Madison Metropolitan School District elections (2014)
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Two seats on the Madison Board of Education were up for general election on April 1, 2014. Michael Flores defeated fellow challenger Wayne Strong for Seat 6.[1] Board president Ed Hughes won re-election to Seat 7 without opposition.
About the district[edit]
Madison Metropolitan School District is located in Madison, Wisconsin. Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital of Wisconsin. According to the United States Census Bureau, Madison is home to 240,323 residents.[2] Madison Metropolitan School District was the second-largest school district in Wisconsin, serving 24,806 students during the 2010-11 school year.[3]
Demographics[edit]
Madison outperformed the rest of Wisconsin in terms of higher education achievement in 2010. The United States Census Bureau found that 53.3% of Madison residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree compared to 26.4% for Wisconsin as a whole. The median household income in Madison was $53,958 compared to $52,627 for the state of Wisconsin. The poverty rate in Madison was 18.5% compared to 12.5% for the entire state.[2]
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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.
Voter and candidate information[edit]
The Madison Board of Education consists of seven members elected by district to three-year terms. There was no primary election and the general election was held on April 1, 2014. Two seats will be up for election in April 2015 and three seats will be on the ballot in April 2016.[5]
Candidates for the Board of Education must be 18 years old, citizens of the United States and residents of the district. Each candidate submitted at least 100 valid signatures to the Madison City Clerk's Office by January 7, 2014.[6]
Elections[edit]
2014[edit]
Candidates[edit]
Seat 6[edit]
- Michael Flores
- Firefighter and paramedic
- Wayne Strong
- Graduate, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
- Retired police officer
- Client services associate, UBS
Seat 7[edit]
- Ed Hughes
- Incumbent
- Graduate, Georgetown University and University of Chicago
- Attorney, Stafford Rosenbaum LLP
Election results[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Michael Flores |
62.3% | 15,891 | |
| Nonpartisan | Wayne Strong | 36.9% | 9,413 | |
| Write-in | Write-in votes | 0.7% | 184 | |
| Total Votes | 25,488 | |||
| Source: Dane County Clerk, "2014 Spring Election," April 1, 2014 | ||||
Note: Ed Hughes won Seat 7 without opposition.
Endorsements[edit]
Michael Flores received organized labor endorsements in the Seat 6 race including AFSCME-PEOPLE, Firefighters Local 311 and South Central Federation of Labor.[7] Wayne Strong earned an endorsement from the Madison Professional Police Officers Association.[8] Madison Teachers Inc. issued an endorsement for Flores and Strong for Seat 6 to avoid a contentious campaign.[9] Strong received the endorsement of The Capital Times for the April 1 general election.[10]
Campaign finance[edit]
Candidates received a total of $22,244.77 and spent a total of $9,765.03 by the March 24 pre-election reporting deadline, according to the Madison City Clerk.[11] State law allows candidates to claim exempt status from campaign finance reporting if contributions and expenditures do not exceed $1,000 during a calendar year.[12]
In the Seat 6 race, candidates raised $22,244.77 and spent $9,765.03.
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Flores | $9,862.10 | $4,274.05 | $5,593.05 |
| Wayne Strong | $12,382.67 | $5,490.98 | $6,891.69 |
In the Seat 7 race, candidates did not report any contributions or expenditures.
