THROW THE BUMS OUT?

Interesting results on the school board elections in Jackson County. Incumbents in Bellevue, East Central, and Andrew school districts all got defeated. In the one contested race in Maquoketa the incumbent won by only 83 votes.



PREVIEW OF NOVEMBER?



The following article reflects what has happened in Scott County and the Plain Blunt Truth is the education problems in this country will never be solved til we get more involvement from the community.



Scott County school board races attract few voters
By Sheena Dooley Thursday, September 11, 2008
For the most part, leaders in local Iowa school districts don’t see turnout for the most recent school board elections or the lack of candidates running in them as a cause for concern.However, it’s raising red flags for others in the state. They say the less than 1 percent of voters that showed up at the polls this week might be a sign that people’s satisfaction with their schools has turned into apathy, and it’s time for the community to have a discussion on how to create more interest and participation in school elections.For the first time, races across Scott County were uncontested this year, which could be one reason they also garnered the lowest level of voter participation in at least a decade, according to Richard Bauer, election supervisor for the Scott County Auditor’s Office. Those numbers reflect elections for seats in Davenport, Bettendorf, Pleasant Valley and North Scott school districts.“This is the first ever all races in all districts were unopposed,” Bauer said. “It’s just never happened. It was a phenomenon. Because of that, I kind of expected a low turnout. But I didn’t think it would be under 1 percent.”Most tie the low turnout to a lack of candidates, which means people have little choice in who oversees the direction of their schools, how millions of taxpayer dollars are spent and what programs are offered in the classroom. It also prevents input from differing viewpoints on the various issues affecting districts and a community dialogue, some said.“If people take the time to educate themselves about the issues and the candidates, (having more candidates) gives them a choice,” said Harrison Cass, Bettendorf interim superintendent. “It gives them a choice of the kind of people and quality of people they want when they go to vote. If there is only one candidate to fill the open seats, then you don’t have a choice really. Or you just stay at home and don’t vote.”The lack of candidates and voters in Scott County is nothing new. In the past five years, the number of residents showing up at the polls has declined. In the past two years, only one of 13 school board races has been contested.That compares with statewide figures that show six in 10 races are uncontested. However, those numbers are usually lower in urban and suburban areas, such as the Quad-Cities, said Lisa Bartusek, associate executive director of the Iowa Association of School Boards.Statewide, voter turnout averages 6 percent, she added.“The low voter turnout raises a big question for Scott County,” Bartusek said. “It would be a good thing for a community group and district to ask what more do we need to do to encourage people to run …“Our belief is the lack of people stepping forward can be a sign of satisfaction in the public schools. But it’s far too easy for satisfaction to move into apathy. If you have less than 1 percent voter turnout and uncontested races over time, that’s a cause for concern.”Scott County election numbers also fall far below of those in Rock Island County school elections, according to Richard Leibovitz, who oversees Rock Island County elections as the county clerk.Districts in Rock Island County, including Rock Island-Milan and Moline-Coal Valley, used to see 10 percent to 15 percent of voters turn out when they held separate elections similar to those in Iowa. However, turnout has increased somewhat after Illinois lawmakers combined school and city elections, which are now held once every two years in April.Leibovitz said one reason for the higher turnout in Illinois could be the visibility of races. In recent years, districts have seen an influx of candidates running for open seats. Because of the competition, candidates put up yard signs, hold debates and campaign door-to-door.“They have gotten with their friends and the people they work with to get more people out to vote and that turns into a higher percentage,” he said. “It’s not too unusual for us to get calls on some of these elections from people who see the signs and realize we are having an election, and they want to know what it’s for.”Kathy Weiman, president of the Moline-Coal Valley school board, said there hasn’t always been such an interest in vacancies on the board. When she first ran almost four years ago, there wasn’t much competition.During the last election more than a year ago, however, every open seat was contested. And when the board had a seat open this summer, 10 people applied.That compares with the two candidates the Pleasant Valley School District had to choose from last month when one of its board members resigned. And at least one of those candidates was recruited by current board members, said Deborah Dayman, Pleasant Valley board president.Weiman attributed the increase in interest to her district’s efforts to engage the community in what the district is doing through forums and newsletters that go out to every resident. The district is also in the middle of deciding what to do with its aging and underutilized schools, among other things.“Certainly, a community is the schools and the schools are the community,” Weiman said. “There is no greater connection than those two entities. (If you aren’t reaching into the community) you get your singular perspective. When you don’t get the broad perspective, then you are missing information. You are making decisions out of the context of the community where those decisions are going to make an impact. You operate in a vacuum.”Sheena Dooley can be contacted at(563) 383-2363 or sdooley@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at qctimes.com.