Idaho school board elections, 2015
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A total of six Idaho school districts among America's largest school districts by enrollment held elections in 2015 for 14 seats. All of the elections were scheduled on May 19, 2015.
- The largest school district by enrollment with an election in 2015 was West Ada School District with 36,838 K-12 students.
- The smallest school district by enrollment with an election in 2015 was Idaho Falls School District 91 with 10,293 K-12 students.
- Idaho Falls School District 91 and West Ada School District were tied for the most seats on the ballot in 2015 with three seats up for election in each district.
- The other four districts, Bonneville Joint School District No. 93, Coeur d'Alene Public Schools, the Nampa School District and Pocatello-Chubbuck School District No. 25, were tied for the fewest seats on the ballot in 2015 with two seats up for election in each.
The districts listed below served 97,639 K-12 students during the 2012-2013 school year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.[1] Click on the district name for more information on the district and its school board elections.
| 2015 Idaho School Board Elections | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Date | Seats up for election | Total board seats | Student enrollment |
| Bonneville Joint School District No. 93 | 5/19/2015 | 2 | 5 | 10,758 |
| Coeur d'Alene Public Schools | 5/19/2015 | 2 | 5 | 10,878 |
| Idaho Falls School District 91 | 5/19/2015 | 3 | 5 | 10,293 |
| Nampa School District | 5/19/2015 | 2 | 5 | 16,073 |
| Pocatello-Chubbuck School District No. 25 | 5/19/2015 | 2 | 5 | 12,799 |
| West Ada School District | 5/19/2015 | 3 | 5 | 36,838 |
Trends in Idaho school board elections[edit]
- See also: School boards in session: 2015 in brief
The state's 2015 school board elections saw fewer candidates run per seat compared to 2014. Districts also had more candidates run unopposed, with half of the seats up for election garnering only one interested individual each. Despite the lack of competition, the 2015 school board elections in Idaho saw an increase in new members joining the board. One third of the seats in 2014 went to newcomers, but the 2015 elections saw 57.14 percent of seats go to challengers.
The following sections analyze competitiveness and incumbency advantage in Idaho's school board elections. These districts did not utilize primary or runoff elections. Winners only had to receive a plurality, or relative majority, of votes to secure a seat. All of the school board elections held in the state in 2014 and 2015 were nonpartisan.
Details of the data discussed here can be found in the table below.
Competitiveness[edit]
In 2015, elections held in Idaho's largest school districts attracted an average 1.79 candidates to run per seat. This was below the average from 2014, when 2.33 candidates ran per seat up for election. Half of the seats up for election in 2015 were unopposed, but none were unopposed in 2014.
Incumbency advantage[edit]
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Only 60 percent of incumbents who ran for re-election in Idaho in 2015 kept their seats. Ten incumbents ran for 14 seats. Five of those incumbents ran unopposed, automatically retaining their seats. Only one incumbent who faced a challenger was able to win the election. By contrast, in 2014, Idaho was one of eight states that had a 100 percent incumbency success rate. Three seats were up for election in one school district. Two incumbents ran for re-election and defeated their challengers to retain their seats. The other seat went to a newcomer who defeated one fellow challenger to join the board. The map below details the success rates for incumbents who ran in the 2015 school board elections that were held in the largest school districts by enrollment in the U.S.
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Data table[edit]
The table below displays the statistics for school board elections in Idaho's largest school districts from 2014 to 2015.
