months before the election. They also could not have been convicted of a sexual offense against a child. To get on the ballot, school board candidates had to file nomination petitions containing 50 signatures of eligible voters in the school district by September 1, 2017.[6]
Colorado voters were allowed to register to vote through election day.[7] Photo identification was not required to vote in Colorado.[8]
Candidates and results
At-large (4-year terms)
Results
| Widefield School District 3, At-large General Election, 4-year terms, 2017 |
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|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Theresa Watson Incumbent |
35.45% | 4,590 |
| Charron Schoenberger Incumbent |
33.30% | 4,312 |
| Susan Graham Incumbent |
31.25% | 4,047 |
| Total Votes | 12,949 | |
| Source: El Paso County Election Results, "Official Results," accessed November 27, 2017 | ||
Candidates
Susan Graham 
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Charron Schoenberger
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Theresa Watson
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At-large (2-year term)
Results
| Widefield School District 3, At-large Special Election, 2-year term, 2017 |
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|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Neil Nelson Incumbent (unopposed) |
100.00% | 6,476 |
| Total Votes | 6,476 | |
| Source: El Paso County Election Results, "Official Results," accessed November 27, 2017 | ||
Candidates
| Neil Nelson
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Colorado elections, 2017
The Widefield School District 3 Board of Education election shared the ballot with two questions for the school district, a question for El Paso County, and a question for the city of Colorado Springs.[4][9] For information on the school district's ballot questions, click here.
The county ballot question appeared on the ballot as follows:
| “ | WITHOUT IMPOSING NEW TAXES OR RAISING TAX RATES, SHALL EL PASO COUNTY BE PERMITTED TO RETAIN AND SPEND $14,548,000 IN EXCESS 2016 REVENUE AS A VOTER-APPROVED REVENUE CHANGE PURSUANT TO TABOR (ARTICLE X, SECTION 20 OF THE COLORADO CONSTITUTION) TO INVEST ONLY IN THE FOLLOWING INFRASTRUCTURE:
WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT SUCH EXCESS REVENUE WOULD OTHERWISE BE REFUNDED ONLY TO TAXABLE REAL PROPERTY OWNERS AS A ONE-TIME TAX CREDIT (EXAMPLE: APPROXIMATELY $40 FOR A TYPICAL SINGLE-FAMILY HOME VALUED AT $250,000), AND TO RETAIN AND SPEND IN THE 2017 FISCAL YEAR AND THEREAFTER AN AMOUNT OF REVENUE THAT EXCEEDS CURRENT TABOR LIMITATIONS BUT IS NO GREATER THAN THE COUNTY REVENUE CAP, WHICH CONTINUES TO LIMIT FUTURE REVENUE GROWTH AS PROVIDED IN RESOLUTION NO. 17-244?
__YES |
” |
| —El Paso County (2017)[4] | ||
The city ballot question appeared on the ballot as follows:[9]
| “ | Without imposing any new tax or increasing any existing taxes, shall Ordinance No. 17 - 69 of the City of Colorado Springs be approved authorizing: the collection of stormwater service fees beginning July 1, 2018 and ending July 1, 2038, for the sole purpose of funding through a City enterprise, the construction, improvement, operation and maintenance of public stormwater facilities and a public stormwater system in the City, including regulatory permit compliance and protection of life and property within the City from the hazards of flooding and stormwater, to be assessed on all developed real property within the City, with such fees not to exceed the following maximum amounts:
Residential property: $5.00 per dwelling unit/month Non-residential property: $30.00 per acre/month providing that such fees may be thereafter increased by City Council by Resolution only to the extent required to comply with a valid court order, federal or state permits, federal or state laws, and intergovernmental agreements of the City entered into before June 1, 2016; and providing for citizen advisory committee oversight? _____Yes _____No[10] |
” |
| —Colorado Springs City Council (2017)[9] | ||
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the 2017 Colorado school board elections.[11][12]
Endorsements
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
Candidates received a total of $0.00 and spent a total of $68.96 in the election, according to the Colorado Secretary of State.[13]
| Candidate | Balance prior to election | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates for 4-year terms | ||||
| Susan Graham | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Charron Schoenberger | $68.96 | $0.00 | $68.96 | $0.00 |
| Theresa Watson | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Candidate for 2-year term | ||||
| Neil Nelson | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Reporting requirements
School board candidates in Colorado were required to file three campaign finance reports. The reports were due on October 17, 2017, November 3, 2017, and December 7, 2017.[12]
Past elections
To see results from past elections in Widefield School District 3, click here.
What was at stake?
