Stewardson-Strasburg Community Unit District 5A, Illinois, elections

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Stewardson-Strasburg Community Unit District 5A

District details
School board members: 7
Students: 399 (2022-2023)
Schools: 2 (2022-2023)
Website: Link

Stewardson-Strasburg Community Unit District 5A is a school district in Illinois (Effingham and Shelby counties). During the 2023 school year, 399 students attended one of the district's two schools.

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

Jump to a section:

Elections School board Location Budget Academic performance Students Staff Schools

## Contents

* 1 Elections
* 1.1 Election rules
* 1.2 Election dates and frequency
* 1.3 Election system
* 1.3.1 Party labels on the ballot
* 1.3.2 Winning an election
* 1.3.3 Term length and staggering
* 1.3.4 Representation: at large vs. by sub-district
* 1.3.5 Filing deadlines and swearing-in dates
* 2 About the district
* 2.1 School board
* 2.2 Join the conversation about school board politics
* 2.3 District map
* 2.4 Overlapping state house districts
* 2.5 Budget
* 2.6 Academic performance
* 2.7 Students
* 2.8 Staff
* 2.9 Schools
* 3 About school boards
* 3.1 Education legislation in Illinois
* 4 See also
* 5 External links
* 6 Footnotes

## Elections

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* 2025

Per our coverage scope, Ballotpedia does not provide election results for this particular race. Check your city or county government's election website for vote totals.

### Stewardson-Strasburg Community Unit School District 5A, At-large

#### General election

##### General election for Stewardson-Strasburg Community Unit School District 5A, At-large (3 seats)

Kevin Beitz, Phillip Boyer, Christopher Debolt, Douglas Holland, and Ryan Schutte ran in the general election for Stewardson-Strasburg Community Unit School District 5A, At-large on April 1, 2025.

Candidate

|

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| Kevin Beitz (Nonpartisan)

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| Phillip Boyer (Nonpartisan)

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| Christopher Debolt (Nonpartisan)

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| Douglas Holland (Nonpartisan)

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| Ryan Schutte (Nonpartisan)

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### Election rules

View election rules

### Election dates and frequency[edit]

See also: Rules governing school board election dates and timing

School board general elections in Illinois are held on the first Tuesday in April every two years in odd-numbered years for all districts except for Chicago Public Schools and Peoria Public Schools.

School board general elections in the Peoria Public Schools District in Illinois are held annually. In odd-numbered years, the school board election election is on the first Tuesday in April. In even-numbered years, the election is on the third Tuesday in March.

School board general elections in the Chicago Public Schools District in Illinois are held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November every two years in even-numbered years.

See law: Illinois Election Code Sec. 2A-1.2 and Illinois School Code Sec. 9-5 and Illinois Election Code Sec. 2A-1.2 and Illinois School Code Sec. 33-1 and Illinois Election Code Sec. 2A-1.2 and Illinois School Code Sec. 34-3

Recent or upcoming election dates for all school districts except Peoria Public Schools and Chicago Public schools

Below are the recent/upcoming dates for all school districts except Peoria Public Schools and Chicago Public schools. There may be exceptions to these dates for specific districts because of local charters and district-specific exceptions and carve-outs.

* Filing deadline date: December 16, 2024
* General election date: April 1, 2025

### Election system[edit]

School board members in Illinois are elected through nonpartisan general elections without primaries.

See law: Illinois Election Code Sec. 2A-1.2 and Illinois School Code Sec. 9-5

#### Party labels on the ballot[edit]

See also: Rules governing party labels in school board elections

School board elections in Illinois are nonpartisan, which means party labels do not appear on the ballot for school board candidates. Illinois Statute establishes that school board members be elected in the nonpartisan consolidated odd-year election. Statute establishes a nomination process for school board candidates without a partisan primary or any other sort of nomination by political parties and without party designation by candidates.

See law:  Illinois Election Code Sections 10-3.1 and 16-3

#### Winning an election[edit]

The school board candidates that receive the largest number of votes in the general election are elected to office.

See law: Illinois Election Code Sec. 2A-1.2 and Illinois School Code Sec. 9-5

#### Term length and staggering[edit]

Peoria Public Schools as of 2022 had five-year board member terms.

School districts in Illinois except Peoria Public Schools as of 2022 had four-year board member terms.

See law: Illinois Election Code Sec. 2A-1.2 and Illinois School Code Sec. 9-5 and Illinois Election Code Sec. 2A-1.2 and Illinois School Code Sec. 33-1

For all districts that hold elections every two years and have four-year board member terms, as close to half of board members are elected at each election. As of 2022, Peoria Public Schools was the only district with annual elections, and the remaining schools held elections every two years. Most districts have seven board members, which means that either three or four members are elected every two years in those districts.

For districts that hold annual elections, either one or two board members are up for election every year. As of 2022, Peoria Public Schools was the only district with annual elections and had either one or two board members up for election every year.