| Idaho school board elections, 2014-2015 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Total | Incumbents | ||||||||
| Seats up | Candidates | Candidates/ seat |
Unopposed seats | % unopposed | % seats won by newcomers | Sought re-election | Unopposed | Retained | % retained | |
| 2015 | 14 | 25 | 1.79 | 7 | 50.00% | 57.14% | 10 | 5 | 6 | 60.00% |
| 2014 | 3 | 7 | 2.33 | 0 | 0.00% | 33.33% | 2 | 0 | 2 | 100.00% |
Spotlight districts[edit]
Overcrowding and financial concerns[edit]
Amidst financial troubles, both the Bonneville Joint School District No. 93 and the Nampa School District elected new members to the board of education seats up for election in their districts in 2015. For Bonneville, the financial concerns stemmed from an overcrowding problem due to increased enrollment each year since 2008. Though the board put a bond proposal to fund the building of a new high school on the ballot three times since March 2014, the measure failed to gain the necessary supermajority each time. For Nampa, problems from the district's 2012 financial crisis that resulted from several accounting errors still plagued the district.[2][3][4]
In Bonneville, the two incumbents up for re-election did not file to run again, passing on the problem of combatting overcrowding with no funding to the newly elected members. The two incumbents whose terms were up in Nampa did file to run again, but voters elected newcomers to the board.[3][5]
Bonneville Joint School District No. 93[edit]
For seven years before the 2015 elections, the Bonneville Joint School District faced ongoing overcrowding issues in its middle schools and high schools. High school enrollment in the district met capacity in 2008 and continued to grow every year after. Twenty-four temporary trailers were added to the high schools to meet the demand for more classrooms.[2]
In 2014, the board devised a plan to build a new high school and a new middle school that would be funded by a 30-year, $92 million bond package. Only 43 percent of voters cast ballots in favor of this proposal in the election held on March 11, 2014.[6][7]
After that proposal failed, the school board created a facility planning committee that included stakeholders from across the district. The committee devised a new plan that included only the construction of a new high school and a shorter term bond package saving taxpayers over $21 million in interest payments. The new proposal cost $56.1 million over 17.5 years and was put on the ballot in the election on March 10, 2015. Despite 65.7 percent of voters approving the proposal, it did not get the two-thirds supermajority required by Idaho law. After the election, the board immediately voted to put the proposal back on the ballot for the election on May 19, 2015.[8]
The May election resulted in 66.19 percent of voters casting ballots in favor of the bond package. Although these results showed a higher percentage of voters in favor of the proposal than the previous vote, advocates for the package did not get enough votes to get a super-majority approval.[3]
Nampa School District[edit]
During their campaigns, the incumbents of the Nampa Board of Trustees faced questions from both their challengers and the voters regarding the district's 2012 financial crisis. Due to several accounting errors, the district faced a $5 million deficit that resulted in eliminating transportation services to a magnet school, closing an elementary school and cutting 45 teaching jobs in the 2013-2014 school year.[4]
The challengers accused the board incumbents of not listening to the community. Their biggest concern was the cutting of bus services to New Horizons Dual Language Magnet School. Zone 1 incumbent Jocabed Veloz and Zone 2 incumbent Daren Coon both insisted they did take the community's concern seriously when making their decision. Veloz recalled a special committee that was created to come up with alternatives. Coon mentioned board meetings that lasted until midnight that gave the public an opportunity to suggest ideas and solutions. Ultimately, busing to the magnet school was cut, and the school went from an enrollment of over 500 students to less than 400.[4]
By the end of the 2013-2014 school year, the district overcame its deficit and had $1.8 million in the general fund. The district was also able to improve its credit rating by two spots, according to a credit report completed in April 2015.[9] Due to the recent improvement in the district's financial outlook, the board voted to bring back the bus services in a limited way to New Horizons Magnet School. Veloz and Coon were among the minority, voting against the new busing proposal.[10]
Veloz and Coon were the last of the five board members to face re-election after the financial crisis in 2012. Veloz was appointed to the board a few months before the financial crisis, and Coon was in his third term as a board member at the time. Both lost their bids for re-election on May 19, 2015. Only one of the former board members has been re-elected since 2012. One former member chose not to run, and another member was defeated in the 2013 election. After the defeat of Veloz and Coon, four of the district's five board members were elected to the board no earlier than 2013.[5]
Survey responses[edit]
Four of the 25 candidates running for a school board seat in Idaho's largest school districts in the 2015 elections responded to Ballotpedia's school board candidate survey. The following sections display their answers to questions about top priorities and education issues.
