Janesville School District elections (2014)
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Three seats on the Janesville Board of Education were up for general election on April 1, 2014. Incumbents Kevin Murray and Bill Sodemann and Dale Thompson won election to the board against Diane Eyers and Fred Jackson.
About the district
- See also: Janesville School District, Wisconsin
Janesville School District is located in Janesville, Wisconsin, which is the county seat of Rock County. According to the United States Census Bureau, Janesville is home to 63,588 residents.[1] Janesville School District was the ninth-largest school district in Wisconsin, serving 10,352 students during the 201-2012 school year.[2]
Demographics
Janesville underperformed in comparison to the rest of Wisconsin in terms of higher education achievement in 2010. The United States Census Bureau found that 21.5% of Janesville residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree compared to 26.4% for Wisconsin as a whole. The median household income in Janesville was $49,084 compared to $52,627 for the state of Wisconsin. The poverty rate in Janesville was 14.1% compared to 12.5% for the entire state.[1]
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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 Janesville Board of Education consists of nine members elected at-large to three-year terms. There was no primary election and the general election was held on April 1, 2014. Three seats will be up for election in 2015 and three seats will be on the ballot in 2016.[4]
Candidates for the Board of Education must be 18 years old, citizens of the United States and residents of the district at least 10 days before the election. Each candidate submitted at least 100 valid signatures to the Rock County Clerk by January 7, 2014.[5]
Elections
2014
Candidates
- Diane Eyers
- Accountant, Schwartz and Shea Insurance
- Fred Jackson
- Analyst, Eaton Corporation
- Kevin Murray
- Incumbent
- Graduate, Blackhawk Technical College
- Retired firefighter
- Veteran, U.S. Air Force
- Bill Sodemann
- Incumbent
- Graduate, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
- Owner, Phones Plus
- Dale Thompson
- Retired director, Rock County Developmental Disabilities Board
Election results
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Kevin Murray Incumbent |
29% | 4,360 | |
| Nonpartisan | Dale Thompson |
20.3% | 3,051 | |
| Nonpartisan | Bill Sodemann Incumbent |
17.4% | 2,612 | |
| Nonpartisan | Diane Eyers | 17% | 2,554 | |
| Nonpartisan | Fred Jackson | 16.3% | 2,448 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.2% | 29 | |
| Total Votes | 15,054 | |||
| Source: Rock County Clerk, "2014 Spring General Election," April 1, 2014 | ||||
Endorsements
Diane Eyers, Kevin Murray and Bill Sodemann earned the endorsement of The Gazette for the April 1 general election.[6]
Campaign finance
No candidates filed pre-election campaign finance reports to the school district clerk by the March 24 deadline. All candidates were exempt from state reporting requirements.[7] State law allows candidates to claim exempt status from campaign finance reporting if contributions and expenditures do not exceed $1,000 during a calendar year.[8]
Past elections
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2013
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What was at stake?
Issues in the election
March 4 candidate forum
The League of Women Voters and the Janesville Area Council PTA hosted a candidate forum on March 4. Every candidate except Fred Jackson attended the forum. Incumbents Kevin Murray and Bill Sodemann argued for their re-election bids based on recent progress achieved by the board. Murray believes that the district must retain experienced teachers in order to improve academic performance. Sodemann decided to seek re-election to promote Journey to Excellence, an initiative that uses results in the classroom to assess employee performance.[9]
Challengers Diane Eyers and Dale Thompson emphasized the need for greater communication between district officials, teachers and parents. Eyers suggested that the district has to improve communications with the public regarding new policies. Thompson believed that teachers should be more involved in policy development rather than waiting for policies from the board. He also argued that the state legislature needs to provide more time for the district to meet Common Core curriculum standards.[9]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the Janesville School District election in 2014:[10][5]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| December 1, 2013 | First day to circulate nominating petitions |
| January 7, 2014 | Last day to submit nominating petitions to county clerk |
| March 24, 2014 | Last day to file pre-election campaign finance report |
| April 1, 2014 | Election day |
| July 21, 2014 | Last day to file continuing campaign finance report |
Additional elections on the ballot
The Board of Education election shared the ballot with other local and county races. Residents of Janesville voted for three seats on the City Council. The ballot included seats on the Court of Appeals and Wisconsin Circuit Court. Voters also chose 29 members of the Rock County Board of Supervisors.[11]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Janesville + School + District + Wisconsin"
See also
- School board elections in Alaska and Wisconsin spark debates over budgets, academic performance
- Incumbents dominate school board elections in Alaska, Wisconsin
- Wisconsin
- Janesville School District, Wisconsin
- Wisconsin school board elections, 2014
- List of school board elections in 2014
- School board elections, 2014
- Rock County, Wisconsin ballot measures
- Local ballot measures, Wisconsin
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 United States Census Bureau, "Janesville, Wisconsin," accessed January 28, 2014
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed January 27, 2014
- ↑ Government Accountability Board, "Wisconsin Election Results," accessed January 28, 2014
- ↑ Janesville School District, "Board of Education Members," accessed January 28, 2014
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Ballot Access Checklist," accessed January 24, 2014
- ↑ GazetteXtra, "Our Views: Kevin Murray, Bill Sodemann, Diane Eyers earn nods for Janesville School Board," March 30, 2014
- ↑ Information submitted through email from Debra Blazer on March 25, 2014.
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Campaign Finance Overview: Local Candidates," May 2010
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Nick Crow, GazetteXtra," "Janesville School Board candidates tackle issues during forum," March 5, 2014
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Campaign Finance Checklist," accessed January 24, 2014
- ↑ Rock County Clerk, "Election Information," accessed January 28, 2014
| 2014 Janesville School District Elections | |
| Janesville, Wisconsin | |
| Election date: | April 1, 2014 |
| Candidates: | At-large • Diane Eyers • Fred Jackson • Kevin Murray • Bill Sodemann • Dale Thompson |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