See law: Illinois Election Code Section 10-10 and Illinois School Code Sec. 34-3  and Illinois Election Code Section 10-10 and Peoria Public Schools Policy

#### Representation: at large vs. by sub-district[edit]

School districts other than Chicago Public Schools and Peoria Public Schools can have school boards with all members elected at large from the entire district or school boards with members elected by election sub-districts. School districts can have board member election plans (often based on townships) that are grandfathered in, that are based on special acts, or that have been adjusted due to Federal laws on representation. As of 2022, 820 districts (96%) had board members elected at large, and 32 districts (4%) had board members elected by sub-districts.

The school board members of the Chicago Public Schools district and the Peoria Public Schools district are elected by sub-districts.

See law: Illinois Election Code Sec. 2A-1.2 and Illinois School Code Sec. 34-3 and Sec. 34-3 and Illinois Election Code Sec. 2A-1.2 and Illinois School Code Sec. 33-1

#### Filing deadlines and swearing-in dates[edit]

School board candidates in Illinois must file nomination papers by 106 days before the election. For school districts with elections at the April, odd-year consolidated election, this means the filing deadline is in mid December of even-numbered years for the election in the following year. For 2024 specifically, the legislature passed a law that applied only to Chicago Public Schools that the petition circulation period began on March 26, 2024, and the candidate filing window was from June 17, 2024 to June 24, 2024.

See law: Illinois Election Code Section 10-6

School board candidates cannot file nomination papers until 113 days before the election. For school districts with elections at the April, odd-year election, this means they can begin filing nomination papers one week before the filing deadline in mid December of even-numbered years for the election in the following year. Candidates can begin circulating a nominating petition 90 days before the filing deadline.

See law: Illinois Election Code Section 10-6

## About the district[edit]

### School board

The Stewardson-Strasburg Community Unit District 5A consists of seven members serving four-year terms. To find information about school board meetings, click here.

List of school board membersName| Year assumed office| Year term ends

|
|

Kevin Beitz| |
Brent Curry| |
Christophe Debolt| |
Ron McClain| |
Kinda Morris| |
Ryan Schutte| |
Barry Wittenberg| |

### Join the conversation about school board politics[edit]

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### District map

School district map

### Overlapping state house districts

Stewardson-Strasburg Community Unit District 5AOffice Name| Current Officeholder| Party| % School District Covered| % Other District Covered

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|
|
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Illinois House of Representatives District 107| Brad Halbrook| Republican Party|  100% |  6%

The table was limited to the lower chamber because it provides the most granularity. State house districts tend to be more numerous and therefore smaller than state senate or U.S. House districts. This provides an impression of the partisan affiliations in the area.

### 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
* Expenditures

Revenue, 2020-2021 SOURCE | AMOUNT | AMOUNT PER STUDENT | PERCENT

|
|
|

Federal: | $519,000 | $1,254 |  9%
Local: | $2,095,000 | $5,060 |  37%
State: | $3,093,000 | $7,471 |  54%
Total: | $5,707,000 | $13,785 |

Expenditures, 2020-2021 TYPE | AMOUNT | AMOUNT PER STUDENT | PERCENT

|
|
|

Total Expenditures: | $5,356,000 | $12,937 |
Total Current Expenditures: | $4,643,000 | $11,214 |
Instructional Expenditures: | $2,688,000 | $6,492 |  50%
Student and Staff Support: | $278,000 | $671 |  5%
Administration: | $640,000 | $1,545 |  12%
Operations, Food Service, Other: | $1,037,000 | $2,504 |  19%
Total Capital Outlay: | $292,000 | $705 |
Construction: | $160,000 | $386 |
Total Non El-Sec Education & Other: | $17,000 | $41 |
Interest on Debt: | $47,000 | $113 |

### 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.[2][3]

* Mathematics
* Reading/language arts
* Graduation rates

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 (%)

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|
|
|
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2020-2021 | 30 |  |  | PS |  | PS | 30-34
2018-2019 | 30-34 |  |  | PS |  | PS | 30-34
2017-2018 | 25-29 |  |  | PS |  | PS | 25-29
2016-2017 | 25-29 |  |  | PS |  | PS | 25-29
2015-2016 | 20-24 |  |  |  |  | PS | 20-24
2014-2015 | 30-34 | PS |  |  |  | PS | 30-34
2013-2014 | 60-64 |  |  |  |  | PS | 60-64
2012-2013 | 65-69 | PS |  | PS |  | PS | 65-69
2011-2012 | 85-89 | PS |  | PS |  | PS | 85-89
2010-2011 | 85-89 | PS |  |  |  | PS | 80-84

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 (%)

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

2020-2021 | 45 |  |  | PS |  | PS | 45-49
2018-2019 | 40-44 |  |  | PS |  | PS | 40-44
2017-2018 | 35-39 |  |  | PS |  | PS | 35-39
2016-2017 | 35-39 |  |  | PS |  | PS | 35-39
2015-2016 | 25-29 | PS |  |  |  | PS | 25-29
2014-2015 | 30-34 |  |  |  |  | PS | 30-34
2013-2014 | 65-69 |  |  |  |  | PS | 65-69
2012-2013 | 60-64 | PS |  | PS |  | PS | 60-64
2011-2012 | 75-79 | PS |  | PS |  | PS | 75-79
2010-2011 | 75-79 | PS |  |  |  | PS | 75-79

