Superintendent News & Views
Get “On Board”
School Board Election is November 5
By David Hill,
Gladbrook-Reinbeck Superintendent
The
Iowa Association of School Boards urges Iowans passionate about education to
consider running in the upcoming school board election. Public schools need
strong leadership and governance to ensure a bright future for all children and
communities across the state.
Strong
leadership is critical to moving education forward in our state. School board
members play significant roles in their communities – they must have
leadership, vision and dedication. They are charged with accountability for
student learning, determining educational goals, setting policy, overseeing
school finances and more.
School
board members are elected to serve four-year terms, with elections taking place
in odd-numbered years. Those elected receive no pay. Experienced school board
members say the rewards of service lie in meeting the needs of children and
communities.
Under
a new law which took effect on July 1, 2019, the date of regular school
elections will be shifted from September to November. Specifically, school
elections will be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November
in odd-numbered years. The stated goals for this change include increased voter
turnout, managing election costs through sharing among participating
governmental entities and maintaining the predominantly non-partisan nature of
school and city elections.
The
Gladbrook-Reinbeck Community School District has four seats up for election on
November 5. Nominations for open seats can be filed between August 26 and
September 19. Other key dates and deadlines related to this upcoming election
are as follows:
Aug. 26: First day to file
nomination papers with the board secretary.
Sept. 19: Last day to file
nomination papers with the board secretary. Deadline is 5 p.m.
Sept. 24: Last day
candidates may withdraw. Last day written objections to nomination papers or
eligibility of candidates may be filed. Deadline is 5 p.m.
Nov. 5: School election
day. Polls are open from 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Watch your local newspapers for your
polling location, as polling locations may not be the same as in previous
school elections.
Dec.
19: Organizational
meeting of the G-R board. Newly elected or re-elected board members must be
administered the oath of office at this meeting or before. According to the law, the organizational
meeting must take place during the first regular school board meeting following
the canvas of votes. G-R’s organizational meeting has tentatively been set for Thursday,
December 19 at 6:30 p.m. in the Vocal Music Room at the Junior/Senior High
School.
Nomination
papers for school board seats are available from the board secretary, Deb
Oleson at the district office located at 600 Blackhawk Street, Reinbeck,
Iowa. School board candidates must
obtain the signatures of at least 1% of the qualified electors of the district
or 50 electors, whichever is less, but at least 10 signatures. For information
on rewards of board service, campaign finance disclosure law, conflict of
interest, key dates and candidate education, visit www.ia-sb.org/getonboard.
I
encourage your feedback on this column, along with any questions you may have.
You are welcome to visit my blog at http://rebelsupt.blogspot.com/ where you can read all of my
columns and leave comments if you wish. You are also welcome to follow me on
Twitter, where my handle is @DavidRobertHill.
