Jill Fincher
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Jill Fincher was an at-large representative on the Lawrence Public Schools Board of Education in Kansas. She won a four-year term on the board in the general election on April 7, 2015.
Biography
Fincher is the manager of Charlotte Clean Adventures, a family fishing lodge in British Columbia. She previously worked in commercial lending for 10 years.[1] She earned a bachelor's degree from University of Texas at Austin. She is divorced and has two children.[2]
Fincher was the treasurer for Scott Morgan's (R) 2014 campaign for Kansas Secretary of State.[3]
Elections
2015
Five seats were up for general election on April 7, 2015. Because more than three candidates filed for one position, a primary election was held on March 3, 2015.
Incumbents Bob Byers, Rick Ingram, Shannon Kimball, and Randy Masten were up for regular election. Masten was the only incumbent not to file to run for re-election. Byers, Ingram, and Kimball faced challengers Lindsey Frye, Ronald Gordon-Ross, Jessica Beeson, and Jill Fincher for the four-year terms up for election.[4] Ingram, Kimball, Beeson, and Fincher won the regular election.
An additional seat appeared on the ballot due to a vacancy on the board that was filled by appointment in 2014. Adina Morse resigned from the board in August to serve as the executive director of the Lawrence Schools Foundation. Marcel Harmon was appointed on September 8, 2014, to fill that vacancy.[5]
Because the seat would not have been up for regular election in 2015, the election for this seat was for the two years left on its unexpired term. Harmon ran to remain in the seat against challengers Mary Loveland, Kelly Spurgeon, and Norine Spears. Because more than three candidates filed for the race, a primary election was held. Harmon and Loveland advanced to the general election, where Harmon won his first full-term in the seat.[4]
Results
| Lawrence Public Schools, At-Large General Election, 4-year term, 2015 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Shannon Kimball Incumbent |
18.9% | 5,418 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jessica Beeson |
17.6% | 5,050 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jill Fincher |
17.3% | 4,951 | |
| Nonpartisan | Rick Ingram Incumbent |
16.6% | 4,758 | |
| Nonpartisan | Bob Byers Incumbent | 14% | 4,015 | |
| Nonpartisan | Lindsey Frye | 9.3% | 2,669 | |
| Nonpartisan | Ronald Gordon-Ross | 6.3% | 1,819 | |
| Total Votes | 28,680 | |||
| Source: Douglas County, "Online Election Results (official)," accessed April 16, 2015 | ||||
Funding
Fincher reported no contributions or expenditures to the Douglas County Clerk in this election.[6]
Endorsements
Fincher did not receive any official endorsements in this election.
Campaign themes
2015
Fincher participated in a candidate questionnaire from the Lawrence Journal-World. The questions and her responses are below:
| “ | What makes you the right candidate for School Board?
I am a strong proponent of public education. I have been involved with public schools as a parent, site council member, volunteer and PTO member and officer over the last 20 years. I recently served on the Boundary Advisory Committee and I’ve served on the Lawrence Schools Foundation board which supports all schools in the district. I am not running on a particular issue but rather to support and represent all students in each of our schools. What issues should the schools board focus on in the coming years? We should always be focused on our highest priority, which is meeting the needs of our students. That includes all students across the district and high- and low-achieving students. We realize this goal by getting good teachers in front of the fewest number of students in a classroom and provide them the resources they need. How should the board address the budget issues it faces because of state cuts? Funding constraints coming from the Legislature will pose some challenges for our community. There are no easy cuts remaining. Those were lost in previous rounds of cuts. We need to remain focused on protecting our highest priority, our students, when weighing the district’s budget. Are Lawrence students shortchanged in any aspect of their education? We have great schools in Lawrence that reflect the diversity and uniqueness of our community. My children have had benefited from wonderful teachers, experienced lessons in leadership and growth through clubs, fine arts and sports. Do we have areas that could need improvement? Probably. Are we shortchanged? Not at all. Do you support Common Core Standards? Kansas Common Core has provided an educational framework for our state. I think it’s fine since that’s the way the state has decided to go. We are free to add our local spin to it. However, the standards will only be successfully delivered if teachers are supported with the materials and resources needed to teach to the standards. Should teachers have tenure rights? Is it “too hard” to fire teachers with tenure? I think our district is comprised of mostly great teachers, there is always a case that may need supervisory action. The modified tenure allows for that process and still protects teachers from being terminated for political reasons. Do you support moving school board elections to November? A school board should be a reflection of the community it serves. Moving the election to November will extend the partisan tug of war to our schools which benefits political parties, not students.[7] |
” |
| —Jill Fincher (2015)[8] | ||
See also
- Lawrence Public Schools, Kansas
- Lawrence Public Schools, Kansas elections (2015)
- Hot tub Gatorade, turnout in Peoria and the Wisconsin state budget... (April 8, 2015)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Lawrence Journal-World, "Fincher, Spears file for school board; primary election coming for one seat," January 26, 2015
- ↑ Lawrence Journal-World, "School board candidate profile: Jill Fincher," March 22, 2015
- ↑ Scott Morgan for Secretary of State of Kansas, "Home," accessed February 10, 2015
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Douglas County Clerk, "Unofficial City/School Candidate Filings To Date," January 27, 2015
- ↑ Lawrence Journal World, "Marcel Harmon appointed to Lawrence school board," September 8, 2014
- ↑ Douglas County Clerk, "Candidate Reports," accessed May 28, 2015
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Lawrence Journal-World, "School board questionnaire: Jill Fincher," March 18, 2015
| 2015 Lawrence Public Schools Elections | |
| Douglas County, Kansas | |
| Election date: | Primary: March 3, 2015
General: April 7, 2015 |
| Candidates: | At-large, 4-year terms (Four seats): • Incumbent, Bob Byers • Incumbent, Rick Ingram • Incumbent, Shannon Kimball • Lindsey Frye • Ronald Gordon-Ross • Jessica Beeson • Jill Fincher
At-large, 2-year term (One seat): • Incumbent, Marcel Harmon • Mary Loveland • Kelly Spurgeon • Norine Spears |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
