Mesa County Valley School District 51 elections (2017)
From Ballotpedia
2019 → ← 2015 |
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| General election date |
| November 7, 2017 |
| Enrollment (14-15) |
| 21,746 students |
Three of the five seats on the Mesa County Valley School District 51 Board of Education in Colorado were up for nonpartisan general election on November 7, 2017. In his bid for re-election to the District C seat, incumbent John Williams ran unopposed and won another term. District D incumbent Tom Parrish defeated Dusti Reimer. The race for the open District E seat included Amy Davis and Thomas Keenan, and Davis won the seat.[1] Reimer and Keenan ran together as part of the Rise Mesa County slate.[2][3]
The 2017 election attracted fewer candidates per seat compared to the district's previous two elections. For information on election trends in the district, click here.
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The Mesa County Valley School District 51 Board of Education consists of five members elected to four-year terms. Elections are held on a staggered basis so that two or three seats are up for election every odd-numbered year in November. Though members run for seats in specific geographic districts, elections are held at large.[4][5]
To qualify to run for school board, candidates had to be residents of the school district and registered voters for a minimum of 12 consecutive months before the election. They also could not have been convicted of a sexual offense against a child. To get on the ballot, school board candidates had to file nomination petitions containing 50 signatures of eligible voters in the school district by September 1, 2017.[4]
Colorado voters were allowed to register to vote through election day.[6] Photo identification was not required to vote in Colorado.[7]
Candidates and results
District C
Results
| Mesa County Valley School District 51, District C General Election, 4-year term, 2017 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 John Williams Incumbent (unopposed) |
100.00% | 29,338 |
| Total Votes | 29,338 | |
| Source: Mesa County Elections Office, "Official Results," accessed November 27, 2017 |
Candidates
John Williams 
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District D
Results
| Mesa County Valley School District 51, District D General Election, 4-year term, 2017 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Tom Parrish Incumbent |
66.04% | 24,293 |
| Dusti Reimer | 33.96% | 12,491 |
| Total Votes | 36,784 | |
| Source: Mesa County Elections Office, "Official Results," accessed November 27, 2017 |
Candidates
| Tom Parrish
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Dusti Reimer | ||
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District E
Results
| Mesa County Valley School District 51, District E General Election, 4-year term, 2017 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Amy Davis |
69.00% | 25,808 |
| Thomas Keenan | 31.00% | 11,597 |
| Total Votes | 37,405 | |
| Source: Mesa County Elections Office, "Official Results," accessed November 27, 2017 |
Candidates
| Amy Davis
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Thomas Keenan | ||
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Colorado elections, 2017
The Mesa County Valley School District 51 Board of Education election did not share the ballot with any other elections.[8]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the 2017 Colorado school board elections.[9][10]
Endorsements
The Mesa Valley Education Association (MVEA) endorsed District D incumbent Tom Parrish and District E candidate Amy Davis. State Sen. Ray Scott (R-7) endorsed the Rise Mesa County slate—District D candidate Dusti Reimer and District E candidate Thomas Keenan.[11]
Do you know of an official or organization that endorsed a candidate in this race? Let Ballotpedia know by email at elections@ballotpedia.org.
Campaign finance
Candidates received a total of $28,817.57 and spent a total of $28,542.65 in the election, according to the Colorado Secretary of State.[12]
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| District C | |||
| John Williams | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| District D | |||
| Tom Parrish | $12,800.00 | $12,775.74 | $24.26 |
| Dusti Reimer | $1,900.00 | $1,900.00 | $0.00 |
| District E | |||
| Amy Davis | $12,393.57 | $12,168.87 | $224.70 |
| Thomas Keenan | $1,724.00 | $1,698.04 | $25.96 |
Reporting requirements
School board candidates in Colorado were required to file three campaign finance reports. The reports were due on October 17, 2017, November 3, 2017, and December 7, 2017.[10]
Past elections
To see results from past elections in Mesa County Valley School District 51, click here.
What was at stake?
Issues in the election
Candidates discuss top priorities at forum
All five Mesa County Valley School District 51 Board of Education candidates discussed their top priorities, how to improve students' learning, and what they could contribute at a candidate forum on September 18, 2017. The forum was hosted by the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce.[13]
District C incumbent John Williams said it was "really important that we continue with our strategic compensation models and performance-based learning models. A lot of times in education somethings tracking for a couple years and then they come in and change it. These are two initiatives that need to continue."[13]
"How do we encourage students to take learning seriously and that they own the learning and they move forward in order to be successful?” said District D incumbent Tom Parrish.[13]
Dusti Reimer, Parrish's challenger, said her priorities were "to create unity and to simplify the focus back down to the school district designed to teach students. I think in a lot of ways we have drifted away from that simple concept and I would like to see everybody get back on board and back together and focus on that concept."[13]
District E candidate Amy Davis said, "I'm worried about depression and suicide rates in the school district. If our kids are not safe they cannot learn.”[13]
Thomas Keenan, another candidate for District E, said, "We've got to get proficient in the classroom, the students have to get motivated. We have to bring that out. Every student in that school has the ability to learn.”[13]
Report a story for this election
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Candidate survey
Election trends
- See also: School boards in session: 2015 in brief
The 2017 Mesa County Valley School District 51 Board of Education election attracted a lower average number of candidates than the district's 2013 and 2015 elections received. Five candidates ran for three seats in 2017 for an average of 1.67 candidates per seat, and one of the three seats was unopposed. An average of three candidates ran per seat in 2015, and an average of 2.33 candidates ran per seat in 2013. No seats on the ballot were unopposed either year.
