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Kathryn Palmer
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Kathryn "Kassie" Palmer was the Lee Hill District representative on the Spotsylvania County Public Schools school board in Virginia. First appointed to the board on July 10, 2017, Palmer was defeated in the by-district general election on November 7, 2017.[1]
Palmer participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 school board candidate survey. Click here to read her responses.
Biography
Palmer earned a bachelor's degree in 1990 from Providence College. Her career has been in nonprofit leadership. The 2017 election was her first time running for office.[2]
Elections
2017
Three of the seven seats on the Spotsylvania County Public Schools school board in Virginia were up for by-district general election on November 7, 2017. In his bid for re-election to the Battlefield District seat, incumbent Baron Braswell ran unopposed and won another term. Incumbent Erin Grampp defeated challenger April Gillespie for the Berkeley District seat. In the race for the Lee Hill District seat, Lisa Phelps defeated Kathryn “Kassie” Palmer, who was appointed to the formerly vacant seat on July 10, 2017.[1][3]
Results
| Spotsylvania County Public Schools, Lee Hill District General Election, 4-year term, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Lisa Phelps |
56.17% | 2,695 |
| Kathryn Palmer Incumbent | 43.27% | 2,076 |
| Write-in votes | 0.56% | 27 |
| Total Votes | 4,798 | |
| Source: Virginia Department of Elections, "2017 November General," accessed November 21, 2017 | ||
Funding
Palmer reported $4,775.40 in contributions and $4,775.40 in expenditures to the Virginia Department of Elections, which left her campaign with a $0.00 balance in the election.[4]
Endorsements
Palmer was endorsed by the Spotsylvania Education Association.[5]
Campaign themes
2017
Ballotpedia survey responses
Kathryn "Kassie" Palmer participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of school board candidates.[6] In response to the question "What do you hope to achieve if elected to the school board?" the candidate stated on September 9, 2017:
| “ | I hope to represent the schools to the community, improve communication, and ensure that the budget that is presented to the Board of Supervisors is efficient and transparent.[7][8] | ” |
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 Virginia. |
| 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 | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| “ | I would say that all of these are important, aside from school choice. Until public education is adequately funded, diverting tax dollars to charter and voucher programs is not a priority.[8] | ” |
| —Kathryn "Kassie" Palmer (September 9, 2017) | ||
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer eight 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.) |
|---|
| No. |
| 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 defer to school board decisions in most cases. |
| Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement? |
| No. |
| 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? |
| Offer additional training options. Offer additional training options. Put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve. |
| Should teachers receive merit pay? |
| No. |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| No. |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| Sparingly. It should be reserved for safety-related violations. |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| Teachers. Parent involvement is a very close second. |
Candidate website
Palmer highlighted the following issues on her campaign website:
| “ | Student Success
The first consideration in any decision must be: how will this help our students succeed? Parents, teachers, administrators, and those that hold the purse strings must collaborate in order to ensure that all children in Spotsylvania County schools have the best possible chance at academic success. I am committed to building strong partnerships that remain focused on creating a safe environment that challenges, engages and supports our students. Communication Improved communication between all partners is essential. At a time when rumors spread in an instant, schools are challenged to share information in an organized, timely manner. I will advocate for the implementation of communication standards and best practices among all schools. As a school board representative, I will continuously seek the input of parents, students, and the community on matters that come before the board. Supporting our Schools As parents, we entrust school staff with the care and education of our children. Let's make sure we're doing everything we can to support staff: from bus drivers to teachers, from aides to administrators. We must work to attract and retain excellent teachers and staff. We must ensure competitive wages and an environment that supports our school staff. As taxpayers, we must invest in our schools whether or not we have children attending. Strong schools create a strong community, preserve property values, and enhance the quality of life here in Spotsylvania County. As a school board member, I will advocate for a long-term plan for school funding that reflects our community's desire to invest in the education of our children. Transparency and Fiscal Accountability I have long advocated for local support of funding that meets the needs of our schools. To ensure that the budget presented to the Board of Supervisors annually is a needs-based budget, I will work closely with other school board members to review and prioritize budget proposals. I support open communication on expenditures and will work to present information in a way that taxpayers can understand. I will also advocate on the state level for increased funding and a reduction of unfunded mandates.[8] |
” |
| —Kathryn "Kassie" Palmer (2017)[9] | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Kathryn Palmer Spotsylvania County Public Schools school board. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 News Talk 1230, "Spotsy School Board Selects Palmer," accessed July 11, 2017
- ↑ Information submitted on Ballotpedia's biographical information submission form on July 11, 2017
- ↑ Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Christina Johnson, Spotsylvania County Chief Deputy Registrar," June 14, 2017
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "Campaign Finance Reports: Search Committees," accessed January 17, 2018
- ↑ Spotsylvania Education Association, "Reminder," October 16, 2017
- ↑ Note: The candidate's answers have been reproduced here verbatim without edits or corrections by Ballotpedia.
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2017, "Kathryn "Kassie" Palmer's responses," September 9, 2017
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Kassie Palmer School Board - Lee Hill, "Issues," accessed October 19, 2017
