Wisconsin Rapids School District elections (2017)
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Two seats on the Wisconsin Rapids School District Board of Education were up for general election on April 4, 2017. Incumbents John Krings and Sandra Hett defeated challenger Jim Scott for the two seats up for election.[1]
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The Wisconsin Rapids Board of Education consists of seven members elected to three-year terms. All members are elected at large. Elections are held every year. Two seats were up for election in 2016, and two seats were up for election in 2017. The general election was held on April 4, 2017.[2][3]
School board candidates had to be at least 18 years old, U.S. citizens, and residents of the school district for a minimum of 28 consecutive days before filing as a candidate. They also could not be disqualified from voting under Wisconsin law.[3]
To get on the ballot, school board candidates had to file nomination papers with the school district clerk by January 3, 2017. If incumbents whose terms were up for re-election did not file to run in the race and did not file written notification that they would not be running, the candidate filing deadline could have been extended until January 6, 2017. The terms of candidates elected in the race started on April 24, 2017.[3]
Candidates and results
At-large
Results
| Wisconsin Rapids School District, General Election, 3-year terms, 2017 |
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|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 John Krings Incumbent |
39.55% | 2,101 |
| Sandra Hett Incumbent |
38.06% | 2,022 |
| Jim Scott | 22.38% | 1,189 |
| Total Votes | 5,312 | |
| Source: Wood County Clerk, "Wood County Election Results," accessed April 4, 2017 These election results are unofficial and will be updated after official vote totals are made available. | ||
Candidates
| Sandra Hett | John Krings | Jim Scott | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Wisconsin elections, 2017
The Wisconsin Rapids Board of Education election shared the ballot with elections for the office of Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction and one seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court.[4]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for Wisconsin school board elections in 2017:[5][6]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| January 3, 2017 | Candidate filing deadline |
| January 16, 2017 | Campaign finance deadline for candidates registered before January 1 |
| February 13, 2017 | Pre-primary election campaign finance deadline |
| February 21, 2017 | Primary election day |
| March 27, 2017 | Pre-general election campaign finance deadline |
| April 4, 2017 | Election Day |
| April 24, 2017 | Board members take office |
| July 15, 2017 | Post-election campaign finance deadline |
Endorsements
Do you know of an official or organization that endorsed a candidate in this race? Let Ballotpedia know by email at elections@ballotpedia.org.
Campaign finance
All school board candidates in Wisconsin were required to file a campaign registration statement with the Wisconsin Ethics Commission after qualifying as candidates. This statement declares their candidacy to the county clerk's office and allows them to claim exemption from reporting campaign contributions and expenditures. Candidates were only required to report campaign contributions and expenditures if they did one or both of the following:[7]
- Accepted contributions, made disbursements, or incurred debt in excess of $2,000 during the calendar year
- Accepted more than $100 from a single source during the calendar year, barring contributions made by candidates to their own campaigns
There were three campaign finance report deadlines in 2017:
- The pre-primary report was due February 13, 2017,
- The pre-election report was due March 27, 2017, and
- The post-election report was due July 15, 2017.[8]
Candidates who filed before January 1, 2017, also had to file a continuing campaign finance report on January 16, 2017.[9]
All candidates in this race filed exempt from reporting contributions or expenditures, according to the Wisconsin Rapids School District.[10]
Past elections
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What was at stake?
Q&A with the Daily Tribune
The Daily Tribune posted a series of questions and answers submitted by both Sandra Hett and John Krings. The tables below compare their answers.[11]
| Why are you seeking election? | |
|---|---|
| Sandra Hett | John Krings |
| "I am a strong believer in public education and I believe that our local school board should be comprised of individuals who believe in and promote public education. Public schools are under fire at a national, state and now local level; electing an anti-public education board member would be like electing a fox to guard the hen house. We have successful schools and students and I want to help that continue. Public schools teach every student every day."[11] | "I believe that a child’s education is the foundation upon which their success rests. I also feel that it is every citizen's responsibility to serve their community in whatever capacity possible."[11] |
| Why should voters elect you? | |
|---|---|
| Sandra Hett | John Krings |
| "I support our mission statement "providing the best education for every student." This is evident with the alternative River Cities High School, special education classes and honors in advanced placement courses. I believe home and community must be an integral part of the education process. I am fiscally responsible and an objective listener. I can ask the tough questions and make informed decisions. I always remember students are first. I respect and work well with others."[11] | "I feel that I have the experience and dedication needed to best serve the students and taxpayers of the Wisconsin Rapids Public School District."[11] |
| What do you want to accomplish if elected? | |
|---|---|
| Sandra Hett | John Krings |
| "Continue the great programs and build on the successes that we have. Recently, the state superintendent visited to see our exemplary elementary STEM program, Governor Walker attended the first graduation ceremony of Project Search and WRPS received "exceeds expectations" on the public school report card. I want to see ninth graders relocated to LHS and eighth graders moved to WRAMS. The achievement gap must be narrowed and we need to work together to provide a quality education for every student."[11] | "To continue helping all staff and students in any way that I can to be successful, while still being a good steward in the spending of tax dollars."[11] |
| What is your background in local government? | |
|---|---|
| Sandra Hett | John Krings |
| "My only role in local government has been as an elected member to the School Board. I have been president, vice president and clerk. I have also chaired all three committees and am currently chairman of the Personnel Committee."[11] | "For the past 10 years I have proudly served on the WRPS School Board. I currently serve as board president. I am also a longtime union official with the United Steelworkers of America."[11] |
Election trends
- See also: School board elections, 2017
After two years of unopposed races, the voters had a choice in the 2017 school board election for Wisconsin Rapids School District. A challenger opposed the two incumbents running for re-election giving the race an average of 1.5 candidates per seat. The same two incumbents ran against the same challenger in 2014. The incumbents had a 100 percent success rate in that race. The 2016 and 2015 school board races both only included unopposed incumbents, while the 2013 race was the most competitive in the five-year stretch with an average of 2 candidates per seat.