Top priorities[edit]
When asked what her top priorities would be if elected, Mandy Simpson, a challenger who ran for the seat Zone 1 seat on the Nampa school board, stated:
| “ | As a Nampa School Board trustee, I would be dedicated to the education of our students, supporting our employees, and the success of our schools[11] | ” |
| —Mandy Simpson (2015)[12] | ||
West Ada School District Zone 4 incumbent Anne Ritter stated the following as her top priorities:
| “ | Student success is always at the top of my list. It comes in many forms. Student achievement can be measured by increasing test scores, higher graduation rates, increased participation and passage of AP tests, dual enrollment classes, PTE classes, IB, and more AA degrees being conferred at the high school level.
There are also soft skills that matter. Do the students have good work habits? Do they come to school on time? Do they work well with others? Can they communicate effectively both orally and in writing? These skills are the ones that contribute to a successful working life.[11] |
” |
| —Anne Ritter (2015)[13] | ||
The top priorities for West Ada School District Zone 5 challenger Gregory Deitchler were:
| “ | 1. To use my expertise to help set policy that allows all students get the support needed to excel behaviorally, academically, and personally. Specifically as pertaining to student suspensions and expulsions that the needs of all involved are being met and that the law is being followed as it pertains to the rights and needs of students with disabilities either physical or mental health.
2. To use my communication and conflict resolution skills to help vet and make sure that teacher discipline be just and not just administration agenda and vendetta or reaction to public outcry; that all facts and due process for teachers be given to the benefit of all. 3. That the district be fiscally responsible and that every education dollar be spent to the benefit of educating our youth; that teachers be given the proper training and resources needed to educate in the best way possible for each student individually and to all students collectively.[11] |
” |
| —Gregory Deitchler (2015)[14] | ||
Rosemary Demond, West Ada School District Zone 5 challenger, responded with this statement:
| “ | Greater transparency and openness to the parents and taxpayers of the district. I would work to bring a greater sense of local control back to the district.[11] | ” |
| —Rosemary Demond (2015)[15] | ||
Ranking the issues[edit]
The candidates were asked to rank the following issues by importance in the school district, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. This table displays the candidates' average rankings as well as the highest and lowest rankings for each issue.
| Issue importance ranking | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Issues | Average ranking | Highest ranking | Lowest ranking |
| Expanding arts education | 4 | 2 | 7 |
| Expanding career-technical education | 5.25 | 4 | 6 |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | 2.5 | 1 | 7 |
| Improving college readiness | 3.75 | 2 | 6 |
| Closing the achievement gap | 3.5 | 1 | 7 |
| Improving education for special needs students | 3.75 | 3 | 5 |
| Expanding school choice options | 5.25 | 3 | 7 |
Positions on the issues[edit]
The candidates were asked an additional 10 short answer and multiple choice questions regarding significant issues in education. Links to those responses can be found below.
- Mandy Simpson survey responses
- Gregory Deitchler survey responses
- Rosemary Demond survey responses
- Anne Ritter survey responses
State profile[edit]
| Demographic data for Idaho | ||
|---|---|---|
| Idaho | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 1,652,828 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 82,643 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 91.7% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 0.6% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 1.3% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 1.3% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.6% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 11.8% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 89.5% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 25.9% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $47,583 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 16.9% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Idaho. **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. | ||
Presidential voting pattern[edit]
- See also: Presidential voting trends in Idaho
Idaho voted Republican in all six presidential elections between 2000 and 2020.
More Idaho coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Idaho
- United States congressional delegations from Idaho
- Public policy in Idaho
- Influencers in Idaho
- Idaho fact checks
- More...