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 (%)

|
|
|
|
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|
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2017-2018 | >=80 |  |  |  |  | PS | >=80
2016-2017 | >=80 | PS |  | PS |  |  | >=80
2015-2016 | >=80 |  |  |  |  | PS | 60-79
2014-2015 | >=80 |  |  |  |  |  | >=80
2013-2014 | >=90 | PS |  |  |  | PS | >=90
2012-2013 | >=90 | PS |  |  |  | PS | >=90
2011-2012 | >=90 | PS |  |  |  |  | >=90
2010-2011 | >=90 | PS |  |  |  |  | >=90

### Students

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

* Enrollment
* Demographics

Year | Enrollment | Year-to-year change (%)

|
|

2022-2023 | 399 | -2.3
2021-2022 | 408 | -1.5
2020-2021 | 414 | 6.5
2019-2020 | 387 | 3.4
2018-2019 | 374 | 5.3
2017-2018 | 354 | 0.6
2016-2017 | 352 | 2.6
2015-2016 | 343 | 1.5
2014-2015 | 338 | -9.2
2013-2014 | 369 | 1.4
2012-2013 | 364 | -4.4
2011-2012 | 380 | -5.5
2010-2011 | 401 | -5.5
2009-2010 | 423 | 2.6
2008-2009 | 412 | -8.0
2007-2008 | 445 | 0.9
2006-2007 | 441 | -4.3
2005-2006 | 460 | -1.1
2004-2005 | 465 | -3.0
2003-2004 | 479 | 0.8
2002-2003 | 475 | -1.3
2001-2002 | 481 | 2.5
2000-2001 | 469 | -5.1
1999-2000 | 493 | 0.0

Racial Demographics, 2022-2023 RACE | Stewardson-Strasburg Community Unit District 5A (%) | Illinois K-12 STUDENTS (%)

|
|

American Indian/Alaska Native | 0.0 | 0.3
Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.3 | 5.5
Black | 0.0 | 16.5
Hispanic | 1.8 | 27.5
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | 0.0 | 0.1
Two or More Races | 1.5 | 4.2
White | 96.5 | 46.0

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.[5]

* Teachers
* Administrators
* Other staff

As of the 2022-2023 school year, Stewardson-Strasburg Community Unit District 5A had 32.37 full-time classroom teachers. The student-teacher ratio was 12.33.

Teachers, 2022-2023 school year TYPE | NUMBER OF TEACHERS

|

Prekindergarten: | 1.00
Kindergarten: | 2.00
Elementary: | 18.63
Secondary: | 10.74
Total: | 32.37

Stewardson-Strasburg Community Unit District 5A employed 1.00 district administrators and 3.00 school administrators as of the 2022-2023 school year.

Administrators, 2022-2023 school year TYPE | NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATORS

|

District Administrators: | 1.00
District Administrative Support: | 23.95
School Administrators: | 3.00
School Administrative Support: | 2.00

Other staff, 2022-2023 school year TYPE | NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF

|

Instructional Aides: | 0.00
Instruc. Coordinators & Supervisors: | 0.00
Total Guidance Counselors: | 1.00
Elementary Guidance Counselors: | 0.00
Secondary Guidance Counselors: | 1.00
Librarians/Media Specialists: | 0.00
Library/Media Support: | 0.00
Student Support Services: | 0.40
Other Support Services: | 0.00

### Schools

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[6]

The Stewardson-Strasburg Community Unit District 5A operates two schools. They are listed below in alphabetical order.

List of schoolsSCHOOL NAME| NUMBER OF STUDENTS| GRADES

|
|

Stewardson-Strasburg Elem School| 271| PK-8
Stewardson-Strasburg High School| 128| 9-12

## About school boards[edit]

### Education legislation in Illinois[edit]

Bills are monitored by BillTrack50 and sorted by action history.

## See also[edit]

School Boards | Education Policy | Local Politics | Illinois

|
|
|

* List of school districts in Illinois
* Illinois school board elections, 2025
* School board elections, 2025
* School board recalls

* Illinois Department of Education
* Public education in Illinois

* Municipal government
* Local courts
* Local ballot measures
* Recalls

* Illinois
* Illinois elections, 2025
* Illinois State Legislature
* Illinois state executive offices

## External links

* Office website
* Search Google News for this topic

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed June 17, 2024
2. ↑ U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC: EDFacts, "State Assessments in Reading/Language Arts and Mathematics- School Year 2018-19 EDFacts Data Documentation," accessed February 25, 2021
3. ↑ To protect student privacy, percentages were reported as ranges for groups of 300 students or fewer. If five (5) or fewer students were included in a data set, the data was replaced by "PS."
4. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed June 17, 2024
5. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed June 17, 2024
6. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed June 17, 2024

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