| School board election trends | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Candidates per seat | Unopposed seats | Incumbent success rate | Seats won by newcomers | |
| Wisconsin Rapids School District | |||||
| 2017 | 1.5 | 0.00% | TBD | TBD | |
| 2016 | 1 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 0.00% | |
| 2015 | 1 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 0.00% | |
| 2014 | 1.5 | 0.00% | 100.00% | 0.00% | |
| 2013 | 2 | 0.00% | 100.00% | 0.00% | |
| Wisconsin | |||||
| 2015 | 1.38 | 32.00% | 84.00% | 35.29% | |
| United States | |||||
| 2015 | 1.72 | 35.95% | 82.66% | 40.81% | |
Report a story for this election
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About the district
The Wisconsin Rapids School District is located in Wisconsin Rapids, the seat of Wood County, in central Wisconsin. The county was home to 73,435 residents in 2015, according to the United States Census Bureau.[12] The district was the 30th-largest school district in the state in the 2014-2015 school year and served 5,213 students.[13]
Demographics
Higher education achievement
Wood County residents underperformed compared to the state of Wisconsin in terms of higher education achievement from 2011 to 2015. The United States Census Bureau found that 19.6 percent of county residents aged 25 years or older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 27.8 percent of all state residents.[12]
Median household income
The median household income for Wood County between 2011 and 2015 was $48,961. During that same time period, the median household income for Wisconsin as a whole was $53,357, and it was $53,889 for the entire United States.[12]
Poverty rate
From 2011 to 2015, the poverty rate in Wood County was 11.3 percent, while it was 12.1 percent statewide. During that same time period, the poverty rate for the country as a whole was 13.5 percent.[12]
| Racial Demographics, 2015[12] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race | Wood County (%) | Wisconsin (%) | |
| White | 95.1 | 87.6 | |
| Black or African American | 0.8 | 6.6 | |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.9 | 1.1 | |
| Asian | 2.0 | 2.8 | |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | 0.0 | 0.0 | |
| Two or more races | 1.1 | 1.8 | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 2.9 | 6.6 | |
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 Wisconsin Rapids School District Wisconsin election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Wisconsin Rapids School District | Wisconsin | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Daily Tribune Wisconsin Rapids, "Contested races in Port Edwards, Rapids," January 4, 2017
- ↑ Wisconsin Rapids School District, "Board of Education," accessed December 28, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Wisconsin Association of School Boards, "Guide for Candidates: 2017 Spring Election Edition," accessed December 16, 2016
- ↑ Wisconsin Election Commission, "Candidate Tracking by Office: 2017 Spring Election - 4/4/2017," accessed December 16, 2016
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Guided for Candidates," accessed December 16, 2016
- ↑ Wisconsin Ethics Commission, "Campaign Finance Checklist," accessed December 16, 2016
- ↑ Wisconsin State Legislature, "11.0104 Reporting exemptions: limited activity," accessed December 15, 2016
- ↑ Wisconsin Ethics Commission, "Filing Deadlines and Reporting Periods," accessed December 15, 2016
- ↑ Wisconsin Ethics Commission, "Campaign Finance Checklist," accessed December 16, 2016
- ↑ Elisabeth Moore, "Email conversation with Maurine Hodgson," April 3, 2017
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 11.6 11.7 11.8 Daily Tribune, "Read up on Rapids School Board candidates," March 29, 2017
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 United States Census Bureau, "Wood County, Wisconsin," accessed December 29, 2016
- ↑ 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
| Wisconsin Rapids School District elections in 2017 | |
| Wood County, Wisconsin | |
| Election date: | April 4, 2017 |
| Candidates: | At-large: Incumbent, Sandra Hett • Incumbent, John Krings • Jim Scott |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
