Daniel Kontos
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Daniel Kontos is an at-large member of the Stevens Point Area Public School District Board of Education in Wisconsin. The general election was held on April 5, 2016.[1]
Biography
Kontos is the chief deputy and undersheriff for Portage County. He has over 20 years of experience in law enforcement. He also served in the United States Army.
Elections
2016
Four of the nine at-large seats on the Stevens Point Area Public School District school board were up for general election on April 5, 2016. Three of the seats came with a three-year term, and one seat came with a one-year term. Incumbent Jeff Ebel ran for re-election. He faced challengers Rory Suomi, Amy Dailey, Daniel Kontos and Barb Portzen in the general election. Ebel, Kontos, and Portzen won seats with three-year terms, and Dailey won a seat with a one-year term. Incumbent Angel Faxon filed to run for re-election but withdrew from the race in March 2016. Her name still appeard on the ballot since she withdrew after the candidate withdrawal deadline.[1]
Results
| Stevens Point Area Public School District, At-Large General and Special Elections, 3- and 1-year terms, 2016 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Daniel Kontos |
19.64% | 8,178 |
| Jeff Ebel Incumbent |
19.55% | 8,138 |
| Barb Portzen |
18.45% | 7,680 |
| Amy Dailey |
16.43% | 6,840 |
| Rory Suomi | 15.30% | 6,371 |
| Angel Faxon Incumbent | 10.63% | 4,424 |
| Total Votes | 41,631 | |
| Source: Stevens Point Area School District, "Election Information," accessed May 18, 2016 | ||
Funding
Kontos reported no contributions or expenditures to the Stevens Point Area School District in the election.[2] Any candidate spending or receiving less than $2,000 was not required to file a campaign finance report.[3]
Endorsements
Kontos received an official endorsement from the Central Wisconsin Grassroots Coalition.[4]
Campaign themes
2016
Ballotpedia survey responses
Daniel Kontos participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 survey of school board candidates. In response to the question "What do you hope to achieve if elected to the school board?" the candidate stated on February 23, 2016:
| “ | Faithfully execute my oath of office, and bring world class education to the District.[5][6] | ” |
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues based on how they should be prioritized by the school board, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. Each ranking could only be used once.
| Education policy |
|---|
 |
Click here to learn more about education policy in Wisconsin. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Improving relations with teachers | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| “ | Children are always #1. All of the others become muddled as issues intertwine.[6] | ” |
| —Daniel Kontos (February 23, 2016) | ||
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer nine questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are highlighted in blue and followed by the candidate's responses. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions. The candidate was also provided space to elaborate on their answers to the multiple choice questions.
| Should new charter schools be approved in your district? (Not all school boards are empowered to approve charter schools. In those cases, the candidate was directed to answer the question as if the school board were able to do so.) |
|---|
| Yes. A new charter school was approved for this school year. So far it's been a resounding success. Allow school districts to make local decisions on the appropriateness of these schools. |
| Which statement best describes the ideal relationship between the state government and the school board? The state should always defer to school board decisions, defer to school board decisions in most cases, be involved in the district routinely or only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. |
| The state should only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. |
| Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement? |
| No. One size fits all national standards fail to take the student into account. I trust professional educators to judge the progress of students on an individual level. |
| What is your stance on the Common Core State Standards Initiative? |
| Horrible exparament [sic] "fixing" what wasn't broken. |
| How should the district handle underperforming teachers? Terminate their contract before any damage is done to students, offer additional training options, put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve or set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district? |
| Terminate their contract before any damage is done to students. Offer additional training options. Put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve. Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district. Coaching, mentoring, training g, and support are all important. Give them every opportunity to grow into their potential. After all, our kids' futures are on the line. |
| Should teachers receive merit pay? |
| Yes. This is just one way to supplement pay plans and reward excellent teaching. |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| No. Tax dollars should stay with public schools. Tax payers should not supplement private ventures. |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| As warranted. |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| Teachers They are the absolute foundation of learning. |
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Daniel Kontos' 'Stevens Point Area Public School District'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Stevens Point Area Public School District, Wisconsin
- Stevens Point Area Public School District elections (2016)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Tiffany Rouse, "Email correspondence with Stevens Point Area Public School District's Administrative Assistant to the Director of Business Services Karlyn Krautkramer," January 11, 2016
- ↑ Tiffany Rouse, "Email correspondence with Stevens Point Area School District Executive Assistant to the Director of Business Services Karlyn Krautkramer," April 4, 2016
- ↑ Wisconsin State Legislature, "Campaign Financing," accessed January 25, 2016
- ↑ UW-SPARC, "Endorsements for April, 2016 election," accessed March 23, 2016
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2016, "Daniel Kontos's responses," February 23, 2016
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
| 2016 Stevens Point Area Public School District Elections | |
| Portage County, Wisconsin | |
| Election date: | April 5, 2016 |
| Candidates: | Incumbent, Angel Faxon • Incumbent, Jeff Ebel • Amy Dailey • Daniel Kontos • Barb Portzen • Rory Suomi |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional measures on the ballot |