Academic performance[edit]
- See also: Public education in Idaho
| Education terms |
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| For more information on education policy terms, see this article. |
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NAEP scores[edit]
- See also: NAEP scores by state
The National Center for Education Statistics provides state-by-state data on student achievement levels in mathematics and reading in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Compared to three neighboring states (Montana, Oregon, and Washington), a smaller percentage of Idaho's students were considered at or above proficient in math and reading in fourth grade.[16]
| Percent of students scoring at or above proficient, 2012-2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Math - Grade 4 | Math - Grade 8 | Reading - Grade 4 | Reading - Grade 8 | |
| Idaho | 40 | 36 | 33 | 38 |
| Montana | 45 | 40 | 35 | 40 |
| Oregon | 40 | 34 | 33 | 37 |
| Washington | 48 | 42 | 40 | 42 |
| U.S. average | 41 | 34 | 34 | 34 |
Graduation, ACT and SAT scores[edit]
The following table shows the graduation rates and average composite ACT and SAT scores for Idaho and surrounding states during the 2012-2013 school year. All statements made in this section refer to that school year.[16][17][18]
| Comparison table for graduation rates and test scores* | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Graduation rate, 2012 | Average ACT composite, 2012 | Average SAT composite, 2013 | ||||
| Percent | Quintile ranking** | Score | Participation rate | Score | Participation rate | ||
| Idaho | 92% | First | 21.6 | 67% | 1364 | 99% | |
| Montana | 84% | Second | 22 | 61% | 1595 | 25% | |
| Oregon | 68% | Fifth | 21.4 | 38% | 1539 | 49% | |
| Washington | 77% | Fourth | 22.9 | 21% | 1537 | 60% | |
| U.S. average | 80% | 21.1 | 1498 | ||||
| *Regulatory Adjusted Cohort Rate (except for Idaho, Kentucky, Oklahoma, which did not report “Regulatory Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate,” but instead used their own method of calculation). **Graduation rates for states in the first quintile ranked in the top 20 percent nationally. Similarly, graduation rates for states in the fifth quintile ranked in the bottom 20 percent nationally. Source: United States Department of Education, ED Data Express | |||||||
Dropout rate[edit]
- See also: Public high school dropout rates by state for a full comparison of dropout rates by group in all states
The high school event dropout rate indicates the proportion of students who were enrolled at some time during the school year and were expected to be enrolled in grades 9–12 in the following school year but were not enrolled by October 1 of the following school year. Students who have graduated, transferred to another school, died, moved to another country, or who are out of school due to illness are not considered dropouts. The average public high school event dropout rate for the United States remained constant at 3.3 percent for both school year 2010–11 and school year 2011–12. The event dropout rate for Idaho was lower than the national average at 1.6 percent in the 2010-2011 school year, and 1.9 percent in the 2011-2012 school year.[19]
See also[edit]
| Idaho | School Boards | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
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Footnotes[edit]
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed April 20, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Bonneville Joint School District No. 93, "Why do we need to build another high school?" accessed April 27, 2015
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Bonneville County Elections Office, "Bonneville County - May 19, 2015," accessed May 20, 2015
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Idaho Statesman, "Four candidates challenge two Nampa trustee incumbents," April 17, 2015
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Canyon County, "Election Results," accessed May 20, 2015
- ↑ Idaho Education News, "Bonneville Scales Back Bond Proposal," January 15, 2015
- ↑ Bonneville County, "Election Results- March 2014 District 93 Bond," accessed April 27, 2015
- ↑ Bonneville Joint School District No. 93, "Why are we voting again in May?" accessed April 24, 2015
- ↑ Idaho Press-Tribune, "Nampa schools bond rating jumps two spots to positive," May 1, 2015
- ↑ Idaho Press-Tribune, "Nampa School District ends year with positive balance," October 14, 2014
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2015, "Mandy Simpson's responses," May 2, 2015
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2015, "Anne Ritter responses," May 2, 2015
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2015, "Gregory Deitchler responses," April 29, 2015
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2015, "Rosemary Demond responses," April 29, 2015
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 United States Department of Education, ED Data Express, "State Tables," accessed May 13, 2014
- ↑ ACT, "2012 ACT National and State Scores," accessed May 13, 2014
- ↑ Commonwealth Foundation, "SAT Scores by State 2013," October 10, 2013
- ↑ United States Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, "Common Core of Data (CCD), State Dropout and Graduation Rate Data File, School Year 2010-11, Provision Version 1a and School Year 2011-12, Preliminary Version 1a," accessed May 13, 2014
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