Issues in the election
District places two questions on ballot
In addition to electing candidates to the board of education on November 7, 2017, citizens of Widefield School District 3 voted on two ballot questions for the school district.[4] Both questions were approved.[3] The questions appeared on the ballot as follows:
Question 3A
| “ | SHALL WIDEFIELD SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 3 TAXES BE INCREASED $3.5 MILLION IN 2018 AND ANNUALLY THEREAFTER BY AN AMOUNT THAT, WHEN COMBINED WITH OTHER TAXES PREVIOUSLY APPROVED BY DISTRICT VOTERS IN 2002 FOR THE DISTRICT'S GENERAL FUND, EQUALS TEN PERCENT OF THE DISTRICT'S TOTAL PROGRAM AS PROVIDED BY STATE LAW (AS SUCH TERM IS DEFINED IN STATE LAW OR ANY SIMILAR TERMS PROVIDED IN ANY SUCCESSOR PROVISION OF STATE LAW), BY THE LEVY OF PROPERTY TAXES FOR THE DISTRICT'S GENERAL FUND AT A RATE THAT WILL PRODUCE AN AMOUNT EQUAL TO TEN PERCENT OF THE DISTRICT'S TOTAL PROGRAM, TO FUND DISTRICT OPERATIONS INCLUDING, AMONG OTHER THINGS:
__YES |
” |
| —Widefield School District 3 (2017)[4] | ||
Question 3B
| “ | SHALL WIDEFIELD SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 3 DEBT BE INCREASED $49.5 MILLION, WITH A REPAYMENT COST OF UP TO $89 MILLION, AND SHALL DISTRICT TAXES BE INCREASED BY UP TO $3.6 MILLION ANNUALLY FOR THE PURPOSE OF ACQUIRING, CONSTRUCTING, REFINANCING, REPAIRING AND IMPROVING DISTRICT CAPITAL ASSETS INCLUDING, AMONG OTHER THINGS:
BY THE ISSUANCE AND PAYMENT OF GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS WHICH SHALL BEAR INTEREST, MATURE, BE SUBJECT TO REDEMPTION, WITH OR WITHOUT PREMIUM, AND BE ISSUED AT SUCH TIME, AT SUCH PRICE (AT, ABOVE OR BELOW PAR) AND IN SUCH MANNER AND CONTAINING SUCH TERMS, NOT INCONSISTENT WITH THIS BALLOT ISSUE, AS THE BOARD OF EDUCATION MAY DETERMINE; AND SHALL AD VALOREM PROPERTY TAXES BE LEVIED WITHOUT LIMIT AS TO THE MILL RATE TO GENERATE AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT IN EACH YEAR TO PAY THE PRINCIPAL OF, PREMIUM IF ANY, AND INTEREST ON SUCH DEBT AND TO FUND ANY RESERVES FOR THE PAYMENT THEREOF? __YES |
” |
| —Widefield School District 3 (2017)[4] | ||
Report a story for this election
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Election trends
- See also: School boards in session: 2015 in brief
The 2017 Widefield School District 3 Board of Education election was guaranteed to re-elect four incumbents to the board as they all ran unopposed. In contrast, the district's 2015 election saw newcomers win every seat on the ballot. No incumbents filed to run for re-election that year, which left two seats open for newcomers. No seats were unopposed that year; three candidates ran to fill the two seats.
| School board election trends | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Candidates per seat | Unopposed seats | Incumbents running for re-election | Incumbent success rate | Seats won by newcomers | |
| Widefield School District 3 | ||||||
| 2017 | 1.00 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 0.00% | |
| 2015 | 1.50 | 0.00% | 0.00% | Not applicable | 100.00% | |
| Colorado | ||||||
| 2015 | 1.77 | 30.77% | 55.38% | 83.33% | 53.85% | |
| United States | ||||||
| 2015 | 1.72 | 35.95% | 70.37% | 82.66% | 40.81% | |
About the district
- See also: Widefield School District 3, Colorado
Widefield School District 3 is located in El Paso County in central Colorado. The county seat is Colorado Springs. El Paso County was home to an estimated 688,284 residents in 2016, according to the United States Census Bureau.[14] The district was the 23rd-largest school district in the state in the 2014-2015 school year and served 9,283 students.[15]
Demographics
El Paso County underperformed compared to Colorado as a whole in terms of higher education achievement between 2011 and 2015. The United States Census Bureau found that 35.9 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 38.1 percent of state residents. The median household income in El Paso County was $58,206, compared to $60,629 statewide. The poverty rate in the county was 11 percent, while it was 11.5 percent for the entire state.[14]
| Racial Demographics, 2016[14] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | El Paso County (%) | Colorado (%) |
| White | 83.6 | 87.5 |
| Black or African American | 6.9 | 4.5 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.4 | 1.6 |
| Asian | 2.9 | 3.3 |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0.4 | 0.2 |
| Two or More Races | 4.8 | 3.0 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 16.7 | 21.3 |
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 Widefield School District 3 Colorado election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Widefield School District 3 | Colorado | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ El Paso County and Fountain Valley Advertiser & News, "Neil Nelson joins Widefield School District 3 Board of Education," January 25, 2017
- ↑ Widefield School District 3, "Board of Education Candidates 2017," accessed September 5, 2017
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 El Paso County Elections Office, "Unofficial Results," accessed November 8, 2017
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 El Paso County Elections, "OFFICIAL SAMPLE BALLOT FOR EL PASO COUNTY 2017 COORDINATED ELECTION," accessed October 12, 2017
- ↑ Widefield School District 3, "Board of Education," accessed August 29, 2017
- ↑ Colorado Association of School Boards, "2017 Elections School Board Candidate Guide," accessed August 29, 2017
- ↑ Colorado Secretary of State, "Voter Registration FAQs," accessed August 29, 2017
- ↑ Colorado Secretary of State, "Acceptable Forms of Identification," accessed August 29, 2017
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Colorado Springs City Elections, "November 7, 2017 - City Ballot Question," accessed September 13, 2017
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Colorado Secretary of State, "2017 Election Calendar," accessed August 28, 2017
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Colorado Secretary of State, "2017 Biennial School Election Calendar," accessed August 28, 2017
- ↑ Colorado Secretary of State, "TRACER: Candidate Search," accessed December 18, 2017
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 United States Census Bureau, "QuickFacts: El Paso County, Colorado; Colorado," accessed August 30, 2017
- ↑ 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