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ed Hughes | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Past elections[edit]
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What was at stake?[edit]
Issues in the election[edit]
March 4 candidate forum[edit]
All three candidates attended a March 4 forum sponsored by 100 Black Men of Madison, Inc. and held at the Fountain of Life Family Worship Center. The event focused on how the candidates would deal with the achievement gap in district schools. Hughes argued that the community, school employees and students need to work hard to create an improved learning environment. He also discussed the need for an improved job market as an incentive for students. Strong expressed concern that the current code of conduct disproportionately impacts minority students and leads to poorer academic performance. Flores focused on early reading programs and cultural education that engage struggling students.[13]
February 19 candidate forum[edit]
The Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce held a candidate forum on February 19 featuring both candidates for Seat 6. Flores and Strong agreed on changing the district's disciplinary model to focus on student improvement rather than punishment. Both candidates disagreed on the Tech Plan approved by the district in late January. Strong argued that the Tech Plan will prepare students for careers in an evolving economy. Flores countered that the costs of the program and lack of public input outweighed the benefits of the plan.[9]
Issues in the district[edit]
Debate over Tech Plan[edit]
Rival community groups in Madison debated the virtues of the district's five-year Tech Plan during board meetings in January 2014. The Tech Plan will use $27.7 million to incorporate enough computers into area schools to ensure one-on-one instruction. The plan's annual expenses will grow from $1.5 million during the 2013-2014 school year to $8.4 million during the 2018-2019 school year. The board approved the plan by a 6-1 vote on January 27 after reducing total costs from $31 million to $27.7 million.[14][15]
The School-Community Alliance for Public Education (SCAPE) advocated for a more thorough review of the program by the board. SCAPE believed that the annual cost of the Tech Plan deserves greater scrutiny by district residents. The group also suggested that one-on-one computing might not be valuable enough for K-3 students to warrant higher expenses.[14]
The Leopold Parent-Faculty Organization supported implementation of the Tech Plan based on their own experiences with one-on-one computing. The organization raised private funds to purchase iPads and other technology for students in south side schools. Organizers noted the broad popularity of this initial investment and express concern about the district's outdated technology infrastructure.[14]
Key deadlines[edit]
The following dates were key deadlines for the Madison Metropolitan School District election in 2014:[6]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| December 1, 2013 | First day to circulate nominating petitions |
| December 27, 2013 | Last day for incumbents not seeking re-election to file Notice of Non-Candidacy |
| January 7, 2014 | Last day to submit nominating petitions to county clerk |
| March 24, 2014 | Last day to file pre-election campaign finance report |
| April 1, 2014 | Election day |
| July 21, 2014 | Last day to file continuing campaign finance report |
Additional elections on the ballot[edit]
The Madison Board of Education elections shared the ballot with several county elections. Residents of Dane County voted for two seats on the Dane County Circuit Court. The ballot also included 37 seats on the Dane County Board.[16]
Recent news[edit]
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Madison + School + District + Wisconsin"
See also[edit]
- School board elections in Alaska and Wisconsin spark debates over budgets, academic performance
- Incumbents dominate school board elections in Alaska, Wisconsin
- Wisconsin
- Madison Metropolitan School District, Wisconsin
- Wisconsin school board elections, 2014
- List of school board elections in 2014
- School board elections, 2014
- Dane County, Wisconsin ballot measures
- Local ballot measures, Wisconsin
External links[edit]
Footnotes[edit]
- ↑ Madison.com, "Calling all School Board candidates," December 9, 2013
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 United States Census Bureau, "Madison, Wisconsin," accessed January 27, 2014
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed January 27, 2014
- ↑ Dane County Clerk's Office, "Election Results," accessed January 27, 2014
- ↑ Madison Metropolitan School District, "Board of Education Members," accessed January 27, 2014
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 City of Madison, "Campaign Finance and Candidate Information for 2014," accessed January 27, 2014
- ↑ Michael Flores for School Board, "Endorsements," accessed January 28, 2014
- ↑ Strong for Schools, "Home," accessed February 24, 2014
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Jack Craver, The Capital Times, "MTI issues dual endorsement in Madison school board race," February 22, 2014
- ↑ The Capital Times, "April 1 election roundup," March 30, 2014
- ↑ City of Madison, "Madison Metropolitan School District: 2014 Campaign Finance filings," accessed March 26, 2014
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Campaign Finance Overview: Local Candidates," May 2010
- ↑ Pat Schneider, The Capital Times, "Community presses Madison school board candidates for remedy to achievement gap," March 5, 2014
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Pat Schneider, Madison.com, "Parents ask what's the rush on Madison schools' $31 million tech plan," January 22, 2014
- ↑ Jeff Glaze, Wisconsin State Journal, "Madison School Board approves $27.7 million technology plan," January 28, 2014
- ↑ Dane County, "Clerk's Office," accessed January 27, 2014
| 2014 Madison Metropolitan School District Elections | |
| Madison, Wisconsin | |
| Election date: | April 1, 2014 |
| Candidates: | Seat 6: • Michael Flores • Wayne Strong Seat 7: • Ed Hughes |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
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