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Westside Community Schools, Nebraska, elections

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Westside Community Schools
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District details
School board members: 6
Next election: May 12, 2026
Students: 6,319 (2023-2024)
Schools: 14 (2023-2024)
Website: Link

Westside Community Schools is a school district in Nebraska (Douglas County). During the 2024 school year, 6,319 students attended one of the district's 14 schools.

This page provides information regarding school board members, election rules, finances, academics, policies, and more details about the district.

Jump to a section:
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Elections

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Westside Community Schools school board At-large

General election

The general election will occur on May 12, 2026.

General election for Westside Community Schools school board At-large (2 seats)

Stephanie Adams and Sean Conway are running in the general election for Westside Community Schools school board At-large on May 12, 2026.

Candidate
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Stephanie Adams (Nonpartisan)
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Sean Conway (Nonpartisan)

There are no incumbents in this race.

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Westside Community Schools school board At-large

General election

General election for Westside Community Schools school board At-large (2 seats)

Incumbent Sarah Rider and incumbent Meagan Van Gelder won election in the general election for Westside Community Schools school board At-large on May 14, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
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Sarah Rider (Nonpartisan)
 
50.1
 
4,358
✔
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Meagan Van Gelder (Nonpartisan)
 
48.4
 
4,203
 Other/Write-in votes
 
1.5
 
130

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 8,691
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Westside Community Schools school board At-large

General election

General election for Westside Community Schools school board At-large (2 seats)

Incumbent Kris Karnes and incumbent Adam Yale defeated Jessica Powell and Terry Buckman in the general election for Westside Community Schools school board At-large on May 10, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
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Kris Karnes (Nonpartisan)
 
40.6
 
5,007
✔
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Adam Yale (Nonpartisan)
 
31.0
 
3,820
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Jessica Powell (Nonpartisan)
 
17.2
 
2,119
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Terry Buckman (Nonpartisan)
 
10.7
 
1,324
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.5
 
64

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 12,334
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Westside Community Schools school board At-large

General election

General election for Westside Community Schools school board At-large (2 seats)

Incumbent Beth Morrissette and incumbent Dana Blakely defeated John Brian and Edgar Hicks in the general election for Westside Community Schools school board At-large on May 12, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
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Beth Morrissette (Nonpartisan)
 
37.5
 
5,418
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Dana Blakely (Nonpartisan)
 
36.5
 
5,284
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John Brian (Nonpartisan)
 
17.5
 
2,533
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Edgar Hicks (Nonpartisan)
 
8.0
 
1,155
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.5
 
77

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 14,467
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Westside Community Schools school board At-large

General election

General election for Westside Community Schools school board At-large (2 seats)

Meagan Van Gelder and incumbent Doug Krenzer defeated Sean Conway and Steven Taylor in the general election for Westside Community Schools school board At-large on May 15, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
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Meagan Van Gelder (Nonpartisan)
 
38.5
 
3,365
✔
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Doug Krenzer (Nonpartisan)
 
25.4
 
2,223
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Sean Conway (Nonpartisan)
 
25.3
 
2,213
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Steven Taylor (Nonpartisan)
 
10.2
 
893
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.5
 
48

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 8,742
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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About the district

School board

Westside Community Schools consists of six members serving four-year terms. To find information about school board meetings, click here.

List of school board members
NameSeatYear assumed officeYear term ends
Sarah RiderAt Large20232030
Meagan Van GelderAt Large20182030
Kris KarnesAt Large20162028
Adam YaleAt Large20162028
Dana BlakelyAt Large20142026
Beth MorrissetteAt Large20142026

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District map

School district map

Overlapping state house districts

No data is available for this district.

Budget

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[1]

Revenue, 2021-2022
SOURCE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Federal: $9,435,000 $1,517 9%
Local: $65,714,000 $10,563 62%
State: $31,670,000 $5,091 30%
Total: $106,819,000 $17,171
Expenditures, 2021-2022
TYPE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Total Expenditures: $98,453,000 $15,825
Total Current Expenditures: $93,527,000 $15,034
Instructional Expenditures: $50,642,000 $8,140 51%
Student and Staff Support: $9,246,000 $1,486 9%
Administration: $13,318,000 $2,140 14%
Operations, Food Service, Other: $20,321,000 $3,266 21%
Total Capital Outlay: $1,661,000 $266
Construction: $1,222,000 $196
Total Non El-Sec Education & Other: $0 $0
Interest on Debt: $2,392,000 $384

Academic performance

Each year, state and local education agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency. Although the data below was published by the U.S. Department of Education, proficiency measurements are established by the states. As a result, proficiency levels are not comparable between different states and year-over-year proficiency levels within a district may not be comparable because states may change their proficiency measurements. To protect student privacy, percentages are reported as ranges for groups of 300 students or fewer. If five or fewer students were included in a data set, the data will display as "PS."[2]

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2021-2022 50 60-64 21 36 <50 37 57
2020-2021 51 60-64 20-24 35-39 <50 35-39 58
2018-2019 59 75-79 29 45-49 <50 45-49 66
2017-2018 59 70-74 25-29 40-44 <50 45-49 65
2016-2017 75 85-89 51 60-64 21-39 60-64 81
2015-2016 79 90-94 55-59 65-69 40-59 65-69 83
2014-2015 79 90-94 55-59 65-69 60-79 65-69 83
2013-2014 80 85-89 50-54 70-74 60-79 70-74 84
2012-2013 79 90-94 50-54 65-69 40-59 65-69 83
2011-2012 79 85-89 50-54 65-69 60-79 65-69 83
2010-2011 76 85-89 40-44 50-54 60-69 80