| School board election trends | |||||
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| Year | Candidates per seat | Unopposed seats | Incumbents running for re-election | Incumbent success rate | Seats won by newcomers |
| Mesa County Valley School District 51 | |||||
| 2017 | 1.67 | 33.33% | 66.67% | 100.00% | 33.33% |
| 2015 | 3.00 | 0.00% | 50.00% | 0.00% | 100.00% |
| 2013 | 2.33 | 0.00% | 66.67% | 100.00% | 33.33% |
| Colorado | |||||
| 2015 | 1.77 | 30.77% | 55.38% | 83.33% | 53.85% |
| United States | |||||
| 2015 | 1.72 | 35.95% | 70.37% | 82.66% | 40.81% |
Issues in the district
Ken Haptonstall appointed district superintendent
The Mesa County Valley School District 51 Board of Education voted unanimously to appoint Ken Haptonstall as superintendent of the district on April 13, 2017. He started the position on July 1, 2017.[14][15] Haptonstall replaced former Superintendent Steven Schultz. Schultz served in the role for eight years before his retirement at the end of the 2016-2017 school year.[16]
About the district
Mesa County Valley School District 51 is located in Mesa County, Colorado.
Mesa County Valley School District 51 is located in Mesa County in western Colorado. The county seat is Grand Junction. Mesa County was home to an estimated 150,083 residents in 2016, according to the United States Census Bureau.[17] The district was the 12th-largest school district in the state in the 2014-2015 school year and served 21,746 students.[18]
Demographics
Mesa County underperformed compared to Colorado as a whole in terms of higher education achievement between 2011 and 2015. The United States Census Bureau found that 26.3 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 38.1 percent of state residents. During the same time period, the median household income in Mesa County was $49,322, compared to $60,629 statewide. The poverty rate in the county was 14.1 percent, while it was 11.5 percent for the entire state.[17]
| Racial Demographics, 2016[17] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | Mesa County (%) | Colorado (%) |
| White | 94.1 | 87.5 |
| Black or African American | 0.9 | 4.5 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.5 | 1.6 |
| Asian | 0.9 | 3.3 |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0.1 | 0.2 |
| Two or More Races | 2.3 | 3.0 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 14.4 | 21.3 |
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.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Mesa County Valley School District 51 Colorado election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Mesa County Valley School District 51 | Colorado | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Mesa County Valley School District 51, "2017 School Board Candidates," accessed September 2, 2017
- ↑ Dusti Reimer for Mesa County School Board District 51, "Rise Slate," accessed November 2, 2017
- ↑ Mesa County Elections Office, "Unofficial Results," accessed November 7, 2017
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Colorado Association of School Boards, "2017 Elections School Board Candidate Guide," accessed August 29, 2017
- ↑ Mesa County Valley School District 51, "2017-2018 Board of Education Members and Contact Information," accessed August 29, 2017
- ↑ Colorado Secretary of State, "Voter Registration FAQs," accessed August 29, 2017
- ↑ Colorado Secretary of State, "Acceptable Forms of Identification," accessed August 29, 2017
- ↑ City of Grand Junction, "City Election Information," accessed September 14, 2017
- ↑ Colorado Secretary of State, "2017 Election Calendar," accessed August 28, 2017
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Colorado Secretary of State, "2017 Biennial School Election Calendar," accessed August 28, 2017
- ↑ The Daily Sentinel, "Scott backs 2 school candidates, raps influence from Front Range," October 27, 2017
- ↑ Colorado Secretary of State, "TRACER: Candidate Search," accessed December 18, 2017
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 KKCO 11 News, "Meet the school board candidates for D51," September 18, 2017
- ↑ NBC 11 News, "District 51 gives official offer to new Superintendent," May 12, 2017
- ↑ Post Independent, "Ken Haptonstall selected as Grand Junction D51 superintendent," April 13, 2017
- ↑ The Daily Sentinel, "District 51 starts search for new chief," January 12, 2017
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 United States Census Bureau, "QuickFacts: Mesa County, Colorado; Colorado," accessed August 31, 2017
- ↑ U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, "Common Core of Data, file ccd_lea_052_1414_w_0216161a, 2014-2015," accessed November 16, 2016