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2021-2022 51 60-64 23 40 <50 38 59
2020-2021 56 65-69 25-29 45-49 <50 45-49 63
2018-2019 60 65-69 32 50-54 <50 45-49 66
2017-2018 57 60-64 30-34 50-54 <50 45-49 62
2016-2017 60 70-74 30 45-49 21-39 50-54 66
2015-2016 87 90-94 75-79 75-79 60-79 75-79 90
2014-2015 83 90-94 65-69 70-74 60-79 75-79 87
2013-2014 85 90-94 65-69 75-79 60-79 75-79 89
2012-2013 86 85-89 70-74 75-79 60-79 80-84 89
2011-2012 81 85-89 50-54 65-69 60-79 70-74 85
2010-2011 79 85-89 50-54 60-64 70-79 83

The following table shows the graduation rate of district students each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2021-2022 90 >=50 80-89 >=90 PS 80-89 91
2020-2021 94 >=80 >=90 80-89 PS >=80 94
2019-2020 90 >=50 80-89 70-79 PS >=90 91
2018-2019 89 60-79 80-89 >=80 >=80 92
2017-2018 90 >=50 80-89 80-89 PS >=80 91
2016-2017 91 >=50 >=80 >=80 PS >=80 92
2015-2016 94 >=80 80-89 >=80 >=50 >=50 95
2014-2015 94 >=50 80-89 >=80 PS 60-79 95
2013-2014 91 >=50 80-89 >=80 >=50 >=50 92
2012-2013 91 >=50 >=80 >=80 PS >=50 92
2011-2012 92 >=50 >=80 >=80 >=50 >=50 93
2010-2011 87 >=50 60-79 >=90 >=50 87

Students

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[3]

Year Enrollment Year-to-year change (%)
2023-2024 6,319 0.8
2022-2023 6,271 0.8
2021-2022 6,221 2.1
2020-2021 6,091 0.0
2019-2020 6,094 2.5
2018-2019 5,942 -2.1
2017-2018 6,066 1.1
2016-2017 5,999 -2.1
2015-2016 6,123 0.3
2014-2015 6,106 -1.1
2013-2014 6,173 2.0
2012-2013 6,051 1.4
2011-2012 5,964 -1.0
2010-2011 6,023 -0.3
2009-2010 6,043 -1.0
2008-2009 6,106 -0.3
2007-2008 6,126 0.0
2006-2007 6,124 1.6
2005-2006 6,028 2.3
2004-2005 5,887 1.6
2003-2004 5,793 2.9
2002-2003 5,625 5.2
2001-2002 5,333 -2.9
2000-2001 5,485 2.7
1999-2000 5,335 0.0
Racial Demographics, 2023-2024
RACE Westside Community Schools (%) Nebraska K-12 STUDENTS (%)
American Indian/Alaska Native 0.2 1.3
Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander 3.3 3.1
Black 9.9 6.5
Hispanic 12.3 22.4
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0.1 0.2
Two or More Races 9.2 4.7
White 65.0 61.9

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.

Staff

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[4]

As of the 2023-2024 school year, Westside Community Schools had 448.30 full-time classroom teachers. The student-teacher ratio was 14.1.

Teachers, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF TEACHERS
Prekindergarten: 8.00
Kindergarten: 0.00
Elementary: 226.09
Secondary: 214.21
Total: 448.30

Westside Community Schools employed 16.00 district administrators and 21.50 school administrators as of the 2023-2024 school year.

Administrators, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATORS
District Administrators: 16.00
District Administrative Support: 12.75
School Administrators: 21.50
School Administrative Support: 28.00
Other staff, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF
Instructional Aides: 172.94
Instruc. Coordinators & Supervisors: 31.50
Total Guidance Counselors: 15.00
Elementary Guidance Counselors: 4.00
Secondary Guidance Counselors: 11.00
Librarians/Media Specialists: 8.00
Library/Media Support: 0.00
Student Support Services: 41.43
Other Support Services: 228.59

Schools

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[5]

Westside Community Schools operates 14 schools. They are listed below in alphabetical order.
List of schools
SCHOOL NAMENUMBER OF STUDENTSGRADES
Carl A Swanson Elementary Sch289PK-6
Hillside Elementary School381PK-6
Loveland Elementary School287PK-6
Oakdale Elementary School308PK-6
Paddock Road Elementary School288PK-6
Prairie Lane Elementary School269PK-6
Rockbrook Elementary School278PK-6
Sunset Hills Elementary School289PK-6
Underwood Hills Early Childhood Learning Center0PK-PK
Westbrook Elementary School549PK-6
Westgate Elementary School304PK-6
Westside High School2,1389-12
Westside High School West Campus09-12
Westside Middle School9397-8


About school boards

Education legislation in Nebraska

Bills are monitored by BillTrack50 and sorted by action history.

See also

School Boards Education Policy Local Politics Nebraska
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External links

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    • Footnotes

    1. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
    2. ↑ U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC: EDFacts, "State Assessments in Reading/Language Arts and Mathematics- School Year 2021-22 EDFacts Data Documentation," accessed October 18, 2025
    3. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
    4. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
    5. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
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